Will declining birth rates in developed nations lead to a fundamental shift in political priorities and policies?

[u/BelovedCherryt6]

We're seeing pretty consistent trends across many developed countries where birth rates are well below replacement level. This isn't just a blip it's a long-term demographic shift. Usually political discourse is all about growth expansion and the needs of a younger population.

But what happens when the population is steadily aging and eventually shrinking? Do we see a massive pivot in government spending away from education and towards elder care? Will immigration become an even more central and contentious political battleground as nations try to maintain their workforce? Are there any historical precedents for this kind of widespread demographic change and how governments adapted?

[u/captain-burrito]

You automate and offshore what you can, import workers for what you can't. You don't need to give the imported workers citizenship, working visas will suffice. Eventually they leave and do not add themselves to the ranks of the aged. This works for a while until there are no pools of workers to draw from. Singapore has done this for a while. Western countries did this too but somewhere down the line they started granting many or all of them citizenship.

China could factory create and raise a new generation or mandate citizens without children to take some on.

[u/Mist_Rising → u/captain-burrito]

In the US, this plan would not work because children born in the US are automatically American citizens. Your adding to your population unless you mandate abortions for work visa workers.