ISTANBUL - Experts disagree with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s statements that each family in Turkey should at least have three children to overcome the adverse effect of the gradual decrease that will occur in the country´s growth rate over the next 30 years.
"Encouraging people to have three children is a not the right solution to deal with the aging [population] problem," said Cem Baþlevent, an academic from Istanbul Bilgi University’s Economics Department.

Academics agree that recently released data proves Turkey will face problems supporting the old and retired population. "An aging population will of course be a burden for the social security system in Turkey," said Baþlevent.

Turkey’s population will not reach 100 million as it was supposed to be, not even 40 years later, says the report. The growth rate will be close to zero and Turkey will be populated by around 89 million people in 2046. That means first the number of young people will be equal to, and then lower than, the number of old people.

"The employed people cannot support the older people; this is why the social security [system] is in crisis in Europe. That will probably be Turkey’s problem too," said Professor Aysýt Tansel, from the Economics Department of Middle Eastern Technical University, or METU.

However the economy has more components that have to be taken into account, believe the experts. "To encourage a higher birth rate just to support the retired people will bring more burden to the economy, as well as society," said Baþlevent, adding that the social security system already has many problems.

More: http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/10363018.asp?gid=243

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No more ´work´ to do for TLC members?

Well, I don´t think it needed "experts" to tell us this

China is one country that will and is facing this problem, due to the one child rule.  The population is living longer (in the news today) economy is growing, birth rate is falling.  The declining younger generation are therefore leaving an aging population struggling to look after themselves.

I am not advocating procreation explosion, but a little affore thought is needed by governments around the world in the developed and developing countries.

Here in the UK, people are living much longer and are much healthier and active, and our birth rate has fallen.  so we face a similar problem.  How to look after the retired.

 a brilliant post as usual.

it was china´s goal to reduce the demography. they have achieved their goal to certain extent.

yes, they have improved their economy, their lifestyle.

In Singapore the government gives ´Baby Bonus´ to 2nd child onwards..... to encourage people to have more children not sure if it still works now..

 Oh god please dont bring this to the UK.  We already have so many bonuses to people with kids, most girls do it as a profession!

 how much do they get? maybe i should start that profession too?

So if we need more and more kids, the population will explode at some point!!! We have a population crisis on this planet already for god´s sake!!

You know Malthusian theory.

"...In 1798, Thomas Malthus published An Essay on the Principle of Population, describing his theory of quantitative development of human populations:

Malthus saw the difference between population growth and resource growth as being analogous to this difference between exponential and linear growth. Even when a population inhabits a new habitat – such as the American continent at Malthus´ time, or when recovering from wars and epidemic plagues – the growth of population will eventually reach the limit of the resource base. (Malthus 1798, chapter 7: A Probable Cause of Epidemics)...."

Malthus ignored the idea of demographic transformation, but even with decreasing birth rates, people will face severe resource problems sooner or later. I don`t think tayyip even knows who malthus is though, his only motive is to increase the unemployed uneducated and ignorant population who will vote for him.