When National Populations Peak
   You will find more infographics at Statista Flags of the World (2000) Japan, Italy, (2020) Russian, China Germany, Spain Statista: When Populations Peak As today marks  World Population Day , we’re taking a closer at one of the population trends that will affect many countries sooner or later in the 21 st  century: population decline. Especially prevalent across Europe and developed Asia, this demographic trend is a consequence of  declining birth rates  and ageing populations and poses significant challenges to the countries affected. In countries like Japan and Italy, where population decline has begun in 2011 and 2015, respectively, fertility rates have long fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 percent, influenced by factors such as higher education and career opportunities for women, shifts in societal norms regarding family and childbearing and an  ageing overall population . Countries with declining populations face a number of challenges, bot...