America is losing its most valuable resource - people.

What are the demographics of the United States? Writer and columnist for The Washington Post George Will believes that it is worse than people think. Drawing on a report by political economist Nicholas Eberstadt, he reveals how America is losing people. We are publishing a translation of Will's article.

A decline in the US population—possibly, likely, and certainly unfortunate—is not inevitable. It can be prevented, but it requires a change in attitudes among those Americans who do not understand: people are a resource incomparably more valuable than rare earth metals.

In 2025, the US fertility rate (the number of births per woman of childbearing age), which has been declining since 2007, reached a record low. Fortunately, teen birth rates have fallen 81% since their 1991 peak. At the same time, this indicator has increased among women postponing motherhood until they are 30–40 years old, which reflects the expansion of life opportunities for women.

Yet a new report by Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute raises a troubling question mark over the country's future: "Can a depopulating America still thrive?" He said the “painful changes” that “depopulation would impose mercilessly” could come “with staggering speed.”

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