In Europe 2.1 children per woman is considered to be the population replacement level. These are national averages -

Ireland: 1.99
France: 1.90
Norway: 1.81
Sweden 1.75
UK: 1.74
Netherlands: 1.73
Germany: 1.37
Italy: 1.33
Spain: 1.32
Greece: 1.29

'Demographic decline causes anxiety because it is thought to go hand-in-hand with economic decline.

With fewer, younger workers to pay the health and pension bills of an elderly population, states face an unprecedented fiscal burden.

The dependency ratio of those aged 65 and over to those of working age looks set to double from one-to-four to one-to-two in 2050'

News item and statistics 2006

Well Big Phil (apart from our maternity services being caught on the hop) that looks like, as are most births, a cause for celebration!