The population of the world continues to increase, but in some areas the population is falling.
This is true in Europe and especially in Eastern Europe. In Russia, the population is going down by about 100 people EVERY HOUR! Russia's population could fall by ONE THIRD by the year 2050! And in Poland (波兰) the population is also going down because people are leaving to work in other countries.
One of the main reasons is a change of lifestyle. All over Europe people, especially educated women, have a different attitude(态度) to children than their parents. "I have one child and she is enough for me," said Galina Tereschkova, a doctor from Moscow. "My husband and I both work full—time. We can't imagine having more than one child." Many women decide to have children later in life or not to have children at all. "I don't want to have any children until I have worked for at least 10 years," said 19-year-old student Hana Markova from Prague. Her opinion is typical of 18~24 year old women everywhere in Europe.
In Poland, the population is going down for a different reason. A lot of people, usually aged between 20 and 30, are leaving the country to work abroad. Poland joined the European Union in 2005 and since then more than half a million people have moved to Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. Even so, the population of those four countries and many other countries in West Europe is also going down.
Many governments are now encouraging people to have larger families. In France, women now receive nearly $1,000 a month for a year if they have a third child. Austrian women receive $700 a month for three years when they have their first child.
