“On the face of things, better conditions should lead to larger families, not smaller ones. However, it is impossible to argue with the facts, and the facts are that the rate of population increase is dropping, and that the drop is correlated with increases in personal economic well-being.”

Geoffrey Carr, Science editor of the Economist, discussing a forecast world population of c. 10billion.  He thinks it will be difficult to cope with, but quite possible. “particularly as it is also the case that economic growth in rich countries is less demanding of natural resources for each additional unit of output than is the case for growth in poor countries.”