Dr Paul Morland

Author, demographer, broadcaster.

Dr. Paul Morland is a writer and broadcaster who focuses on global demographic trends, both past and present. Recognised as the UK's leading demographer by the Scottish Herald and one of the world's foremost experts in the field by Mercator, he has authored four books: Tomorrow’s People, The Human Tide, Demographic Engineering, and last year’s No One Left. His work has been translated into nine languages. Paul has contributed to and been featured in major international publications such as the Financial Times, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Toronto Globe and Mail, Der Spiegel, and the Jerusalem Post. He has also appeared on numerous broadcast platforms, including BBC Radio 4.

Why did we invite him on?

His 2024 book No One Left concerned the prospect of population collapse, offering the pro-natalism argument in response to the Western world’s increasing feelings of fatalism. Many developed nations seem to have been swayed by the argument that humans are some sort of scourge on the Earth, and to produce more of them is just obedience to a caveman instinct we should be wise enough to reject. But is this true? Are human beings bad for the planet, or do we desperately need more of them?

What did we talk about?

There’s no question: the people of Britain are having fewer and fewer children. It’s a problem, and it can’t be solved until we understand why. Our country has its problems, but the standard of living here is the envy of much of the world, especially the parts which happen to boast much higher birth rates. So, we ask: why?

Unfortunately, as Paul says, ”it’s not that simple.” No one factor explains our collapsing fertility. However, a holistic understanding might allow us to turn things around. In Paul’s view, there are two ‘buckets’ of causes: the material and the cultural.

Often, the blame is laid entirely at the feet of material conditions and expense. Childcare, housing, and the running costs of a family - these are the hurdles to starting a family. But is that true? It might be the case here, but it doesn’t explain why fertility rates are falling abroad, where these costs are relatively low. Indeed, there are countries where these things are subsidized, and still, the rates fall. It has to be something else. But what?