Falling Fertility rates in Utah, but Increasing Population
When the Utah Population and Environment Council (UPEC) began in 1997 the fertility rate for women in Utah was approximately 2.6. (This was the highest fertility rate in the nation.) The fertility rate declined below the replacement level to 1.85 in 2022 (Utah’s Declining Fertility Rate, 2022.) Replacement level is considered 2.1 and means that if the fertility rate is at about 2.1, then the total Utah population would remain similar and at a point in time would not continue to grow if the only factor is fertility rate in the state and not in-migration.
This decline in fertility rate is considered a very positive trend by UPEC.
However, the population is projected to grow significantly from 3.5 million in 2023 (State and County Population Estimates for Utah: 2023) to approximately 5 million in 2050. (User Guide: Long-Term Planning Projection Scenarios.) Utah Population in 2000 was 2.2 million. (Census 2000 data for Utah) Even though the fertility rate has decreased, the population is projected to increase about 1.5 million from 2023 to 2050. While the population increased 1.3 million from 2000 to 2023.
“Utah’s population growth slowed slightly in 2024, but the Beehive State still added 50,392 more residents last year, with much of the growth in Utah and Salt Lake counties. Natural growth — the balancing of births to deaths — and migration were about equally responsible for the population increase.”
What is the population of Utah? – Deseret News Feb. 13, 2025
Increases in National and International populations
The United States population was 281 million in 2000, is estimated at 344 million in 2025 and projected at 371 million in 2050. This is an increase of 63 million from 2000 to 2025 and a projected increase of 27 million from 2025 to 2050.
The world population was 6.1 billion in 2000, is estimated at 8.2 billion in 2025 and projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050. This is an increase of 2.1 billion from 2000 to 2025 and 1.6 billion from 2025 to 2050.
For both the United States and the world, the increase in population is greater from 2000 to 2025 than is projected from 2025 to 2050, but these are still significant projected increases. While the United States and world population is expected to grow significantly there are many countries that are expected to decrease in population. This is a concern for many countries and there is often talk about the need to increase human population, especially in some countries, even though the world population is projected to continue growing.past, present and projected.