Fewer and fewer children are being born in Switzerland – even fewer than their parents would like.
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In times of economic crisis, couples put off having children. Now, on top of this, comes an existential fear: will artificial intelligence make us superfluous? This is shaking up the demographics of Europe and Switzerland.
First there was the “baby bust”. Following the launch of the contraceptive pill in the 1960s, birth rates in industrialised nations plummeted in the space of just a decade. They have been in steady decline ever since.
Today, Europe is short of children. This is also true of politically independent Switzerland, where the average number of children per woman has fallen to 1.29. This is the lowest level since data collection began, and is even below the European Union average (1.34).
Apart from family policy, where Switzerland lags behind many countries of the EU in terms of working-time models and childcare, the reasons for the low birth rate are the same as elsewhere. In addition to a shift in values – toward greater individualism and self-realisation – the high average age of mothers at the birth of their first child is the main factor driving down birth rates.
Many women want to shore up their careers before becoming a mother, fearing that they will otherwise be at a disadvantage. So they postpone the decision to start a family. As a result, the window for having children narrows, and often just one complication is enough to dash their plans completely – or they end up having only one child.
Women, and couples, are increasingly choosing to remain childfree, or settling for just one child instead of two or more. Researchers refer to this as the “fertility gap”, which can only be measured retrospectively. Past studies in Switzerland have shown this figure to be well above 0.5 children.
Besides personal events, such as a couple’s breakup, economic uncertainty is what affects birth rates most. This was evident in 2008. Following the financial crisis, the number of newborns dropped sharply in the short term. While there were catch-up effects in the years that followed, the fact remains that each time plans to start a family are postponed, the more likely it becomes that time will run out, resulting in fewer births.
Universal threat to job security
The current global situation has thrown this situation into the spotlight. The sense of security that is essential for planning a family is today being shaken up on several fronts: in the short term by geopolitical upheavals, such as the United States tariffs policy or the oil shock triggered by the US war in Iran; and in the medium term, even more worryingly, by the growing capabilities of AI, which are fundamentally undermining job security.
Unemployment figures have already risen significantly in certain occupational groups, including software engineers and bank employees. And the number of job vacancies for new entrants to the workforce is falling, as routine tasks are the first to be replaced by AI.
Thus, an MIT study, Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of AI, published in late 2025, showed that employment among young workers in occupations with high exposure to AI – such as software development and customer service – had fallen by around 16%. The canary in the study’s title is a metaphor for an early warning system. This raises the question of whether many other professions will soon become obsolete as well.
The trap of continuing low fertility
The renowned Finnish demographer Anna Rothkirch also notes how the growing fear of being replaceable is impacting birth rates. Generally, she says, “it is the middle class that has children. If they, and young adults in particular, are hit financially by AI, this will have consequences.” Ultimately, it comes down to timing. “Everyone is putting off having their first child,” she says. “I am very shocked by these developments.”
Meanwhile, Laura Bernardi, a demographer at the University of Lausanne and a recognised specialist in life-course research, sees AI-fuelled uncertainty in the labour market as one risk factor among many. This uncertainty does not act as an isolated shock, she argues, but rather in conjunction with “a series of mutually reinforcing stresses”, such as rising housing and living costs in Switzerland. This could result in a consistently low birth rate, she warns
Are Switzerland and the entire Western world sliding into a prolonged period of low fertility? The signs are mounting.
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Disrupted life rhythm and digital love
AI and related developments in the workplace could further negatively impact birth rates, Bernardi warns, as they affect our perception of time: “We’re living in an age of social acceleration.” Multi-tasking, online communication and AI have increased productivity and enabled a new degree of flexibility.
“Paradoxically, however, the perception at the individual level is not that of gaining time, but rather of being under time pressure. Meanwhile, parenthood and having children require a pace that is still comparatively slow,” the specialist explains.
In other words, the frenetic speed of an AI-accelerated working world and the calm, clear focus required for parenthood make a poor match.
Fast-paced working world driven by algorithms
In the long term, digital love could also have an impact on birth rates. The market for so-called AI girlfriends is growing rapidly. In the US, studies show that around 70% of young people have already had romantic experiences with a chatbot.
The Swiss evolutionary psychologist Desiree Popelka, who is studying this trend, fears a whole generation is at risk of losing the ability to form relationships.
For the moment, meanwhile, the figures do not show a sudden drop in birth rates because of AI. Instead, most countries are experiencing a steady decline in birth rates.
That said, there are also counter-narratives. It is expected that AI will help to further advance reproductive medicine and reduce the number of couples who are involuntarily childless.
Alongside this is the idea of a society that is so relieved of its burdens by AI and robots that it can once more focus on the fundamental aspects of life; however, this is subject to many preconditions, such as the even spread of AI-generated efficiency gains across society.
For now, the AI revolution is generating uncertainty above all else. And, as the data shows, this is already having an impact on maternity wards.
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Edited by Balz Rigendinger/Adapted from German by Julia Bassam/gw.
