[brainwad]

The complexity of society has got to be somewhat proportional to its population. If we halve the population, we won't just half the GWP. It will be lower still due to less specialisation.

Also, unless you throw the elderly to the wolves, having very low birth rates leads to a huge drag from having too many retirees to support with your shrinking working age population.

[Thraway198]

Ok so this means we need a certain amount of immigration. Surely the existing populations of each country can decide if they want more than what's necessary?

Not to mention automation is only increasing. Japan will have a booming robot export business going in a few decades.

A lot of these arguments about "needing" immigration to support aging populations are just thinly-veled neoliberal excuses.