Germany's birth rate has been one of the lowest in the world. This has become a serious national security threat, and the authorities are trying every possible way to see the problem off. The government hopes to fix its birth rate on the decrease and produce a larger than usual increase to maintain its 81.8 million population by offering baby bonuses and other encouragements. In industrialized countries, the average woman must have about 2.1 children to keep the population stable. In 1990, the average German woman would have 1.5 children, but in 2012, the birth rate had dropped to a record low. While the population is expected to start shrinking in the next 15 years, its rapid ageing may make Germany the oldest country in the world within two decades. A demographer at the German Federal Statistics Office warned, " At present, there may be seven working people supporting one older person. But there will perhaps only be 1.45 people supporting one by the year 2050."