If you think paying people to have babies seems foreign, you’re right.

A handful of foreign countries offer cash incentives to citizens in exchange for a higher birth rate. Move to Australia and they’ll pay you a baby bonus of about $3,000. In Singapore, you’re looking at $18,000 for baby #3.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently upped the incentive, offering about $10,000 to couples having their second baby. Interestingly enough, that’s just slightly less than what each Russian currently contributes on average to the economy.

What’s going on?
In many countries, populations are declining to do various issues: aging people or health problems like HIV/Aids. Russia has lost a lot of people since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and has a high rate of alcoholism.

Despite having twice the amount of land area (6.5 million square miles), its population of 143 million is about half that of the United States. And that number is dropping by about 700,000 people a year. Its gross domestic product is just $1.5 trillion, about 13% of the United States’ $12.4 trillion.

The big picture
Countries worry about declining populations because fewer people equal fewer workers, which directly impacts the economy. Japan’s population is aging so fast there's cause for tremendous concern.

On the flip side, India and China are boasting populations of one billion. So does it really matter that some populations are falling? China’s one-baby policy is in direct contrast to Russia’s, and their economy is booming. Excluding immigration, U.S.population growth is rather steady.