UN REPORT: BIRTH RATES AREN’T FALLING BECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T WANT KIDS
Turns out it’s not a “desire” problem.
It’s an “afford it” problem.
A massive UN survey of 14,000 people across 14 countries found that two in five adults over 50 didn’t have as many children as they wanted.
The biggest barriers?
Housing costs, childcare expenses, and job insecurity. One in four cited health issues.
A fifth blamed fears about climate change, wars, and pandemics.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA:
“The issue is lack of choice, not desire.
That is the real fertility crisis.”
In South Korea, three in five cited financial limitations.
In Sweden, with 480 days of paid parental leave, fewer than one in five said the same.
Source: Sky News
🇺🇳UN REPORT: BIRTH RATES AREN'T FALLING BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T WANT KIDS
Turns out it's not a "desire" problem.
It's an "afford it" problem.
A massive UN survey of 14,000 people across 14 countries found that two in five adults over 50 didn't have as many children as they… https://t.co/AUP47PChpo pic.twitter.com/AqWvBxcOsO
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 28, 2025
UNFPA report links falling birth rates to cost of living, sexist norms, fear of the future
NEW YORK, 10 June, 2025 – Millions of people are unable to have the number of children they want, but not because they are rejecting parenthood; economic and social barriers are stopping them. This is the central finding of UNFPA’s 2025 State of World Population report, “The real fertility crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world”.*
Drawing on academic research and new data from a UNFPA/YouGov survey spanning 14 countries – together home to over a third of the global population – the report finds that one in five people globally expect to not have the number of children they desire. Key drivers include the prohibitive cost of parenthood, job insecurity, housing, concerns over the state of the world, and the lack of a suitable partner. A toxic blend of economic precarity and sexism play a role in many of these issues, the report shows.
“Vast numbers of people are unable to create the families they want,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA. “The issue is lack of choice, not desire, with major consequences for individuals and societies. That is the real fertility crisis, and the answer lies in responding to what people say they need: paid family leave, affordable fertility care, and supportive partners.”
The data paints a stark picture:
- More than half of people said economic issues were a barrier to having as many children as they wanted.
- 1 in 5 people report having been pressured to have children when they didn’t want to.
- 1 in 3 adults have experienced an unintended pregnancy.
- 11% say that unequal caregiving burdens would undermine their ability to have children.
- 40% of respondents over 50 say they failed to have the number of children they wanted.