For years, declining fertility rates have been blamed on changing values, career ambitions, or the assumption that younger generations no longer want marriage or children. But a major new global survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) paints a very different picture: most young adults still aspire to build families, yet economic hardship and uncertainty are preventing them from turning those aspirations into reality.
The findings, drawn from the Demographic Futures Survey involving more than 108,000 internet-connected adults aged 18 to 39 across 73 countries and territories, suggest that financial insecurity, not a lack of desire for marriage or parenthood, is driving the global decline in birth rates.
According to the survey, 57 per cent of respondents identified economic and housing constraints as the biggest barriers to marriage or stable cohabiting relationships. High living costs, unaffordable housing, unstable employment, and uncertain financial futures are forcing many young adults to delay or abandon plans to settle down and have children.
Speaking on the report’s release, UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita challenged the widespread narrative that younger generations are rejecting family life.
“The findings are striking,” Keita said. “Most young people aspire to partnership and parenthood, but many do not feel the conditions are in place to achieve these goals. Economic and housing constraints were the most commonly cited barriers to both partnership and having children.”
Contrary to popular belief, the survey found that two-thirds of respondents said their ideal relationship involves marriage. Yet among adults aged 25 to 39 who want a partner, one in four remains single and is not dating. Most participants also said they hoped to have children, with two children emerging as the most commonly preferred family size.
When asked what would make them feel ready for parenthood, respondents overwhelmingly pointed to financial stability. Eighty-eight per cent cited financial security as essential before having children, while 87 per cent said stable employment was necessary. Another 85 per cent highlighted emotional readiness as an important prerequisite for starting a family.
Keita argued that uncertainty, not unwillingness, is the real obstacle.
“It is uncertainty, not unwillingness, that is making young people question whether they can start a family,” she said. “And that uncertainty is not only economic. For many young people, conflict and insecurity also shape whether the future feels safe enough to plan for a family. If we misread the problem, we risk designing the wrong solution.”
The findings also challenge misconceptions surrounding the so-called “global baby bust.” While the world’s population reached nearly 8.2 billion by mid-2024 and is projected to continue growing until the latter half of the century, growth is increasingly concentrated in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Meanwhile, many wealthier nations are experiencing slow population growth or outright decline.
UN data shows that the average number of births per woman has fallen from around five in the 1950s and 1960s to just over two in 2024, with projections suggesting it could decline further to 1.8 births per woman by 2100. Today, 55 per cent of countries and territories already have fertility rates below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, the threshold needed for a population to replace itself without migration.
The report argues that public debate around declining fertility has often been shaped by misconceptions, speculation and, at times, misogynistic narratives that unfairly place responsibility on women or changing social attitudes. Instead, the evidence suggests that structural barriers including rising living costs, housing shortages, insecure jobs and broader uncertainty, are preventing millions of young people from achieving the family life they desire.
