There is a growing birth decline globally and it is alarming.
A survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has revealed a striking new trend: people across the world are having fewer children, not because they want to, but because they feel they can’t.
In what the agency calls its strongest stance yet on fertility decline, the UN’s reproductive rights arm warns that “the real crisis” lies in unmet reproductive desires. The report shows that rising costs, lack of support, and social shifts are preventing millions from building the families they envision.
“The world has begun an unprecedented decline in fertility rates,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA. “Most people surveyed want two or more children. Fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to create the families they want. And that is the real crisis.”
The agency surveyed 14,000 people across 14 diverse nations, including Nigeria, the U.S., Germany, South Korea, and Brazil, countries that together represent a third of the world’s population. Across the board, one in five respondents said they had fewer children than they wanted or expected to have.
Costs, Not Biology, Drive Decline
Nearly four in ten respondents (39%) said financial hardship was the main reason they were unable to have children. South Korea had the highest rate at 58%, while Sweden, with its robust social support system, reported just 19%.
The difficulty of finding a suitable partner was another common reason, especially among younger people.
Surprisingly, only 12%*l of respondents cited biological infertility as the reason for not reaching their desired family size. Yet in countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and the U.S., infertility rates were notably higher, 14%, 15%, and 16% respectively.
Historically, the UNFPA’s advocacy centered on high birth rates and unmet needs for contraception, particularly in developing countries. But this report marks a significant pivot.
“For the first time, the UN is going all-out on low fertility,” said Prof. Stuart Gietel-Basten, a leading demographer at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “It’s not just about limiting births anymore, it’s about enabling choice.”
That “choice,” however, is increasingly limited by economic and social conditions. In many high-income countries, the rising cost of childcare, housing, and education has made parenthood feel like an unattainable luxury. In lower-income regions, lack of access to fertility care or social safety nets poses a similar barrier.
Nigeria: The Numbers Tell a Complex Story
In Nigeria, where fertility rates remain relatively high by global standards, 14% of people cited infertility as a barrier. But with urbanisation, economic uncertainty, and youth unemployment on the rise, experts warn that fertility intentions may increasingly clash with reality.
The report also serves as a preview of a larger, more comprehensive study coming later this year, covering 50 countries. Early indications suggest that declining fertility is becoming the norm—not the exception.
Nonetheless, UNFPA is urging policymakers to tread carefully. Dr. Kanem warns against knee-jerk reactions like coercive pronatalist policies that pressure people into having more children. “The answer lies not in telling people how many children to have, but in creating conditions where they can have the number they want,” she said.
