A new report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency for reproductive rights, reveals a significant and unprecedented global decline in fertility rates. The primary reason? A lack of time—more than financial constraints or infertility—among younger generations. According to the report, this trend is rapidly becoming the global norm.
UNFPA has taken its strongest stance yet on the issue, warning that hundreds of millions of people are unable to have the number of children they desire. The agency cites the prohibitive cost of raising children, lack of suitable partners, and time pressures as key barriers to parenthood.
The UNFPA Survey: Scope and Findings
The survey covered 14,000 people across 14 countries—South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, the US, India, Indonesia, Morocco, South Africa, and Nigeria—representing a third of the global population. These countries span various income levels and fertility trends. Respondents included both young adults and individuals past their reproductive years.
“The world has begun an unprecedented decline in fertility rates,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, head of UNFPA. “Most people surveyed still want two or more children. Fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to build the families they want. And that is the real crisis.”
Demographer Anna Rotkirch, who advises the Finnish government on population policy, noted the shift in tone: “Calling this a crisis is new and significant.” She added that globally, more people are having fewer children than they desire—what she calls “undershooting fertility ideals.” Notably, 31% of respondents over the age of 50 said they had fewer children than they wanted.
The survey, a pilot ahead of a broader study in 50 countries later this year, has limitations due to small sample sizes in some age groups. However, key patterns are already emerging.
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Across all surveyed countries, 39% of people cited financial limitations as a reason for not having more children—most prominently in South Korea (58%) and least in Sweden (19%). Interestingly, only 12% attributed their lower-than-desired fertility to infertility, though this was higher in Thailand (19%), the US (16%), South Africa (15%), Nigeria (14%), and India (13%).
However, the most significant barrier reported was a lack of time—particularly among working women. Many respondents described the physical and emotional exhaustion of juggling work, commuting, and family life as a major deterrent to having children.
What Should Govt do About This?
Experts like Prof. Stuart Gietel-Basten, a demographer at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said, “This is the first time the UN has taken such a comprehensive stance on low fertility.” He noted that the agency has traditionally focused on preventing unplanned pregnancies and promoting access to contraception.
While raising awareness, UNFPA is urging governments to avoid panic-driven responses. “We’re seeing exaggerated and sometimes manipulative reactions—using fertility decline to justify nationalist or gender-conservative policies,” Dr. Kanem cautioned.
She emphasized that just a few decades ago, many countries, including China, Japan, and Thailand, feared overpopulation—only to shift toward pro-fertility policies by 2015. The key, she said, is to support people’s reproductive choices without pressure or coercion.
