A new report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) uncovers a glaring omission. It illustrates the gap between what people want and how many kids they end up having. The 2025 State of World Population report reveals that most individuals want children, yet significant barriers hinder their ability to achieve this goal.
On this International Day of the Girl, that’s the reminder we need from Dr. Natalia Kanem, the executive director of UNFPA. Individuals desire to have kids but they no longer have the options to do so. She wrote, “The problem is not not wanting to, but not having a choice — with enormous costs for people and countries. 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.”
YouGov just finished polling 14 different countries, and the results are shocking. Almost 20 percent of respondents said they were unhappy with their number of children. As many as one in nine people expected to have fewer children than they desired. At the same time, 7% expected to have fewer children than they wanted.
In her statement, Dr. Kanem warned against the dangers of misunderstanding declining birth rates. She remarked, “Many countries are grappling with ageing and shrinking populations, labour shortages, and rising healthcare and pension costs. These are real concerns, yet they are leading some to the wrong conclusions.” She pointed out that coercive policies aimed at increasing birth rates, such as restrictions on abortion and contraception, often have little long-term impact.
Financial barriers quickly become the top barrier to achieving family dreams. According to the report, 39% of respondents indicated that financial constraints either led them to have fewer children than desired or would likely do so in the future.
The report further illustrates the grave consequences of having few reproductive options. When people cannot obtain a safe abortion, they turn to unsafe abortion. This gap greatly exacerbates maternal mortality and infection-related maternal infertility.
Dr. Kanem reiterated the importance of expanding choices rather than limiting them: “Clearly, the answer lies not in limiting choice or selecting who gets to exercise choice; the answer is to expand real choice to all people.” She added that when individuals perceive their reproductive freedoms as restricted or coerced, it may result in a decrease in birth rates.
The UNFPA’s discoveries counter the myths propagated by a few right-wing administrations, including the United States and Hungary. These governments assert that low fertility rates are the result of cultural changes that move people away from desire for parenthood.