For Namrata nangia and her husband, the question of having another child has been a recurring discussion as their daughter’s birth five years ago.

Living in Mumbai,where she works in pharmaceuticals and her husband in a tire company,the financial strain of raising even one child is considerable. “We just used to go to school, nothing extracurricular, but now you have to send your kid to swimming, you have to send them to drawing, you have to see what else they can do,” says Namrata.

Global Survey Reveals Widespread Fertility Concerns

A recent report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) indicates that Namrata’s concerns are increasingly common worldwide. The agency highlights that many individuals are unable to achieve their desired family size due to financial burdens and the absence of a suitable partner.

The UNFPA surveyed 14,000 individuals across 14 countries, revealing that one in five have not had or do not anticipate having their preferred number of children. The surveyed countries, including South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, US, India, indonesia, Morocco, South Africa, and Nigeria, represent a diverse mix of income levels and fertility rates, accounting for a third of the global population.

“Fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to create the families they want. and that is the real crisis.”

According to Dr. Natalia Kanem, head of UNFPA, “The world has begun an unprecedented decline in fertility rates,” adding, “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.”

Expert Insights on Declining Fertility

demographer Anna rotkirch, who studies fertility trends in Europe, notes the meaning of the UNFPA’s strong stance on low fertility. “Calling this a crisis, saying it’s real. That’s a shift I think,” she says. Rotkirch also expressed surprise at the number of respondents over 50 (31%) who reported having fewer children than desired.

While the survey’s scope is limited,with sample sizes too small to draw definitive conclusions about specific age groups within countries,some trends are evident. Across all surveyed nations, 39% of respondents cited financial constraints as a barrier to having children, with the highest response in Korea (58%) and the lowest in sweden (19%). Infertility was cited by only 12% of respondents, tho this figure was higher in Thailand (19%), the US (16%), South Africa (15%), Nigeria (14%), and India (13%).

Prof. Stuart Gietel-Basten, a demographer at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, emphasizes the UNFPA’s shift in focus. “This is the first time that [the UN] have really gone all-out on low fertility issues,” he says, noting the agency’s previous emphasis on “unmet need” for contraception.