UN Population Fund warns of crisis of reproductive agency

11/6/2025 7:25

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) on Tuesday warned of a crisis of "reproductive agency" amid declining birth rates in many parts of the world.



Millions of people are unable to have the number of children they want, not because of unwillingness. Rather, they lack reproductive agency as economic and social barriers are stopping them from becoming parents.



This is the central finding of UNFPA's 2025 State of World Population report, "The real fertility crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world."



Drawing on academic research and new data from a UNFPA/YouGov survey spanning 14 countries -- together home to over a third of the global population, the report finds that one in five people globally expect to not have the number of children they desire.





Key drivers include the prohibitive cost of parenthood, job insecurity, housing, concerns over the state of the world, and the lack of a suitable partner. A toxic blend of economic precarity and sexism plays a role in many of these issues, shows the report launched on Tuesday.