A new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report challenges the usual question about declining birth rates, suggesting the real issue isn't that people don't want more kids—it's that many feel they can't have them. The report, which includes polling from 14 countries, found that about 1 in 5 adults of reproductive age don't expect to have as many children as they'd like, per the CBC. The main reason? Money. Nearly 40% cited financial barriers, while others pointed to lack of partner support, poor access to reproductive health care, and general pessimism about the future.
The report—which surveyed more than 14,000 people ages 18 to 88, from countries including the US, South Korea, Italy, and India, representing a third of the global population—notes that governments continue to fall for the "fertility fallacy," however, not completely recognizing that finances are a major sticking point for many, per the New York Times. The report also notes that policies like "baby bonuses" rarely move the needle, as they don't address the broader economic and social factors that shape family decisions.
Instead, experts suggest that affordable child care, better worker benefits, and more stable jobs could ultimately make a difference. The UNFPA, meanwhile, emphasizes that reproductive rights go both ways: Some people have fewer kids than they want, while others feel pressured to have children when they don't want to. The report concludes that enabling people to make their own choices—rather than trying to boost birth rates through incentives or restrictions—may be the real solution. "The issue is lack of choice, not desire, with major consequences for individuals and societies," UNFPA chief Dr. Natalia Kanem says in the report. "That is the real fertility crisis, and the answer lies in responding to what people say they need." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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