By The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported that millions of people around the world are unable to have the number of children they desire, not because they reject parenthood, but due to rising costs of living, gender inequality, and limited access to reproductive health services.
The 2025 State of World Population report, titled “The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World,” was launched in Uganda at the Uganda Media Centre.
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According to the report, one in five people globally expect not to reach their desired family size due to social and economic barriers. It argues that the real fertility crisis is not about having too many or too few children, but about people being denied the freedom to make informed reproductive choices.
UNFPA Uganda Representative, Dr. Gift Malunga, said the findings call for urgent policy responses. She said the issue is not a lack of desire to have children, but a lack of choice, with financial pressure and restrictive gender roles preventing people from starting or growing families.
The report reveals that more than half of respondents cited economic hardship as the main reason for delaying or avoiding parenthood. One in five reported feeling pressured to have children when they weren’t ready, while one in three had experienced an unintended pregnancy.
It recommends government investment in affordable housing, decent work, paid parental leave, childcare, and full access to sexual and reproductive health services. The report also urges action to address gender norms that exclude women from the workforce and discourage men from playing active parenting roles.
UNFPA urged policymakers to remove the systemic barriers that prevent people from achieving their desired family goals and reaffirmed its support for Uganda in advancing reproductive rights and choices.
The full report is available at www.unfpa.org/swp2025.
