UN Report Reveals Barriers Preventing Families From Having Children

• Jul 16, 2025

A new UN survey has revealed that many people across the world are unable to have the families they desire due to economic hardship, limited autonomy, and social inequalities, rather than population growth or declining birth rates.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) published a report titled “The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World”, which surveyed more than 14,000 people across 14 countries—representing over a third of the global population. The report, created in collaboration with polling firm YouGov, found a wide gap between people’s fertility aspirations and their actual experiences.

Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director, said the findings show that people lack the freedom to make choices about their reproductive lives, calling it a major demographic issue. In every country surveyed, people reported barriers both to preventing pregnancy and to having children when they want.

According to UNFPA data from the past five years, 10% of women cannot decide whether to use contraception, one in four are unable to make decisions about their own healthcare, and a similar number cannot refuse sex. These restrictions, the report says, form the true fertility crisis, not overpopulation or declining birth rates.

The survey found that nearly one in three respondents had experienced an unintended pregnancy, while almost a quarter had been unable to have a child when they wanted. Financial hardship was the leading constraint, particularly in South Korea, South Africa, and Thailand. Other common obstacles included poor health, fear of the future, and lack of partner support.

Despite shared difficulties, the public conversation often places blame solely on women for lower birth rates. The report argues this view is flawed and harmful, ignoring how both men and women face systemic barriers to building the families they want.

Historically, coercive reproductive policies—such as forced sterilisation or strict limits on abortion—have caused serious harm without solving fertility issues. Even today, state-backed efforts like Italy’s “Fertility Day” and abortion bans in the US have sparked public backlash, eroding trust in government-led fertility programs.

Instead of pushing simplistic policies to raise or lower birth rates, the report calls for investment in reproductive autonomy. This includes better access to healthcare, economic stability, gender equality, and empowering people to make their own family decisions.

“Conversations and solutions must focus on real people’s needs,” the report concludes, urging policymakers to prioritise choice over control.