State of the World Population Report 2025
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has released a report focusing on the real fertility crises, emphasizing the importance of reproductive agency in a rapidly changing world. The crisis is not just about declining fertility rates but about unmet reproductive aspirations of women and couples.
Global Demographic Trends
- The world’s fertility rate has significantly declined from around 5 in 1960 to 2.2 in 2024.
- Over half of the world's countries now have fertility rates below 2.1 births per woman.
- India's fertility rate decreased from 2.9 in 2005 to 2.0 in 2020, with regional variations.
Reproductive Challenges
- An online survey revealed widespread unmet reproductive aspirations, highlighting dual challenges:
- Underachieved fertility: Having fewer children than desired.
- Overachieved fertility: Having more children than intended.
- Economic challenges, social norms, and unequal relationship dynamics are major barriers.
- Over 30% of Indian respondents reported challenges in having a child when they wished to.
Women's Reproductive Autonomy
- Women face challenges in balancing careers and family life due to lack of supportive workplace policies.
- Marriage and childbearing pressures persist in India, impacting women's choices.
- Infertility remains stigmatized, with treatments being expensive and dominated by private players.
Contraception and Childbearing Patterns
- Widespread reliance on sterilization limits reproductive choices.
- There is a need for modern, reversible contraception methods to maintain reproductive agency.
- Changing childbearing patterns show a decline in early childbearing, with more women opting for later pregnancies.
Policy and Planning
- Alarmist narratives around population shifts often ignore people's real aspirations.
- Policies should focus on empowering individuals and communities rather than exerting control.
- There is a call for a proactive approach to engage with women's reproductive autonomy.
The report underscores the importance of aligning reproductive policies with human rights and individual aspirations to ensure demographic resilience and societal well-being.
