Islamabad: The UNFPA Country representative , Dr. Luay Shabaneh launched the “State of World Population Report 2025.” The theme of the report was “The Real Fertility Crisis.”
The report highlights that the real issue behind declining birth rates worldwide is not that people don’t want to have children, but rather that they are unable to form families as they desire. Economic, social, and environmental factors are preventing people from making key life decisions according to their own wishes.
According to the report, rising inflation, uncertainty in housing and employment, high costs of children’s education and healthcare, and the unequal burden of parenting responsibilities are major contributing factors. Dr. Luay Shabaneh said many people are also postponing or completely opting out of having children due to fears surrounding climate change, political instability, and other global threats.
He added that A global survey found that about 20% of respondents said they could not have as many children as they wanted. More than half cited the financial costs of raising children as the biggest barrier, while 30% reported experiencing unintended pregnancies. Additionally, 11% noted that unequal distribution of parental responsibilities between men and women had influenced their family planning decisions.
The UNFPA emphasized that simply offering financial incentives or setting fertility targets is not a solution. Instead, governments must empower individuals to make their own choices by providing education, sexual and reproductive healthcare, fair wages, parental leave, and child care services.
Pakistan is among eight countries experiencing rapid population growth. With a large youth population and a low median age, the report suggests that improvements in reproductive health services, education, and economic opportunities could help address the fertility crisis.
The report urges governments, policymakers, and society at large to respect individuals’ choices and create conditions that enable people to make informed decisions about forming families, determining the number of children they want, and living empowered lives.
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