UNFPA’s 2025 State of World Population Report Highlights Global Barriers to Achieving Desired Fertility Rates.
International
In June 2025, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), headquartered in New York, United States of America (USA), released its State of World Population (SOWP) Report 2025 titled “The Real Fertility Crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world”, which highlights significant global barriers preventing individuals, including in India, from achieving their reproductive goals.
- The report reveals that 1 in 5 people worldwide expect not to have the number of children they desire, primarily due to factors such as high cost of parenthood, job insecurity, inadequate housing, and broader socio-economic constraints.
- The 2025 SOWP report is based on a YouGov survey conducted across 14 countries, including India, Brazil, Morocco, South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Italy, Thailand, Hungary, the United States of America (USA), Sweden, the Republic of Korea, and Germany.
Main Point :- (i) Since 1950, the global population has tripled, while the average fertility rate per woman has declined from 5.0 to 2.25. It is projected to decrease further to the replacement level of 2.1 by 2050.
(ii) Although India may have achieved replacement-level fertility (2.0), the report points out that many individuals still face barriers to exercising reproductive autonomy, and regional disparities continue to exist across Indian states.
(iii) The report categorizes India as a middle-income country undergoing rapid demographic transitions, with its population doubling time now projected at 79 years.
About United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Executive Director(ED) : Natalia Kanem
Headquarters : New York
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