As World Population Exceeds 8 Billion, Declining Fertility Rates Turn into a Global Crisis

While the world population continues to grow, the global fertility rate falling below 2.3 points to a "real fertility crisis."

According to the "State of World Population 2025" report published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) titled "The Real Fertility Crisis," a large proportion of women and men worldwide are unable to achieve their goals of having their desired number of children.

A survey conducted by UNFPA and public opinion research company YouGov involving over 14,000 people in 14 countries, representing more than 37 percent of the global population, showed that individuals often have to change the ideal number of children they wish to have in their lifetime.

About 18 percent of reproductive-age adults who participated in the survey reported believing they would not be able to have their desired number of children. Eleven percent of people of reproductive age said they had fewer children than they wanted, while 7 percent said they had more.

The report noted that among people over 50 who have passed their reproductive years, 31 percent said they had fewer children than desired, while 12 percent had more children than planned.

Based on these data, the report determined that a significant portion of the world's population, which now exceeds 8.2 billion, is unable to achieve their fertility goals.

An AA correspondent compiled the current state of the world population and regional increase and decrease trends from the UNFPA 2025 State of World Population Report on the occasion of World Population Day.

Average life expectancy has risen to 73 years in the last 50 years

According to the report, the increase in average life expectancy and the decline in fertility rates on a global scale are causing the world's population to age progressively.

According to the UNFPA report, as of 2023, there are 809 million people aged 65 and over in the world. This number is expected to reach 1.6 billion by 2050 and 2.4 billion by the end of the century.

Although the aging trend has long been seen as a burden in terms of social security systems and healthcare expenditures, the report defines this group as an important segment that also "contributes economically." According to this, people over 50 contributed $45 trillion to the global economy in 2020.

While the highest proportion of elderly population is seen in developed countries, the fastest aging trend is occurring in developing countries. It is emphasized that these countries need to prepare their healthcare, retirement, and social support systems for aging.

In the last 50 years, the average life expectancy has increased from 59 to 73 years. Parallel to this development, many countries have experienced a serious decline in fertility rates. These two factors together lead to an increase in the elderly population.

Individuals cannot achieve suitable living standards for reproduction

As defined in the report, "reproductive agency" includes not only the right to not want children but also the capacity to want to have children and to implement this decision.

UNFPA emphasized that the root of this crisis lies in the absence of suitable environments where individuals can implement their "reproductive agency." According to this, it was emphasized that people need not only the right to have children but also the capacity to make this decision in a timely, informed, and free manner.

The report determined that unless this right is supported by economic stability, egalitarian social environments, and quality healthcare services, individuals' decisions to have children are limited.

In her article in the report, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem argued that policymakers should focus on creating social and economic environments where individuals can realize their own fertility preferences, rather than interventions aimed at lowering or raising fertility rates.

Africa ranks first in global population growth rate

The report indicated that Africa leads in global population growth, while Asia shows varying rates of fertility. In Europe, the trend of population decline and aging continues

According to UNFPA data, there are an average of 4.3 children per woman in West and Central Africa, and 4 children in East and Southern Africa. These rates were reported to be well above the world average of 2.2.

The report noted that approximately 40 percent of the population in these regions is under the age of 14, indicating an extremely young population structure in the region.

The report highlighted that the proportion of elderly population is increasing in developed countries, while Africa, with its young population, is of critical importance for the future global workforce.

The report found that low fertility and aging populations limit growth rates, especially in countries like India, China, Korea, and Japan, while a slight growth trend was observed in Indonesia, the Philippines, and some Southeast Asian countries.

While the fertility rate per woman in the Europe and Central Asia region was recorded as 2.1, this rate was observed to vary generally between 1.3 and 1.6 in European countries.

The report stated that countries such as Germany, Italy, and Russia have a decreasing workforce and aging population, noting that these countries face challenges due to these factors.

People are forced to change their ideal number of children

The report revealed that the main factors making it difficult for individuals to achieve their fertility goals are economic insecurity, lack of access to healthcare services, inability to find a suitable partner, and gender-based division of labor at home.

According to the report, 39 percent of the 10,000 participants who have children or want to have children said financial problems affected their decisions to have children, 21 percent cited unemployment and job insecurity, and 19 percent mentioned problems related to the real estate market as influencing their decisions on this matter.

The report emphasized that the unequal sharing of household work, especially among individuals under 40, also causes fertility goals not to be realized, with women experiencing about twice as many problems in this regard compared to men.