High proportions of men and women unable to meet 'fertility intentions' —UNFPA report

"Very high" proportions of men and women are unable to realize their fertility intentions, according to a report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF).

In a survey of 14 countries, the UNFPA said, the "rates of unintended pregnancy are persistently high across regions, as are difficulties having the number of children respondents desire."

"Both overachieved fertility aspirations, in which people have more children than they believe ideal, and underachieved fertility aspirations, in which they have fewer children than they desire, are pervasive," it added during the presentation of the 2025 State of World Population in Taguig City Friday.

The study, which surveyed 14,000 adults, showed nearly 1 in 3 or 32% of women experienced unintended pregnancy, nearly 1 in 4 or 23% wanted a child but couldn’t have one when desired. More than 40% said they ultimately had to forgo their desire to have a child, while 13% both experienced an unintended pregnancy and barriers to having a desired child.

The study also cited gender equality as a challenge for reproductive rates globally, due to unequal care burden, equitable sharing benefits, gender-equity dividends and harmful norms on reproduction.

Ultimately, it noted that the “real fertility crisis” was a lack of agency to make free and informed reproductive choices.

The participating countries were Korea, Thailand, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, US, India, Indonesia, Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria, which are home to more than 37% of the global population.

“Reproductive agency is more than just freedom from coercion or improved access to services, it is the full range of conditions that enable people to exercise their reproductive rights and ensure true choice, including gender equality, economic stability, decent health and confidence in the future,” the report read.

“These conditions are still out of reach for far too many people. In response, all of us, including policymakers, should ask what people want and need – not as an afterthought, but as the first and most important inquiry when considering population issues. Policies should respond directly to these concerns,” it added.

The UNFP report also shared that there was currently a 1.9% fertility rate per woman in the Philippines as of 2025, while majority of the country’s 116.8 million population were mostly aged 16 to 24.

“Around one-third of our population consists of young people, pero hindi kasi ito usapin lang ng numero nga. Ito ay usapin rin ng ano ba yung quality of the young people that we have now,” said UNFP Assistant Country Representative Jose Roi Avena in an interview.

(Around one-third of our population consists of young people, but this isn’t just a discussion of numbers. This is a discussion of the quality of young people we have now.)

In the Philippines from 2001 to 2024, the maternal mortality ratio is 84 deaths per 100,000 live births. 

“Nakikita natin over so many years, yung bilis ng pagtaas ng ating population, medyo may pagbagal na. Nagkakaroon na ng pagbabago in terms of how many children are being born to Filipino mothers. Maraming pagbabagong nangyayari sa Pilipinas, sa mundo, na nakaka-affected doon sa mga very personal na decision katulad dito, at nakikita natin na yung pinapangarap ng kababaihang Pilipino, in general, hindi pa niya naabot sa pagbubuo ng pamilya sa pagkakaroon ng anak. It's more of having individual choices,” Avena added.

(We can see that over so many years, the speed of our growing population is slowing down. There are changes in terms of how many children are being born to Filipino mothers. There are a lot of changes happening in the Philippines, and in the world, the effect of very personal decisions like this, and we can see that the aspirations of Filipino women in general have not yet been met in terms of creating families and having children. It's more of having individual choices.)

In terms of laws and policies, only 61% of women aged 15 to 49 said they were satisfied with modern reproductive health methods as of 2025, and 80% agreed to laws and policies on reproductive health and education as of 2022.

UNFP recommended stronger health services, such as fertility care and fewer reproductive restrictions globally.

It also suggested more flexible work arrangements and work set-up to focus on family cases, as well as a comprehensive sexuality education for awareness.

“Siguro for the Philippines in particular, pakatatagan yung policy environment… Dito sa Pilipinas, ang dami nating napakagandang batas pero medyo meron pang maraming pwedeng ma-improve in terms of implementation. Kung sana na nakakapagtulungan tayo to help each agency to fulfill their mandate under the [Reproductive Health Bill], I have no doubt na yung target ng Pilipinas na isa sa maging upper middle [class] of country or even a high income country very soon ay maaari,” Avena said.

(I guess for the Philippines in particular, we can strengthen the policy environment… we still have a lot to improve in terms of implementation. If we can just work together to help each agency fulfill their mandate under the [Reproductive Health Bill], I have no doubt that the Philippines’ target to become an upper middle [class] country or even a high income country may happen very soon.)

“[Sa UNFP,] mayroon kami kakayahan na i-collect lahat ng karanasan ng mga bansa na nagtaguyod ng ganitong klaseng policy, ano yung mga naging consequences niya, at yun ay magandang evidence na binibigay namin sa pamahalaan sa Pilipinas to make the right policy choices and to enable the right policy environment for women and young people,” he added.

(In UNFP, we have the ability to collect the experiences of countries that implemented these kinds of policies and what the consequences were, and those were the perfect evidence to provide to the Philippine government to make the right policy choices and to enable the right policy environment for women and young people.)—LDF, GMA Integrated News