For a long time, the world population was increasing exponentially – and this was a concern for economies around the globe.

After all, as more and more people could afford to have more and more children, and world nutrition and medical care also reduced world death rates, our planet’s population was swelling, meaning resources had to stretch further to encompass everyone.

Nowadays, however, the reverse is becoming closer to reality, with some countries – including South Korea, Japan, Spain and Italy – all reporting a concerning decrease in birth rates.

This could potentially have negative repercussions on affected countries and their economies, thanks to a smaller workforce as the number of older citizens increases whilst fewer younger citizens grow up to take their places.

However, a new report from the United Nations Population Fund suggest that there is more to these reducing birth rates than meets the eye.

To gain a truly representative view of the world, the UNPF surveyed citizens from countries with vastly differing cultures and economies. And what they found was that women and families around the world aren’t able to have the number of children they want (whether that is more or fewer than they have) for widely differing reasons:

“We asked people – across 14 countries, which together represent more than a third of the global population – what they actually want for their reproductive lives and futures, and whether they believe they will be able to realize those ambitions. What we find is that too few people are able to exercise true choice when it comes to some of the most intimate and consequential decisions in their lives.”

In highly developed economies, the report found that people choosing to have fewer children than their predecessors is not (as some media outlets claim) a demonstration of selfishness.

Instead, it is in part a reaction to the economy in which everything is seemingly more expensive in relation to wages, increased stress, and less support.

In fact, mental health was cited as a considerable factor for many, whilst the climate crisis and ongoing conflict were having negative repercussions on individuals’ inclination to procreate.

Indeed, the report suggests, it’s not that people don’t want children. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. They are choosing what they think is responsible, sensible in a world that doesn’t feel safe or suitable for more children to grow up in.

Remaining childfree is actually a kindness toward the kids we don’t conceive, for many a sacrifice but one they’re making with empathy toward future generations.

And with crisis after crisis seemingly striking our human populations, who can blame those who choose to remain childfree? In a world in which we are constantly stressed about what might befall the next generation – as well as acutely aware of what is affecting our own – why would we want to subject our descendants to further suffering? Why would we wish for our loved ones to become climate migrants, to potentially fight climate wars over land and food scarcity, to continue to watch as wars tear communities, families, countries apart?

That’s why the UNPF makes a humane, heartfelt call for real change:

“The real solution to the crisis of reproductive agency we are facing is to build a more equitable, sustainable and caring world that supports individuals to have the families they aspire to.”

When the world is a nicer place, perhaps people will want to have kids again.

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