Nepalis unable to have number of children they desire: UNFPA

 Kathmandu, June 18

Millions of people around the world, including in Nepal, are unable to have the number of children they desire - not due to a lack of interest in parenthood, but because of a growing web of economic and social barriers, the State of World Population (SWP) report by the UNFPA concluded.

The report revealed that one in five people globally expect not to have the number of children they want. The reasons are high living costs, insecure jobs, unaffordable housing and childcare, lack of a supportive partner, limited access to reproductive health care, and broader concerns about global crises like climate change and conflict.

‘The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World,’ launched on Tuesday draws academic research and data from a global UNFPA–YouGov survey covering 14 countries including nations with both high and low fertility rates.

In Nepal, the story mirrors global trends, the UNFPA informed in a statement.

Despite a steady preference for two or more children, people are having fewer children than they desire, especially in more urbanised provinces such as Bagmati and Gandaki. “The average fertility rate in Nepal has declined to two children per woman, a trend that cuts across all social groups-urban and rural, educated and non-educated, high-income and low-income,” read the statement.

Across provinces, the mismatch between desired and actual family size is increasingly evident. This gap is particularly pronounced in areas where employment insecurity, spousal separation due to labour migration, lack of childcare, and housing costs are making parenthood a difficult choice.

“Globally, vast numbers of people are unable to create the families they want,” said Won Young Hong, UNFPA Representative in Nepal.

According to him, in Nepal, some people are prevented from parenthood while others are forced into it. This is not about overpopulation or declining fertility—it is about expanding choices in an enabling environment for young men and women to have the family they envision.

“Paid family leave, affordable reproductive health care, childcare, and supportive partners are not luxuries. They are essential,” said Won.

The report concluded that more than 50 per cent of respondents cited economic issues. including cost of living, housing, and childcare, as barriers to parenthood.

In Nepal, a combination of urbanisation, job insecurity, rising costs, and lack of flexible work policies makes it difficult for young couples to envision a secure future with children.

About 31 per cent of people globally do not get to have their desired number of children, while 12 per cent report having more than desired.

In Nepal, spousal separation due to labour migration and gendered norms around caregiving further complicate fertility choices. “Forty-three per cent of people globally over 50 said they did not achieve their desired family size, which is a striking measure of unmet reproductive goals,” read the report.

In provinces like Bagmati, data show lower-than-desired fertility; in others, such as Madhes, people often report having more children than they had planned—both indicators of limited reproductive agency.

The report identifies gender inequality as a major cross-cutting issue that undermines people’s ability to form the families they want. It’s happening because care responsibilities continue to fall disproportionately on women, and Nepali fathers often face stigma around taking on caregiving roles, while women risk career setbacks when they become mothers.

Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, UN Resident Coordinator to Nepal, said, “We must shift from anxiety about fertility rates to empowering individual agency. People need economic security, rights-based policies, and freedom of choice, not coercive measures.”

Likewise, Professor Dr. R.P. Bichha, Member of National Planning Commission, said that the situation demands policy frameworks guided by population dynamics. Quality of life and productivity of our young generation must be at the core, not just population numbers.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 19 June 2025.