EVENTS: On July 11th; the high-level event to mark World Population Day 2025 under the theme “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world,” , the UNFPA and the Specialized agencies will highlight the need or reliable data collection and analysis tools. This World Population Day is a moment to ask who is still going uncounted and why – and what this costs individuals, societies and our global efforts to leave no one behind. It is also a moment for all of us to commit to doing more to ensure that our data systems capture the full range of human diversity so that everyone is seen, can exercise their human rights and can reach their full potential which will help achieve progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.“ During the celebration, we will reflect not just on numbers– but on lives, futures, and the shared responsibility we all hold in shaping a sustainable world. UNFPA emphasizes that supporting young people to realize their reproductive potential is not only a matter of health, but also a matter of sustainable development. Ensuring access to comprehensive sexual education, youth-friendly health services, employment opportunities, and inclusive decision-making processes are all essential steps towards creating a better future for young people. Read the concept note and register to participate!
PUBLICATIONS: Read the UNDESA World Population Prospects and the UNFPA 2025 State of World Population report entitled ‘The Real Fertility Crisis” - In 2025, falling fertility rates are making global headlines, with some governments warning of a “population collapse” and introducing drastic policies to boost births. But at the same time, millions of people still can’t have the number of children they actually want. According to UNFPA’s latest State of World Population report, the real crisis isn’t about population numbers. It’s about people losing the ability to make their own choices. It’s a crisis of reproductive freedom.
STATEMENTS: Read the statement from the United Nations Secretary-General on World Population Day 2025
On this World Population Day, we celebrate the potential and promise of the largest youth generation ever.
They are not only shaping our future; they are demanding one that is just, inclusive, and sustainable.
The theme -- "Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world” – reaffirms the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development: that every person has the right to make informed choices about their lives and futures.
Many young people today face economic uncertainty, gender inequality, health challenges, the climate crisis and conflict.
Still, they are leading – with courage, conscience and clarity. And they are calling for systems that uphold their rights and support their choices.
I urge countries to invest in policies that ensure education, healthcare, decent work, and the full protection of their reproductive rights.
Let us stand with young people and build a future where every person can shape their destiny in a world that is fair, peaceful and full of hope.
António Guterres; United Nations Secretary-General.
Statement by UNFPA Executive Director on World Population Day 2025; July 11th.
Our human population is the subject of growing interest – and intensifying anxiety. The concerns that draw most attention are declining fertility rates, ageing and workforce shortages, while many still argue that the greatest threat to the planet is overpopulation. The real fertility crisis, however, is lack of reproductive agency. Young people are too often unable to create the families they want, while at the same time being blamed for low fertility rates and saddled with the expectation of resolving them.
It is often assumed or implied that fertility rates are the result of free choice. Unfortunately, that is not the whole picture. Financial stress, health concerns, backlash against women’s rights, global conflicts and concerns about climate change are among the many reasons why young men and women today are not having the number of children they would like, according to UNFPA’s recent State of World Population report. UNFPA surveyed 14,000 people around the world and found that 1 in 5 people under age 50 expect to end up with a family size different from their ideal – and most of them expect they will have fewer children than desired. Of those over age 50, almost a third of respondents said they’d had fewer children than they wanted.
Misguided assumptions – for example, that young people are prioritizing careers over children, or that “selfishness” is leading them off the path to parenthood – can influence policy decisions that often worsen issues they are intended to solve. We see this, for instance, when countries restrict the availability of contraceptives, leading to more unintended pregnancies.
Starting on this World Population Day, let’s listen to what young people want and need and create conditions that enable them to exercise their rights, make their own choices and enjoy a hopeful future.
As one youth activist from Lebanon told UNFPA, “Young people are not just thinking about their future children – they are thinking about the world those children will inherit.”
Secure jobs and sufficient income for housing and other living costs would help young people feel financially stable and broaden their choices about when and whether to have children. Family-friendly policies – including affordable and accessible childcare, generous and flexible parental leave, and promotion of fathers’ participation in care-giving – can help prospective parents balance career and family goals. Investing in comprehensive sexuality education is another imperative that supports informed choices.
Intergenerational understanding is crucial to build trust and strengthen solidarity and fairness across generations. Only shared solutions, grounded in human rights, will meet the demands of a demographically diverse world.
Ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is a cornerstone for sustainable, inclusive societies. Let’s create the circumstances where people who deeply want to experience the joys and rewards of parenting can meet their fertility goals, where they have hope for a better tomorrow that is supportive of their choices and protective of their rights, one where they and their children will thrive.
UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem.
On World Population Day, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pacific calls for a renewed commitment to empowering young people to shape their reproductive futures, highlighting the critical findings of the recently launched 2025 State of World Population Report, titled "The Real Fertility Crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world."
This year's World Population Day theme, "Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world," resonates deeply with the realities faced by millions of young people and women across the Pacific and globally. The 2025 State of World Population Report debunks the simplistic narrative of a "population collapse" and instead reveals a more profound issue: a widespread crisis of reproductive agency, where individuals are unable to have the number of children they desire, whether more, fewer, or none at all.
"The Pacific Islands Countries and Territories (PICTs), with its significant youth bulge – more than half of its estimated 2.7 million population in 2025 is under 25 years –stand at a pivotal moment," stated Ms. Bidisha Pillai, UNFPA Director for the Pacific Island Countries and Representative in Fiji. "While some PICTs experience population growth, others face declines. Regardless of the demographic trend, the core challenge is ensuring that every young person has the information, resources, skills, and freedom to make informed choices about their bodies, their futures, and their families."
This World Population Day, UNFPA Pacific is partnering with the University of the South Pacific (USP) for a panel discussion to shift the conversation from overpopulation to reproductive justice. An ongoing challenge that needs to be addressed; not how many children people are having, but whether they have the freedom to decide for themselves. The panel will bring together technical experts, academics, policymakers, development partners, civil society, students and young people.
“On World Population Day, we reflect not just on numbers– but on lives, futures, and the shared responsibility we all hold in shaping a sustainable world,” said Keshmeer Makun, Lecturer at USP .
The 2025 State of the World Population Report indicates a global adolescent birth rate of 38 births per 1,000 girls aged 15–19, with the Asia and Pacific region recording 24. However, some Pacific Island nations exhibit adolescent birth rates significantly higher than both the global and regional averages. Notable examples include Vanuatu (81), Samoa (55), Kiribati (51), and the Solomon Islands (49), suggesting that adolescent girls in these countries are getting pregnant before they are fully equipped to decide if, when, or how many children they want to have. This means that many girls and women in the Pacific still cannot make the reproductive choices they want. Enabling adolescent girls and young women to have the knowledge and life skills to exercise their reproductive rights is crucial to tackle poverty, violence against women and girls, and inequality.
UNFPA emphasizes that supporting young people to realize their reproductive potential is not only a matter of health, but also a matter of sustainable development . Ensuring access to comprehensive sexual education, youth-friendly health services, employment opportunities, and inclusive decision-making processes are all essential steps towards creating a better future for young people.
“UNFPA urges governments and stakeholders to empower young people to make reproductive decisions freely, including by investing in quality education, employment opportunities, and the full range of reproductive health services and reliable information. UNFPA also calls on societies to address all the ways that gender inequality undermines people’s family choices,” added Ms. Pillai.
This World Population Day reminds us that reproductive freedom is not about the ability to have children, but to build a world where every young person has the power to decide for themselves, when, with whom and how many children they will have.
Tairah Firdous; Communication Specialist, UNFPA Pacific Sub-Regional Office.
The aim of the UN Population Award Ceremony is to celebrate the achievements of laureates and their contributions to the development and/or implementation of solutions to issues and questions related to population and development.
The United Nations General Assembly established the United Nations Population Award in resolution 36/201 on 17 December 1981. The Award is presented annually to an individual or individuals, or to an institution or institutions, or to any combination thereof, for the most outstanding contribution to the awareness of population questions or to their solutions.
Each year, the Committee for the United Nations Population Award honours an individual and/or institution in recognition of outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health questions and to their solutions. The Award was established by the General Assembly in 1981, in resolution 36/201, and was first presented in 1983. It consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize. The Committee for the United Nations Population Award is comprised of 10 UN Member States, with United Nations Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director serving as ex-officio members. Nominations for the award are accepted through 31 December of each year.View less
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