At a time when population figures dominate global policy debates, a new UN report shifts the focus: the real crisis, it argues, is not whether there are “too many” or “too few” people, but whether women and girls can exercise their reproductive rights freely and safely.
The report—“The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World”, released as part of the State of World Population 2025—warns against coercive birth control policies, financial incentives to have more children, and laws that restrict reproductive choices. It urges governments to invest instead in gender equality, healthcare access, and social support systems that allow people to decide if, when, and how many children to have.
In Bangladesh, economic pressure, gender inequality, and weak healthcare access continue to affect reproductive choices.
The report was launched at a discussion event on Monday at the UN building in Dhaka.
According to the data, one in every three women in Bangladesh has experienced an unintended pregnancy. Only 11% of women can make independent decisions about contraception, 25% cannot decide on their own healthcare, and 24% are unable to say no to sex. The findings suggest that the issue is not population size, but a denial of agency.
The report calls on policymakers to stop viewing fertility as a problem to be fixed and instead focus on the structural barriers that prevent people—especially women and young people—from exercising their reproductive rights.
Demographic crossroads
Bangladesh’s population now stands at 175.7 million, with a significant demographic window of opportunity: two-thirds of its people are of working age, and nearly 50 million are between the ages of 10 and 24. But alongside this youth bulge, another trend is emerging—the ageing population. Currently, 7% of the population is aged 65 or older.
Experts say the real concern lies not in the demographic shift, but in whether individuals are empowered to make choices freely.
“This is not about overpopulation or depopulation. The crisis is not in the numbers—it’s in the barriers,” said Catherine Breen Kamkong, UNFPA representative in Bangladesh, who presented the findings of the global report. “We are seeing people across the world, and here in Bangladesh, being denied the basic right to decide when, whether, and how many children to have.”
She noted that adolescent birth rates remain high in parts of Bangladesh due to early marriage, poor access to contraceptives, and inadequate sexual education. These limitations disproportionately affect young girls, often trapping them in motherhood long before they are physically or emotionally ready.
A misguided narrative
Reproductive healthcare in Bangladesh remains overwhelmingly out‑of‑pocket. With only 0.7% of GDP and 2% of the national budget devoted to health, services are out of reach for many. UNFPA urges boosting health expenditure to 5% of GDP and 15% of the budget—prioritizing midwives, contraceptive supply, and rural clinics.
Dr Abu Sayed Mohammad Hasan, a sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) specialist at UNFPA, called out the flawed global discourse around fertility.
“Whether it's depopulation fears or population control panic—both narratives are built on historical misconceptions. What we see is that whenever a country’s population rises, the pressure is on women to have fewer children. When the population drops, the same women are asked to have more. Their rights and choices are always the first to be compromised,” he said.
Dr Hasan also pointed out that Bangladesh’s trend in ageing—now at 7%—is a significant shift from earlier decades. “If this grows to 14%, we’ll be classified as an ageing society. We must plan for this, but not at the cost of reproductive freedom.”
Barriers to access and urgent legal reform
Dr M Shahidul Islam, chief of population planning and research at UNFPA, emphasized the need for urgent legal and policy reforms to address service gaps, especially in abortion care.
“Unmarried women, in particular, face barriers in accessing safe services. Even many married couples struggle to find care. We need to revise our penal code and make abortion care universally accessible—regardless of marital status or income,” he said.
He also stressed that stakeholders—advocacy platforms, private service providers, and government institutions—must coordinate efforts to ensure access to reproductive services across the board.
“It’s not just about making policies; it’s about ensuring people can benefit from them,” Dr Islam added.
Behind fertility decisions
According to the global report, economic uncertainty, job instability, lack of housing, climate-related disasters, and social pressure all influence decisions about family size. In Bangladesh, rising living costs and a lack of support systems are pushing many young couples to delay or forgo parenthood altogether.
“We cannot ignore that fertility decisions are shaped by the broader social environment,” said Kamkong. “From unpaid caregiving burdens placed on women to fear of climate impacts, these factors are pushing people into or out of parenthood not by choice, but by constraint.”
The report calls for a shift in policy focus: from incentivizing births or enforcing population control to building enabling environments where reproductive intentions can be fulfilled freely and with dignity.
Empowerment, not judgment
There are some promising signs. Awareness among young people in Bangladesh is rising. Many adolescents and youth now express a preference for smaller families, citing a desire to provide quality education and secure futures for their children.
UNFPA welcomed Bangladesh’s recent commitment to recognizing women’s unpaid work in GDP calculations—a move that may help bring visibility and policy attention to long-ignored aspects of gender inequality.
Kamkong concluded her remarks with a powerful reminder: “Let us not forget the adolescent girl in a rural village. Married too young, pregnant too soon, dreaming of going back to school. She fears complications in childbirth. She fears for her future and her child’s. But most of all, she feels powerless. We must be the voice that stands by her.”