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One in every three Indians experiences an ‘unintended pregnancy’ says a recent report by United Nations Population Fund, a leading UN sexual and reproductive health agency. World Population Report2025claims that 36% Indian adults encounter unintended pregnancies, while 30% experience unfulfillment, for not having the desired number of children. Some parents wanted more children and had less or in some cases, none. While others wanted fewer kids but had more. Notably, 23% of the Indians face both: unintended pregnancies and the unfulfillment of the ‘right number’.
The Report
The UNFPA Report studies multiple surveys of 14 countries, including India, and advocates for a ‘shift in the global narrative’ regarding population crises. It says the highly debated ‘population explosion’ vs. ‘population collapse’ discourse is an overrated one and calls for more of a human rights centric approach. “The real problem,” it says, “is not over or under population, but the inability to have the number of children one wants.
The research also studies Replacement-level fertility, commonly defined as 2.1 births per woman, which is the rate at which a population size remains as it transcends from one generation to the next. While India may have reached replacement-level fertility of 2.0, many, especially women, do not enjoy the agency of making free and informed decisions about their reproductive lives.
The report also suggests that the need of the hour is to recognize ‘unmet reproductive goals’ as the real crises and not panic over explosion or falling fertility . Millions in India and around the world are not able to realise their desirable fertility goals. “And, the answer lies in greater reproductive agency – a person’s ability to make free and informed choices about sex, birth control, and starting a family,” the report adds.
Also Read: Multiple Pregnancies: Expert Explains The Causes, Risks, And Tips For Management
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Reasons
Financial insecurity remains the prime reason for people to not realise reproductive agency. Four out of Ten people said that lack of financial resources was the main reason they didn't have the family they wanted.
Job Insecurity (21%), housing constraints (22%), and the lack of reliable childcare (18%) are the next biggest factors for people not achieving their parental goals.
Health issues like poor wellbeing (15%), infertility (13%), and limited access to pregnancy-related care (14%) add further complications to the decision making of the potential parents.
Many are holding themselves back due to various fears and anxiety— these apprehensions range from climate change to the political environment .
19% of the participants claimed facing pressure from either their partners or their parents.
Impact on Women
The report suggests that not having one’s reproductive independence has an adverse effect especially on the person’s psychology. The lack of agency is harder on women as they are a minority in their own right when it comes to decision making within our society. One such story is Sikha’s (name changed). As a 22 year old, she came to Delhi for her masters in 2023 from a small town in UP. Coming from a rather conservative family she hid the fact that she was living with her boyfriend at the time from her parents.
In early 2024 Shikha found out she was pregnant. She felt her life was over, soon her parents would find out and they would kill her. ‘But, I wanted the child,’ she says. Shikha’s boyfriend was not ready for that. And she knew her family would allow their only daughter to give birth to a ‘bastard’.
‘Sometimes I think maybe I should have fought, it keeps me up at night,’ she says.
Shikha clearly remembers the date her boyfriend brought ‘four big white tablets’ in a torn page. It was the evening of 20th February, 2024 and she was doing the laundry when her boyfriend came running in and stuffed those pills in her hand. Take one for each day, he said without looking at her.
‘I lost my baby on the second day itself. I watched the shreds of its unalive pieces flush down my toilet,’ Shikha says.
As per her own words, there hasn’t been a single night since then she hasn't stood hours by the toilet and cried for her unborn. She says she wishes she could have fought for it.
Solution?
The World Population Report 2025 report outlined five key areas for India's improvement :
Consolidating services such as Sexual Reproductive Health. Making access to contraception universal and easily available. Focussing on safe abortion, maternal health, and infertility care
Getting rid of inadequacy by investing in childcare, education, housing, and workplace flexibility.
Implementation of inclusive policies that extend to unmarried couples LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized groups.
Imposing an accountability beyond fertility rates and instead focusing on family planning needs and bodily autonomy
Advocating social change through community dialogue and infiltrating rural communities through health literacy especially surrounded sex.