World fertility rates in ‘unprecedented decline’, UN says

3 hours ago Share Save Stephanie Hegarty • @stephhegarty Population correspondent Share Save

Getty Images In a survey of 14,000 people, one in five respondents said they haven’t had or expect they won’t have the number of children they want

Namrata Nangia and her husband have been toying with the idea of having another child since their five-year-old daughter was born. But it always comes back to one question: ‘Can we afford it?’ She lives in Mumbai and works in pharmaceuticals, her husband works at a tyre company. But the costs of having one child are already overwhelming – school fees, the school bus, swimming lessons, even going to the GP is expensive. It was different when Namrata was growing up. “We just used to go to school, nothing extracurricular, but now you have to send your kid to swimming, you have to send them to drawing, you have to see what else they can do.”

According to a new report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency for reproductive rights, Namrata’s situation is becoming a global norm. The agency has taken its strongest line yet on fertility decline, warning that hundreds of millions of people are not able to have the number of children they want, citing the prohibitive cost of parenthood and the lack of a suitable partner as some of the reasons. UNFPA surveyed 14,000 people in 14 countries about their fertility intentions. One in five said they haven’t had or expect they won’t have their desired number of children. The countries surveyed – South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, US, India, Indonesia, Morocco, South Africa, and Nigeria – account for a third of the global population. They are a mix of low, middle and high-income countries and those with low and high fertility. UNFPA surveyed young adults and those past their reproductive years. “The world has begun an unprecedented decline in fertility rates,” says Dr Natalia Kanem, head of UNFPA. “Most people surveyed want two or more children. Fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to create the families they want. And that is the real crisis,” she says.

“Calling this a crisis, saying it’s real. That’s a shift I think,” says demographer Anna Rotkirch, who has researched fertility intentions in Europe and advises the Finnish government on population policy. “Overall, there’s more undershooting than overshooting of fertility ideals,” she says. She has studied this at length in Europe and is interested to see it reflected at a global level. She was also surprised by how many respondents over 50 (31%) said they had fewer children than they wanted. The survey, which is a pilot for research in 50 countries later this year, is limited in its scope. When it comes to age groups within countries for example, the sample sizes are too small to make conclusions. But some findings are clear. In all countries, 39% of people said financial limitations prevented them from having a child. The highest response was in Korea (58%), the lowest in Sweden (19%). In total, only 12% of people cited infertility – or difficulty conceiving – as a reason for not having the number of children they wanted to. But that figure was higher in countries including Thailand (19%), the US (16%), South Africa (15%), Nigeria (14%) and India (13%). “This is the first time that [the UN] have really gone all-out on low fertility issues,” says Prof Stuart Gietel-Basten, demographer at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Until recently the agency focused heavily on women who have more children than they wanted and the “unmet need” for contraception.

Still, the UNFPA is urging caution in response to low fertility. “Right now, what we’re seeing is a lot of rhetoric of catastrophe, either overpopulation or shrinking population, which leads to this kind of exaggerated response, and sometimes a manipulative response,” says Dr Kanem. “In terms of trying to get women to have more children, or fewer.” She points out that 40 years ago China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Turkey were all worried their populations were too high. By 2015 they wanted to boost fertility. “We want to try as far as possible to avoid those countries enacting any kind of panicky policies,” says Prof Gietel-Basten. “We are seeing low fertility, population ageing, population stagnation used as an excuse to implement nationalist, anti-migrant policies and gender conservative policies,” he says. UNFPA found an even bigger barrier to children than finances was a lack of time. For Namrata in Mumbai that rings true. She spends at least three hours a day commuting to her office and back. When she gets home she is exhausted but wants to spend time with her daughter. Her family doesn’t get much sleep. “After a working day, obviously you have that guilt, being a mom, that you’re not spending enough time with your kid,” she says. “So, we’re just going to focus on one.”

Namrata Nangia, a pharmaceutical professional in Mumbai, and her husband, employed at a tire company, dream of expanding their family beyond their five-year-old daughter.

Yet, the steep costs of child-rearing—school fees, transportation, extracurricular activities like swimming, and even routine doctor visits—make them hesitate.

“Can we afford another child?” they repeatedly ask themselves. Namrata recalls a simpler childhood without the pressure of costly extracurriculars, a stark contrast to today’s expectations.

A recent United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report highlights that Namrata’s dilemma is increasingly common worldwide. The agency’s strongest statement yet on declining fertility rates warns that millions cannot achieve their desired family size due to financial burdens and challenges finding suitable partners.

Surveying 14,000 people across 14 countries—including South Korea, Italy, Brazil, India, and Nigeria, representing a third of the global population—UNFPA found that one in five people either have not had or expect not to have the number of children they want.

Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA’s head, emphasizes, “The world is experiencing an unprecedented drop in fertility rates. Many feel unable to build the families they envision, and that’s the true crisis.”

The survey, a pilot for a broader study across 50 countries, reveals that 39% of respondents cite financial constraints as a barrier to parenthood, with South Korea reporting the highest concern at 58% and Sweden the lowest at 19%. Only 12% pointed to infertility, though this was higher in countries like Thailand (19%) and India (13%).

Beyond finances, time scarcity is a significant hurdle. Namrata’s three-hour daily commute leaves her drained, torn between work and quality time with her daughter.

“The guilt of not being there enough as a mom is real,” she says, explaining their decision to stick with one child. Demographer Anna Rotkirch, who advises Finland’s government, notes that “undershooting fertility ideals” is a global trend, with 31% of those over 50 regretting having fewer children than desired.

UNFPA urges caution against alarmist policies, warning against manipulative responses to low fertility, such as nationalist or gender-conservative measures.

As countries like China and Japan shift from curbing to encouraging population growth, the agency advocates for balanced approaches to support family aspirations without coercion.

Source: BBC

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South Korea cements cultural status with six Tonys for Maybe Happy Ending

Maybe Happy Ending is about the romance between two humanoid robots

With the Tonys, South Koreans have now won the four most coveted awards in US entertainment. Squid Game won Emmy awards in 2022 while Parasite won four Oscars in 2020. Soprano Sumi Jo won a Grammy in 1993.

Maybe Happy Ending is about the romance between two humanoid robots living in an apartment building on the outskirts of Seoul. It entered Sunday night’s awards ceremony with 10 nominations.

The acclaimed Broadway production of Maybe Happy Ending, which debuted in South Korea almost a decade ago, won six Tonys, including best musical.

South Koreans are celebrating their first win in the Tony Awards, which they say highlights their country’s status as a cultural powerhouse.

On Sunday, South Korean lyricist Hue Park and American composer Will Aronson took home the Tony for best original score and best book of a musical.

Before making their Broadway debut with Maybe Happy Ending in 2024, the pair, who met as students at New York University, had written the musical in both English and Korean.

“This is amazing!” one post on Threads reads. “I heard the Broadway version got even more polished. I’m so proud that Korea is becoming a true cultural powerhouse.”

“This feels like a dream come true for the Korean Wave,” reads another post. “I’m just as thrilled as when Parasite won the Oscars, Squid Game won the Emmys, and Han Kang received the Nobel Prize.”

Former Glee star Darren Criss, who played one of the robots, Oliver, won best lead actor in a musical. It was his first Tony win.

The musical, which also stars Helen J Shen as robot Claire, was already on a streak this awards season.

It bagged some of the top prizes at the Outer Critics Circle Awards and Drama League Awards this year.

First directed by Kim Dong-yeon, Maybe Happy Ending premiered in Seoul in 2016 to much critical acclaim. It has since been revived several times in South Korea and abroad – in both Korean and English.

Maybe Happy Ending’s success comes as South Korean artists continue to break ground in entertainment, especially with K-pop acts like BTS and Blackpink dominating music in the last few years.

It also serves as a window into Korean culture, some social media users say.

“It’s amazing that Korean elements like Jeju Island, fireflies, and hwabun (a plant pot) were kept in the Broadway version too,” reads one post on Threads.

“I already felt proud just seeing it nominated, but watching the local audience react so positively made it even more special.”

Missing Indian bride arrested for allegedly murdering husband on honeymoon

20 hours ago Share Save Geeta Pandey • @geetapandeybbc BBC News, Delhi Share Save

Raghuvanshi family Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi were married on 11 May

Police in India say a woman, who had gone missing after her husband was found brutally murdered during their honeymoon, is in custody after she surrendered. The families of the couple had alleged that the bride had also either been killed or abducted and mounted a huge campaign to find her. Police now allege that Sonam Raghuvanshi, 25, hired killers to murder her 30-year-old husband Raja during their trip to the tiny north-eastern state of Meghalaya. Four men have also been arrested. Sonam’s father Devi Singh has defended his daughter saying “she is innocent and she cannot do this”.

The newly-wed couple from Indore city in the central state of Madhya Pradesh had chosen Meghalaya for their honeymoon because they had heard it had “very beautiful valleys”, Raja’s brother Sachin Raghuvanshi told the BBC at the weekend, before Sonam’s arrest. The couple had married on 11 May in Indore in a ceremony blessed by both their families. “Their marriage was arranged four months back and they were both happy and there had been no fights between the couple before or after marriage,” Raja’s other brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said. The couple left for Meghalaya on 20 May. But four days into their trip, they went missing. Police and disaster relief teams, accompanied by local people, searched for the couple. Videos from the area showed rescuers rappelling down hills and cliffs in valleys covered in mist. Officials said rain and low visibility were hampering the search operations. A week later, Raja’s decomposed body was found in a gorge with his throat slit and his wallet, a gold ring and a chain missing. And Sonam had disappeared without a trace. Their families mounted a huge campaign, accusing the Meghalaya police of not doing enough to solve Raja’s murder or find Sonam – an accusation contested by the state’s chief minister. The couple’s families demanded that the case be handed over to the federal police for a proper investigation and met influential caste leaders and federal ministers in their home state to lobby for this. Last Friday, they also wrote a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver justice for Raja and find Sonam.

Raghuvanshi family Their families say the couple had an arranged marriage and seemed happy

Curfew and internet shutdown in India’s violence-hit Manipur state

Violence broke out in Manipur after India’s top investigating agency arrested leaders of an armed radical group

Manipur has been rocked by periodic violence since 2023 after ethnic clashes between the two largest groups, the majority Meitei and minority Kuki, over land and influence.

India’s top investigation agency said Singh was arrested at Manipur’s Imphal airport for his involvement in “various criminal activities” related to the violence that broke out in the state in 2023.

On Sunday, police arrested five leaders of Arambai Tenggol, an armed Meitei radical group, including their chief Asem Kanan Singh.

Authorities have imposed a curfew and shut down the internet in parts of the troubled north-eastern Indian state of Manipur after protests erupted over the arrest of leaders from an ethnic group.

Internet has been shut down in parts of Manipur with curfew imposed in certain areas

More than 250 people have been killed in the conflict, with tens of thousands displaced.

Arambai Tenggol identifies itself as a social outfit and wields considerable influence in the state, enjoying support from the Meitei community.

The latest round of tensions began on 7 June, when India’s top investigation agency arrested Singh and four other leaders of Arambai Tenggol, following which he was taken to Guwahati city in the neighbouring state of Assam.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating cases related to violence in Manipur, said that the trial for these had been shifted from Manipur to Guwahati in Assam “in view of the law and order situation in Manipur”.

After the arrests, protesters demanding the release of members of Arambai Tenggol stormed a police post, set fire to a bus and blocked roads in parts of Imphal.

Some protesters also clashed with security personnel, The Hindu newspaper reported.

A 13-year-old boy was injured after security forces fired tear gas shells and live rounds to disperse crowds, The Hindustan Times reported.

State lawmaker Okram Surjakumar said the arrests had thrown the state into chaos.

Following the violence, the state government suspended internet and mobile data services in five districts of the state for five days and imposed an indefinite curfew in one. Gatherings of four or more people has also been prohibited in the some parts.

Arambai Tenggol has also declared a 10-day shutdown in parts of the state since Saturday night.

Priyanka Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, on Sunday questioned why the government was unable to bring to peace to the conflict-hit state.

Earlier this year, the Indian government brought the state under direct federal rule after the chief minister resigned following criticism from opposition groups.

Gandhi blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had not met representatives from the state or made any efforts for peace.

“It is the prime minister’s responsibility to ensure peace and security for the citizens of the country. To step back from this is to turn away from one’s duty,” she wrote in a post on X.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been sharply criticised by opposition leaders and rights groups for its handling of the conflict. Opposition leaders have also criticised Modi for not visiting the state since the violence first began in 2023.

On Sunday, a multi-party delegation of state lawmakers met the state governor.

BJP lawmker Kh Ibomcha said the delegation had asked that the arrested leaders be released after they were questioned by the police.