According to a new report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Organization on Reproductive Rights, birth rates have declined worldwide.

UNFPA conducted a survey of 14,000 people in 14 countries on their intentions to create a family. One in five said he has not acquired or expected that he would not have the desired number of children, referring to some of the reasons the prohibitive cost of upbringing and the lack of a suitable partner.

The countries involved in the survey – South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, USA, India, Indonesia, Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria – represent one -third of the world.

It is a mixture of low, medium and high income countries and low -income and high birth rates, the BBC notes.

“People have begun to have an unprecedented birth decline,” says Dr. Natalia Canem, head of UNFPA.

The main reasons for reducing births

Most people involved in the survey want two or more children. The percentages, however, are greatly reduced because many feel that they cannot create the families they want.

Impressive is the percentage (31%) of people over 50 who said they have fewer children than they want.

However, research is limited in its scope. When it comes to age groups within the countries, for example, sample sizes are too small to draw conclusions.

However, some findings are clear.

Overall, 39% of people said their financial difficulties prevented them from having a child.

The highest percentage is found in South Korea (58%), while the lowest in Sweden (19%).

Overall, only 12% of people reported infertility – or the difficulty of conception – as a reason they did not acquire the number of children they wanted. However, this figure was higher in countries such as Thailand (19%), the US (16%), South Africa (15%), Nigeria (14%) and India (13%).

The UNFPA found that an even greater obstacle than the economic to have children was the lack of time.