The report reveals real and substantial development gains during the past decade. Since 2015, the world has made notable strides in expanding access to education, improving maternal and child health, and bridging the digital divide. Effective prevention efforts have significantly reduced the burdens of infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria. Access to electricity has continued to grow, and renewable energy is now the fastest-rising source of power worldwide.

Yet progress has been fragile and unequal. Millions still face extreme poverty, hunger, inadequate housing, and a lack of basic services. Women, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities continue to face systemic disadvantages. Escalating conflicts, climate chaos, rising inequalities, and soaring debt servicing costs are holding back further advancements.

It is often assumed or implied that fertility rates are the result of free choice. Unfortunately, that is not the whole picture. Recent State of World Population reports have brought to light a number of concerning findings: that roughly half of all pregnancies are unintended; that public rhetoric around population size and fertility rates is driving fear, which can be, and has been, used to fuel ethnonationalism and undermine reproductive rights.