Population anxieties are widespread, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)'s State of World Population report, released today.

The landmark report 8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities: the case for rights and choices urges politicians and media to abandon overblown narratives about population booms and busts.

Instead of asking how fast people are reproducing, leaders should ask whether individuals, especially women, are able to freely make their own reproductive choices – a question whose answer, too often, is no.

“Women’s bodies should not be held captive to population targets,” says UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem.

“To build thriving and inclusive societies, regardless of population size, we must radically rethink how we talk about and plan for population change.”

History has shown that fertility policies designed to increase or lower birth rates are very often ineffective and can undermine women’s rights.

“Human reproduction is neither the problem nor the solution. When we put gender equality and rights at the heart of our population policies, we are stronger, more resilient, and better able to deal with the challenges resulting from rapidly changing populations.”

In the spirit of delivering as One UN, UNFPA invited experts from the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the International Organization for Migration to contribute thought leadership to the report.

The artwork for the report was created by award-winning artist and founder of the art-tech studio ARTificial Mind, Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm.

Waagner Falkenstrøm’s art, which utilizes artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other cutting-edge technologies to provoke reflections about our engagement with technology, represents the core themes of this year’s report: the perils and promise of a not-so-distant future, the fears which spring from those unknowns, and the infinite possibilities within reach when rights and choices for all are ensured.