A UN report has suggested that across the world young people want to get married and have children, but often find it difficult to do so.
The report, which is based on a survey of 108,000 people aged 18 to 39 across 73 different countries, said that low fertility rates were no longer the preserve of highly developed countries.
Two-thirds of the world’s population now live in countries were the fertility rate is below 2.1 children per woman.
Even in countries with relatively high birth rates, the number is often on a downwards trajectory.
The Demographic Futures Survey found that the majority of young people (70 per cent) wish to get married, with the only disagreement being on whether to cohabit before or after the marriage (34 per cent supported cohabitation prior to marriage). Only 16 per cent of respondents said they wished to remain single.
Wishes and reality are different, however, and around a quarter of those who wish to find a long-term partner said they were currently single and not dating. The figure was higher for men (30 per cent) than for women (19 per cent).
One of the biggest obstacles to forming a partnership is economic insecurity. Over half of respondents (57 per cent) said that economic insecurity or housing constraints presented the biggest barrier to forming a long-term relationship.
When it comes to children, the average ideal is to have two children, although in most of Africa the preferred number tends to by higher.
The findings also reveal that men tend to want more children (2.62) than women (2.43).
Reality is again somewhat different, as the average number of children that people tend to have is uniformly lower than the ideal number they wish to have.
Among childless 35 to 39 year olds, most still wanted to have children - 79 per cent of men and 72 per cent women.
Once again housing and economic uncertainty are identified as the main culprits, with 72 per cent saying these represented a barrier to having children. Other common factors given were the lack of a suitable partner and health problems.
The report states, “The findings underscore the wider conditions that shape young people’s choices.
"Enhancing economic opportunities, employment security, affordable housing, accessible childcare and gender equality can help create the conditions to support young people to have the number of children they want, when they want them, and build the lives they aspire to lead.”
