Why are birth rates falling? Across Asia and the Pacific, the question is no longer limited to a few high-income countries. From Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore to Thailand, China and other rapidly changing societies, governments are increasingly concerned about their populations declining, which they attribute to later marriage, smaller families and population ageing
The public narrative is often familiar: young people no longer want children, marriage has lost its appeal, and today’s generation is simply making different choices.
New evidence suggests otherwise.
Based on responses from more than 108,000 young adults across 73 countries, including countries across Asia and the Pacific, recent data finds that many young people still want partners, marriage and children. Marriage before living together remains the most preferred relationship pathway, while two children remains the most commonly reported ideal family size. But aspirations are running up against reality: economic insecurity, unaffordable housing, unstable employment and unequal caregiving responsibilities continue to shape and too often constrain the choices young people feel able to make.
Here are seven myths the data helps put to rest.
Myth #1: Most young people don’t want children anymore
Reality: Most still do.
Across most regions surveyed, including Asia and the Pacific, two children remains the most commonly reported ideal family size. Yet in every region, adults approaching 40 frequently report having fewer children than they ideally wanted. The issue is not disappearing aspirations for family life, but the growing gap between hopes and reality.
Myth #2: Falling birth rates are mostly a result of changing values
Reality: It’s about the conditions and constraints young people face.
Young people continue to value relationships and parenthood. What holds many back are barriers they often cannot control. Economic insecurity, housing costs, unstable employment and difficulty finding a suitable partner consistently rank among the biggest obstacles to starting a family. Nearly three in four respondents identified economic and housing constraints as a major barrier to having children.
Myth #3: Governments just need to encourage people to have more children
Reality: Young people want support, not pressure.
Before feeling ready to become parents, youth respondents overwhelmingly said they need financial security, stable employment and relationships, and emotional readiness. By contrast, government encouragement ranked among the least important reasons for deciding to have children. Young people are not asking to be persuaded. They are asking for the conditions that allow them to make their own choices.
Myth #4: Marriage is no longer a priority
Reality: It remains the preferred path for most.
In Asia and the Pacific, marriage before living together is still the most preferred relationship pathway, selected by nearly half of respondents. Another significant share prefer living together first and marrying later. While relationship pathways are changing, the aspiration for long-term commitment remains strong.
Myth #5: Young people simply aren’t interested in relationships
Reality: Many want partners but haven’t found one.
Among youth respondents aged 25–39 who ideally wanted to marry or live with a partner, around one in four globally were currently single and not dating. In Asia and the Pacific, the share was even slightly higher among men, at around one in three. The challenge is often not a lack of desire for partnership, but difficulty finding the right person at the right time.
Myth #6: Young people are pessimistic about the future
Reality: Hope and uncertainty coexist.
Across the region, most respondents said they feel somewhat or very positive about the future. At the same time, young people expressed deep concerns about conflict, economic insecurity and inequality. Rather than replacing hope, these worries exist alongside it. Young people remain optimistic, but they also recognize the pressures shaping their futures.
Myth #7: Social media and artificial intelligence are young people’s biggest worries
Reality: The cost of living and global instability weigh far more heavily.
Conflict, security risks, economic insecurity and inequality topped the list of concerns among respondents. Artificial intelligence ranked lowest, despite the growing public debate surrounding it. Young people are focused less on distant technological change than on the realities shaping their lives today: whether they can find decent work, afford a home, build a family and look to the future with confidence.
The bigger picture
The data tells a remarkably consistent story across countries and regions. Young people in Asia and the Pacific have not abandoned aspirations for partnership or parenthood. Instead, many feel those aspirations are becoming harder to achieve.
The question is not whether young people want relationships or families. It is whether they have access to affordable housing, secure employment, supportive policies, gender equality, quality reproductive health services and the freedom to make informed choices about their lives.
Supporting young people’s rights and expanding their opportunities is not only good social policy, but also one of the most effective ways to help them build the futures to which they already aspire.
