This week, the United Nations issued a stark warning: the world is experiencing an “unprecedented decline” in fertility rates. According to new UN data, nearly two-thirds of the global population will live in countries with below-replacement fertility by 2050. The report describes a looming demographic crisis, but fails to address a critical question: who helped cause it?
For decades, the UN and its agencies have aggressively promoted and funded contraception and abortion across the globe. Billions have been spent on so-called “population control” programmes, often with the explicit aim of reducing birth rates, especially in the developing world. And now, as those rates plummet and the economic and social consequences begin to take hold, the same institution is sounding the alarm.
A crisis manufactured in plain sight
Let’s be clear: this decline isn’t a random natural trend. It’s the result of decades of policy rooted in the belief that humanity itself is the problem. This ideology has been institutionalised through global programmes that sideline the value of life, family, and faith.
In the UK, fertility has fallen to the lowest level on record, with the Office for National Statistics reporting a total fertility rate of just 1.49 children per woman in England and Wales as of 2022—well below the replacement level of 2.1. Scotland fares even worse, with a rate of 1.28, among the lowest in Europe.
Globally, the picture is no better. Countries like South Korea (0.72) and Japan (1.26) are entering demographic freefall. Even nations in Africa, long resistant to fertility decline, are beginning to feel the pressure of foreign-funded campaigns aimed at changing cultural attitudes toward childbirth.
The UN’s double standard
While the UN now expresses concern over declining populations, it continues to channel vast sums of money into reproductive health policies that prioritise population reduction. The hypocrisy is hard to ignore.
For years, SPUC has warned that aggressive population control, particularly the export of abortion and contraception into the developing world, is not only morally wrong but socially destructive. Through our international partnerships and advocacy at the UN, we have consistently raised the alarm about the long-term consequences of these policies.
One of our close allies in this work, Obianuju Ekeocha, Founder and President of Culture of Life Africa, has repeatedly exposed the ideological colonialism at play, where Western institutions push anti-natal agendas on African nations under the guise of development aid. As she rightly points out, many African cultures value children and family deeply. Yet international bodies continue to ignore local voices in favour of policies that are neither asked for nor welcome.
A winter we were warned about
The phrase “demographic winter”, used to describe a steep and dangerous drop in birth rates, was popularised by the 2008 documentary Demographic Winter: The Decline of the Human Family, produced by Barry McLerran and Rick Stout. The film featured leading voices in demography and culture, warning of the civilisational impact of declining fertility.
Among those featured was Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, who has been one of the most persistent and courageous voices exposing the damage caused by population control ideologies. His research on China’s one-child policy and his global advocacy for life have influenced pro-life thinking for decades. SPUC has been privileged to work alongside Steve over many years, sharing platforms at UN events, conferences, and policy forums where we have jointly championed the cause of the unborn and the family.
As Steve and many others have made clear: we didn’t arrive at demographic winter by accident. It is the inevitable consequence of decades of anti-natal policy, underwritten by global institutions and cheered on by ideologues who saw fertility as a problem to be solved.
A call to change course
The question now is not just how to respond to the fertility crisis, but whether those responsible are willing to take accountability and use their incomparable influence and resources to address humanity’s ticking time bomb.
What if the billions spent on suppressing life were re-invested in supporting motherhood, upholding the dignity of the unborn, and empowering families through ethical, life-affirming policies?
What if the UN took seriously the voices of pro-life nations, leaders, and grassroots organisations, including SPUC and our international allies, who have been advocating for a culture that cherishes life at every stage?
This is a moment of reckoning. The demographic crisis is real. But it cannot be solved by the same institutions and ideologies that helped create it.
It will require a renewed commitment to life, truth, and justice, from the smallest village in Africa to the highest offices at the United Nations.
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