The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has officially launched the 2025 State of the World Population Report in Liberia. This national ceremony, UNFPA Officer-in-Charge Leonard Kamugisha described the event as a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Youth and the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS).
This year’s report, titled “The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World,” was released globally by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem in Nairobi. It highlights the growing gap in reproductive rights, particularly for marginalized populations.
Kamugisha emphasized that the true fertility crisis is not about population numbers but rather the barriers preventing individuals from achieving their reproductive goals. These include gender inequality, economic instability, poor healthcare, and limited access to services.
The State of World Population report is an annual flagship publication by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) that analyzes global population trends, focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
During the launch, a short presentation of the report was made, and a panel of representatives from government (including the legislature), civil society, development partners and youth reflected on the implications of the report for Liberia.
According to Kamugisha, despite significant advances in sexual and reproductive health and rights, the most marginalized people have experienced the fewest gains.
“Data published by UNFPA over the past five years show that globally about one in ten women are unable to decide whether to use contraception, roughly one quarter of women are unable to make decisions about their own healthcare and roughly one quarter of women are unable to say no to sex.” Reproductive agency is more than just freedom from coercion or improved access to services. It is the full range of conditions that enable people to exercise their reproductive rights and ensure true choice, including gender equality, economic stability, decent health and confidence in the future.
He indicated that the inability of individuals to realize their desired fertility goals is the real fertility crisis – not overpopulation or under population – and we see it everywhere we look.
The research conducted for this report finds that barriers to avoiding an unintended pregnancy and barriers to starting a family are often ultimately the same: economic challenges, gender discrimination, lack of support from partners and communities, low-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare, lack of access to services like affordable childcare or education, and pessimism about the future.
Kamugisha; “UNFPA believes policies should respond directly to these concerns. This includes ensuring the full range of reproductive health and rights for all people; providing consistent, long-term support to parents and families; and ending gender-based violence and the gender discriminatory norms that undermine people’s fertility ambitions.”
In this regard, he said UNFPA reaffirms its strong support to the government and people of Liberia through partnerships with relevant government Ministries, agencies and with civil society organizations, to achieve three transformative results: ending preventable maternal deaths, ending unmet need for family planning and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.
At the launch of the State of the World Population Report 2025, UN Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni urged a shift toward rights-based approaches to population and reproductive health in Liberia.
Umutoni also emphasized that the report, titled “The Real Fertility Crisis,” goes beyond numbers—it highlights human rights, choice, and dignity. She noted persistent challenges such as limited reproductive health access, gender inequality, and harmful practices like female genital mutilation.
She praised Liberia’s efforts under the Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development and reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to advancing reproductive rights, sustainable development, and support for women and girls across the country.
Youth and Sports Minister Jeror Cole Bangalu also stressed the urgency of investing in Liberia’s youthful population, with over 75% under age 35. Speaking at the launch of the 2025 State of the World Population Report, Minister Bengali said teenage pregnancy, gender inequality, and limited reproductive choices remain major barriers.
He highlighted the ministry’s commitment to youth empowerment, job creation, and digital literacy, stressing that multi-sectoral collaboration is vital to unlocking Liberia’s demographic dividend and ensuring inclusive development for all young people.
However, the report is expected to drive national dialogue around maternal health, family planning, and gender-based violence as Liberia works toward ensuring reproductive rights and choices for all.
