What young adults want and what shapes their decisions about parenthood and relationships.

 Findings from the Demographic Futures Survey 2026.

Around the world, demographic change is prompting urgent debate about fertility, family life and the future. Lives, Choices and Futures, UNFPA’s report on the findings of the 2025-2026 Demographic Futures Survey brings together one of the most geographically diverse bodies of evidence on how young adults’ hopes and decisions about relationships, parenthood and the future take place in an uncertain world. Through the voices of over 108,000 Internet-connected people aged 18 to 39 across 73 countries, this report shows that many young people continue to value partnership and parenthood, but the conditions to realize these aspirations often feel out of reach.

The findings reveal: 

• More than two thirds of respondents want to marry or live with a partner.
• Two children is the most commonly reported ideal family size in five out of seven regional groupings.
• Economic and housing constraints constitute the most common obstacles to forming partnerships.
• Financial security is the top consideration for entering a partnership (81%) and parenthood (88%).
• Young respondents also consider stable employment (87%) and emotional readiness (85%) as important preconditions for becoming parents.
• Two thirds feel somewhat or very positive about the future despite worries about conflict, economic insecurity and inequality.

While the data are weighted by age, sex and education level, these findings are not nationally representative and should not be interpreted as population-level estimates. Instead, they provide comparative insights into the views of Internet-connected young adults surveyed across regions. The data tells us what these young adults value, what they worry about, what they see as important for partnership and parenthood, and what conditions they report as shaping their choices.

This report offers a flagship evidence base to inspire further research and shift policy and public debate. It moves the conversation away from panic, population targets and assumptions about young people’s choices. Instead it focuses on the social, economic and institutional conditions that enable young people to have the families they want and build the lives they aspire to lead.

Lives, Choices and Futures provides vital evidence to inform global policy discussions on demographic change, reproductive rights and sustainable development. The findings affirm that long-term investments in young people and cross-sector policies on education, employment security, housing, reproductive health services, and social protection will help them contribute to societies that are innovative, resilient and economically robust.