Economic Pressures Delaying Marriage and Parenthood Among Young People

By Our Reporter Maurice Momanyi

Young people around the world continue to value marriage and parenthood, but rising economic hardships, housing challenges and job insecurity are making it increasingly difficult for them to achieve their aspirations, according to the latest United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Demographic Futures Survey.
The findings, released under the theme “Lives, Choices and Futures: What Young Adults Want and What Shapes Their Decisions About Relationships and Parenthood,” show that while many young adults remain optimistic about the future, financial uncertainty is forcing many to postpone or reconsider major life decisions such as marriage and having children.
The survey, conducted between late 2025 and early 2026, gathered responses from 108,926 people aged 18 to 39 across 73 countries and territories, including Kenya.
According to the report, economic security emerged as the most important life goal, with 71.1 percent of respondents identifying it as a top priority, followed closely by health and well-being at 68.9 percent. Education and career goals, as well as achieving independence from parents, also ranked highly among respondents.
The study found that more than two-thirds of young adults would like to marry, either directly or after living together with a partner. However, around one-quarter of respondents aged between 25 and 39 who ideally want a partner are currently single and not dating.
Economic and housing constraints were identified as the biggest obstacles to forming relationships, ahead of difficulties finding suitable partners, relationship history, health challenges and work-related pressures.

The survey further revealed that young people still aspire to have children, with two children being the ideal family size across five of the seven global regions covered in the study. However, respondents aged between 35 and 39 generally had fewer children than they ideally desired.
Among respondents aged 35 to 39 without children, nearly 72 percent of women and almost 80 percent of men said they would ideally like to become parents.
Financial security was cited as the leading prerequisite for starting a family, followed by stable employment, emotional readiness, home ownership and having a spouse or life partner.
Conversely, economic and housing challenges were ranked as the greatest barriers to parenthood, followed by the absence of a suitable partner and health and reproductive concerns.
Beyond personal circumstances, respondents expressed growing concern over wider global challenges. Conflict and security risks topped the list of worries at 54.3 percent, followed by economic insecurity and inequality, global health and environmental risks, governance issues and political instability.
Despite these concerns, the survey found that a majority of young people remain hopeful, with more than 66 percent describing themselves as somewhat or very positive about the future.
UNFPA said the findings challenge the common narrative that young people are increasingly rejecting marriage and parenthood. Instead, the report concludes that many are unable to realise their reproductive intentions because of circumstances beyond their control, including economic insecurity, unstable relationships, inadequate access to reproductive health services and unequal caregiving responsibilities.
The agency is calling on governments to invest in affordable housing, secure employment opportunities, quality healthcare and gender equality to enable young people to achieve their life goals.
UNFPA also urged policymakers to involve young people in designing demographic policies, reduce economic barriers to partnership and parenthood, and use evidence-based approaches to address the changing aspirations of younger generations.
The organization plans to release regional reports, undertake further qualitative research and conduct follow-up surveys to monitor how young people’s aspirations and challenges evolve over time.