Most young Ghanaians still aspire to get married and have children, but financial insecurity and unstable employment are preventing many from achieving those goals, according to findings highlighted to mark World Population Day 2026.
Observed annually on July 11, this year’s World Population Day is themed, “Realising the hopes and aspirations of young people, today and for the future.” The theme is based on the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) latest report, Lives, Choices and Futures, which draws on its Demographic Futures Survey involving more than 108,000 young adults across 73 countries.
According to the report, more than two-thirds of young adults aged between 18 and 39 want to marry, while only about one in 10 said they do not want children.
The survey also found that 88 per cent of respondents consider financial security a prerequisite for parenthood, while 87 per cent said stable employment is equally essential before starting a family.
“The findings are striking: most young people aspire to partnership and parenthood,” UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita said at the report’s launch in New York.
She added that when financial barriers are removed, young people are able to make “the choices that are right for them.”
Although the survey’s authors cautioned that the findings are not nationally representative because they mainly reflect the views of internet-connected young adults, they said the results challenge the perception that young people are increasingly rejecting marriage and family life.
According to the report, 80 per cent of respondents cited the joy children bring as a key reason for wanting children, while government incentives ranked among the least important motivations.
The report also noted that respondents from West and Central Africa, including Ghana, expressed preferences for larger family sizes than those in most other regions surveyed.
With more than half of Ghana’s estimated population of 33 million under the age of 25, UNFPA said the country has significant potential to benefit from a demographic dividend if young people have access to education, healthcare and employment opportunities.
However, it warned that without such investments, economic pressures could continue to limit young people’s ability to realise their family aspirations.
The report cited data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, which showed that 27.8 per cent of married women use modern contraceptive methods, while 23.4 per cent have an unmet need for family planning.
It said total demand for family planning stands at 59.7 per cent, with just over 60 per cent of that demand currently being met.
Ghana’s total fertility rate remains at 3.9 children per woman, largely unchanged since 2017 after declining significantly from 6.4 children per woman in 1988.
The report also noted that Ghana’s maternal mortality ratio is estimated at between 253 and 263 deaths per 100,000 live births as of 2020, an improvement from nearly 500 in 2000 but still well above the Sustainable Development Goal target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Meanwhile, MSI Reproductive Choices Ghana reported that it recorded 107,184 client visits between January and June 2026, with young people aged 15 to 24 accounting for 37,663 visits, representing 35 per cent of all clients.
According to the organisation’s programme data, 7,058 of the youth visits were by adolescents aged 15 to 19, while 29,726 were by young adults aged 20 to 24.
UNFPA said a more comprehensive analysis of the survey, including policy recommendations, will be published in its forthcoming State of World Population 2026 report.
