The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that a staggering one in six people around the globe experiences infertility at some point in their lives.

In the first report of its kind in over a decade, the WHO has revealed that the global average infertility rate, defined as a person not being able to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected sex, has reached 17.5 per cent.

While the UN agency was quick to warn that it could not reliably determine a trend line due to a lack of reliable reporting methods throughout much of the world, there were some significant differences when broken down by region.

The highest rate of infertility was recorded in the Western Pacific, which included countries such as China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, with the WHO finding that the region as a whole saw nearly one-quarter (23.2) per cent of its population experiencing infertility at some point in their lives.

This was followed by the Americas region, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South and Central America nations, which currently has an estimated 20 per cent infertility rate or one in five people. Meanwhile, the infertility rate in the European region, which included the UK and Russia, stood at 16.5 per cent.

The lowest recorded rate was in the Eastern Mediterranean region which covered most of North Africa and the Middle East at just 10.7 per cent. This was followed by the rest of Africa, which was recorded as having a 13.1 per cent infertility rate.

Despite the apparent geographical and demographic differences, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the report demonstrates that infertility is a global issue, saying: “Infertility does not discriminate.”

“The sheer proportion of people affected shows the need to widen access to fertility care and ensure this issue is no longer sidelined in health research and policy so that safe, effective, and affordable ways to attain parenthood are available for those who seek it,” he added.

The report also noted that just because someone experiences infertility does not necessarily mean that they will never be able to conceive a child, particularly in light of scientific advances surrounding methods such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, such methods are still prohibitively expensive for much of the world’s population.

The WHO went on to say that it is currently unclear if the dramatic figures published in their report indicate a trend of increased infertility given that many regions do not record such data. Indeed, the report itself did not even give an estimate for India or much of South East Asia.

“Based on the data we have, we cannot say that infertility is increasing or constant. The jury is still out on that question,” the WHO’s Head of Contraception and Fertility Care Dr James Kiarie said.

The issue of the global population has increasingly become a hot-button political topic, with many figures on the left arguing that a population reduction is needed to counter allegedly man-made climate change and to live sustainably. On the opposite side of the argument, people like Tesla chief Elon Musk have said that the world likely needs more people, warning of the looming population collapse could limit the potential of humanity.

“One of the biggest risks to civilization is the low birth rate and the rapidly declining birth rate,” Musk said in 2021.

“And yet, so many people, including smart people, think that there are too many people in the world and think that the population is growing out of control. It’s completely the opposite. Please look at the numbers — if people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble, mark my words.”

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