In India, Namrata Nangia and her husband long to have another child, but are held back by financial and time pressures - a dilemma increasingly shared worldwide. According to a new UN report, a global decline in fertility is not due to personal choice alone; many couples feel unable to afford larger families. Of 14,000 people surveyed across fourteen nations, one in five reported having fewer children than desired. Key barriers included financial limitations (cited by 39%) and lack of time. In nations like South Korea, the figure rose to 58%. Surprisingly, infertility accounted for just 12%. The UN urges caution against panicked policy responses, warning that such crises can prompt harmful nationalist or gender-conservative measures. Today’s challenges mirror shifts seen in countries that once feared overpopulation. As living costs, job demands, and social expectations rise, many parents like Namrata choose to focus their love and energy on one child - wrestling with the tension between desire and reality.