Mexico's fertility rate has fallen from nearly seven children per woman in the 1960s to fewer than two today, according to specialists from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) who released their findings on July 13, 2026.
Researcher Verónica Montes de Oca Zavala, from UNAM's Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales (IIS), noted that the high cost of living, inflation, and difficulty accessing housing and stable employment are the leading factors behind this shift, as reported by El Universal. The phenomenon is not unique to Mexico: the trend toward postponing or forgoing parenthood is observed across all OECD countries and in Latino communities in the United States and Canada, where housing and childcare costs also pressure family decisions. Over six decades, the country moved from one of the highest fertility rates in Latin America to below the generational replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.
UNAM specialists identified five main factors behind the decision not to have children. The first is economic instability: wages that do not cover food, education, and healthcare. The second is environmental anxiety: concern over climate change and the scarcity of natural resources. The third is the prioritization of mental health and emotional balance over responsibilities that many young people do not feel prepared to take on. The fourth is the shift in gender roles: greater access for women to higher education and the labor market has expanded life trajectories beyond motherhood, explained Luz María Galindo Vilchis, from UNAM's Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, to Investigación y Desarrollo. The fifth factor is the pursuit of personal development, which today competes with family formation as a priority.
Montes de Oca Zavala warned that the population aging resulting from this trend will require a rethinking of health, pension, and labor market systems in the coming decades. UNAM plans to expand this line of research with surveys of young populations in urban and rural areas during the second half of 2026.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.