With the world’s population reaching 8 billion, there is much to celebrate: More women are surviving pregnancy, more newborns are making it through their first few precarious months, and people are living longer, healthier lives.

But this good news is coupled with anxiety. Are there too many people, and enough resources to go around?

Trying to answer these questions by focusing on the number of babies born – and therefore women’s reproductive choices – only serves as a distraction. It is crucial to address climate crises and economic concerns, by looking at root causes and solutions, including fossil fuel emissions and wealth distribution.

[Pictured above] A youth leader for sexual and reproductive health, 16-year-old Divya (left) stands with her sister on a mountain near their village of Tikuri in India. © Nanna Heitmann/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

Women and girls’ bodily autonomy, and their individual reproductive decisions, must be held steadfast.

When we have health – and rights – for all, 8 billion represents infinite possibilities.

[Pictured above] At Wekala Market in Cairo, the merchandise sends a message. © Myriam Boulos/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

A widely held belief that teenagers should not be having sex means that, despite progress, adolescent girls continue to be left behind when it comes to sexual and reproductive health services. A lack of access to information and contraception results in high rates of early and unintended pregnancy. 

Happiness and Kehinde attend the Young Mums’ Clinic in Lagos, Nigeria, which is working to buck that trend. Nigeria has a young population and is one of the world’s fastest growing countries.

[Pictured above] “The Young Mum’s Clinic was really a safe space for me throughout my pregnancy period,” says Kehinde, 19, at home with her two-year-old daughter, Mayowa, in Nigeria. © Lindokuhle Sobekwa/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

Supported by UNFPA, government-run clinics provide free antenatal and postnatal care, baby care supplies, counselling on family planning and psychosocial support. 

As most pregnant teens do not return to the classroom, the clinics also provide education and training opportunities. Happiness, who was 16 when she became pregnant, has set up her own hairstyling business, and is a youth coach and mentor for sexual and reproductive health. “My daughter is my priority,” she says. “I am happy when she is happy.” 

[Pictured above] “I love [my work] so much, not just because it’s my source of income and my profession, but also because I love making my customers happy,” says Happiness of her hairstyling business in Nigeria. “I hope to be successful and make my family proud.” © Lindokuhle Sobekwa/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

In Madhya Pradesh, India, 16-year-old Divya has a clear vision of her future. It includes a career in science and a financially independent life. Despite the traditional gender norms that prevail in her rural, conservative village of Tikuri, she has no plans to marry while she’s young. 

Like Happiness in Nigeria, Divya holds a leadership role in a UNFPA-supported youth health project. She says she was inspired by her mother, who has counselled more than 10,000 families in the region on women’s health and family planning. 

“I am passionate about health, and have an in-depth understanding of family planning and sexual and reproductive health,” says Divya. “These are not topics that one should be coy about addressing or discussing. It is an important aspect of a person’s health.”

[Pictured above] Divya holds a sexual and reproductive health session with young women and girls in her village in India. © Nanna Heitmann/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

Divya’s decision to focus on her career is being reflected across India, with more young women making the choice to delay marriage and childbearing, yielding an increase in women in the country’s workforce.

“This is the power of rights and choices,” says Divya.

[Pictured above] Holding a child at her sister’s birthday party, Divya is in no hurry to marry young and start a family. © Nanna Heitmann/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

In Cairo, Egypt, young creatives are producing online content to reach women across the Arab-speaking world, focusing on all things related to sexual and reproductive health, from contraceptives to how to find pleasure after female-genital mutilation. Nour set up Motherbeing after experiencing postpartum depression. 

Across the world, an estimated 257 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe and modern methods of contraception.

[Pictured above] The Motherbeing team points to an anatomical model of a female pelvis. © Myriam Boulos/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

Indigenous women are among the millions of women around the world who face a disadvantage when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health devices.

In Brazil, UNFPA supports a programme that provides holistic services for indigenous women, including those from Brazil and those who have travelled to the country seeking safety and security, largely from Venezuela. As part of the programme, UNFPA has delivered training on contraception for health workers in Pacaraima, a village in Northeastern Brazil with a majority population of indigenous people. 

Leticia, 29, is an indigenous Brazilian Macuxi woman in Pacaraima. “Raising children is a difficult job. Contraceptives have enabled me to decide and control the number of children I have,” she says. “This also means that I can better care for them, while pursuing other dreams as well.” A mother of two, Leticia is a mathematics teacher. 

[Pictured above] Leticia plays with her children in Pacaraima, Brazil. © Newsha Tavakolian/Magnum Photos For UNFPA 

Leticia received advice from Dr. Pamela Dias da Costa, 29. “I have found that most indigenous women were initially afraid of contraceptives in general,” says Dr. Dias da Costa. “This is because they were under the impression that the use of contraceptive methods was a ruse to control the indigenous population. But now they have realized that IUDs can be easily removed and do not interfere with their ability to conceive and carry.” 

[Pictured above] Dr. Pamela Dias da Costa at the Boca da Mata health centre in Brazil. © Newsha Tavakolian/Magnum Photos For UNFPA 

“I made the choice to get an IUD,” says Leticia. “I am quite happy with the result, I have no negative side effects, and it feels like it was the safest contraceptive method for me.”

[Pictured above] Leticia relaxes, watching TV at home with her family. © Newsha Tavakolian/Magnum Photos For UNFPA 

In Zanzibar, Tanzania, the role of a specialized midwife includes providing advice on contraceptives, in addition to prenatal and postnatal care.

Midwives like Sanura and Rukia have seen a recent uptake of the contraceptive implant as a popular form of contraception, which enables women to space out births more, reducing the health risks that come with back-to-back pregnancies.

UNFPA has invested in specialist midwifery and obstetric training in Tanzania. Globally, every two minutes a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth, yet the world is short of 900,000 midwives.

Midwives are essential in making childbirth safer, and their position must be recognised as a specialist, not a generalist, position.

“I am so proud when I see a mother deliver in comfort, feel healthy and feed her baby well,” says Rukia. “I love my job.” 

[Pictured above] Batuli (foreground, right) and her relatives celebrate the arrival of her third healthy child in Tanzania. Batuli is one of 10 siblings, which is not unusual in Tanzania, where an average of 5 children are born per woman. © Sabiha Çimen/Magnum Photos for UNFPA

Currently health care systems are failing women and girls. 

We have to keep striving – and striding – towards guaranteeing rights and choices for all women and girls. Only when we have this can we achieve a world where every young person can fulfill their potential, every pregnancy is wanted and every birth is safe.

[Pictured above] A specialized midwife in Zanzibar​, Rukia (right) poses with a colleague at Magogoni Primary Health Care Unit​​. "In Zanzibar, 40 to 60 women give birth​ ​per day​, 1,000 women per month​, ​12,000 women approximately per year,” she says. ​© Sabiha Çimen/Magnum Photos for UNFPA