"Around 17.5% of the adult population – roughly 1 in 6 worldwide – experience infertility, showing the urgent need to increase access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need," the WHO said in a statement accompanying the report.
The estimates showed that the infertility rate in high-income countries was 17.8%, and 16.5% in low- and middle-income countries.
"Infertility is a disease of the male or female reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility impacts millions of people worldwide, often with devastating consequences," the report read.
Addressing infertility is an "important component of sexual and reproductive health and rights," the WHO stressed, urging governments to pursue proactive policy on the issue and increase public funding to provide access to necessary treatment to people from different backgrounds.