Male infertility is 'grossly underreported'

Sperm counts have fallen globally by more than 51% since 1973, and the decline is accelerating. That's according to a 2026 review of studies published in the journal Antioxidants . But men are less likely to get tested than women for infertility.

"Male infertility is understated. It is so huge a problem," said Edidiong Akang, a reproductive biologist at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

In a study led by Akang and published in the journal Scientific Reports in 2023, he and his colleagues analyzed semen samples from more than 17,000 men and found that the quality of sperm shape and size (known as sperm morphology) had deteriorated by about 50% between 2010 and 2019.

Sperm motility (how well it swims to the female egg) had also dropped significantly — in Nigeria, for example, by 87% in that same period.

And yet, as Akang told DW, the male share of infertility is "grossly underreported" and, as a result, misunderstood.

Male fertility depends on a healthy sperm shape, size, motility, and its concentration and count. The latter is often used as an indication of male fertility because many millions try to reach the egg but only one or few make it. They need to be strong swimmers.

Why do some healthy embryos fail to implant in the uterus?

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