Table of Contents
Chapters
- Fertility Continues to Decline
- Contraceptive Use
- Contraceptive Use Grows in Developing Countries
- Current Contraceptive Use
- Differences in Contraceptive Use Among Groups
- Intentions to Use Contraception
- Contraceptive Method Mix
- Awareness and Availability of Contraception
- Other Direct Influences on Fertility
- Fertility Preferences
- Young Women
- Child Survival and Health
- Maternal Health
Highlights
- Is fertility decline slowing?
- The impact of contraception
- Intentions to use family planning
- Injectables becoming popular
- Desired family size falling
- Premarital sex: New findings
- How AIDS affects child survival
- Maternal care falls short
Published by the INFO Project, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA
Volume XXXI, Number 2,
Spring 2003
Series M, Number 17
Special Topics
Current Contraceptive Use
Worldwide, more than 620 million married women of reproductive age—57% of all such women—were using contraception in 2000, Population Reports estimates4. The percentage of women using contraception is higher in the developed world, at 68%, than in the developing world, at 55% (see Table 1). The absolute number of contraceptive users is much larger in the developing world, however, at almost 500 million women compared with 120 million in the developed world.
On average worldwide, nearly 9 in every 10 contraceptive users rely on modern methods, while only about 1 in every 10 rely on the traditional methods of withdrawal and periodic abstinence. Contrary to what might be expected, in developed countries a much higher percentage of women (12%) use traditional methods than in developing countries (5%) (see Table 1).
In the developing world as a whole, about half of married women of reproductive age use modern contraceptive methods. This figure falls to 35% if India and, especially, China are omitted, both because of their large populations and their above-average reliance on long-term contraceptive methods. In developing countries other than India and China, an estimated 7% of women use traditional contraceptive methods. (For more on contraceptive method mix, see chapter 3.)
Based on statistics about contraceptive prevalence, developing countries as a group are about halfway through the demographic transition from higher to lower fertility. Levels of contraceptive use of 75% to 84%, as found in North America and Northern Europe, reflect the completion of the transition. The highest contraceptive prevalence rate found in any country with a population over 3 million is 87%, in Hong Kong and 86%, in the United Kingdom (see Table 1).
While the discussion above mostly includes all developing and developed countries, the following discussion of contraceptive use is based only on data for the 71 countries with DHS and RHS surveys since 1990.
Regional patterns among married women. Among 30 countries surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa since 1990, contraceptive prevalence varies substantially. In five countries—Cape Verde, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, and Zimbabwe—over one-third of married women use contraception. In seven other countries—Chad, Eritrea, Guinea, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, and Nigeria—contraceptive prevalence is 6% or lower (see Table 3).
Among six surveyed countries in the Near East and North Africa, at least half of married women in Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey use contraception. In contrast, prevalence is lowest in Mauritania (8%) and Yemen (13%). Among the eight surveyed countries in Asia, prevalence is highest in Vietnam (75%) and lowest in Pakistan’s 1990–91 survey (12%). (Recent estimates are that contraceptive prevalence has risen to almost 30% in Pakistan (85).)
Among 16 surveyed countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, contraceptive prevalence is 75% or higher in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico. In contrast, in Haiti prevalence is 28%. Among 11 countries surveyed in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, contraceptive preva-lence is more than 50% in all but Georgia (41%).
 Lamia Jaroudi for JHU/CCP |
In Egypt a provider counsels a family planning client. Among six surveyed countries in the Near East and North Africa, including Egypt, contraceptive prevalence averages 45%. It is highest in Latin America, at 68%, and lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, at 15%. |
Regional patterns among unmarried sexually active women. In 35 of 45 developing countries with applicable survey data, contraceptive use among unmarried sexually active women ages 15 to 49 is higher than among married women by five percentage points or more. Like married women, most unmarried women who use contraception rely on modern methods (see Table C).
In sub-Saharan Africa contraceptive use among unmarried sexually active women of reproductive age is at least twice as high as among married women, on average. More than half of the difference is due to higher levels of condom use among unmarried women. Contraceptive use among unmarried women reaches 50% or more in 8 of 28 surveyed sub-Saharan countries. (For discussion of contraceptive use among young unmarried women, see chapter 7.3, Young Adult Contraceptive Use
Similarly, in all but 3 of 17 countries surveyed in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in all 4 countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia for which data are available, levels of contraceptive use among sexually active unmarried women are equal to or higher than among married women. The differences are less than in sub-Saharan Africa, however, because contraceptive use among married women elsewhere is much more widespread than in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable data are not available for Asia or the Near East and North Africa.
