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Learn moreCreating a future for women and girls with the freedom and ability to lead healthy lives.
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Empowering accessible rights-based, family planning.
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who are we counting?
Read the ReportThe language throughout the Fp2030 Measurement Report refers to women or women and girls, which should be understood to include women and girls of reproductive age (15–49). But not all individuals who become pregnant are women and girls; transgender men and nonbinary people can and do become pregnant.
That said, the data used in this report overwhelmingly come from surveys and studies that identify participants as women or girls, and to extend the conclusions from those data to include gender-diverse people could result in inaccuracies or even the erasure of concerns specific to sexual minorities (UNFPA, State of World Population 2022).
In conclusion, we calculate contraceptive use and measure contraceptive prevalence based on women and girls using these defined methods, while acknowledging that some users may identify as transgender men or nonbinary people.
With this year’s FP2030 Measurement Report
We can now assess trends in contraceptive use over a full decade of data (Figure 1). One fact emerges clearly: Women are demanding and using modern contraception in ever greater numbers, in every region, despite every obstacle. Even in the face of COVID-19, which caused enormous disruptions to health systems, the demand for modern contraception has continued to grow.
In fact, disruptions are nothing new. While the scale of the pandemic is unprecedented, in the past 10 years health systems have been buffeted by natural disasters, violent conflicts, epidemics of Ebola and Zika viruses, political shifts, and changing economic conditions.
But despite these challenges, the number of women seeking modern methods of contraception has continued to climb. In 14 countries, the number of contraceptive users has more than doubled in the last decade.
Figure 1
Current
South Asia
East Asia & Pacific
Sub-Saharan Africa
Middle East & North Africa
Europe & Central Asia
Latin America & Caribbean
Total Modern Contraceptive Users 2012-2022 (All Women) in Low- and Lower-Middle Income Countries
In low- and lower-middle-income countries, contraceptive prevalence among all women has increased from 31% to over 35% in the past decade (Table 1).
This means that 1 in 3 women of reproductive age is now choosing to use modern contraception. All regions have experienced an increase, with the sharpest growth in sub-Saharan Africa (Figure 2).
TABLE 1
Percentage Point Increase in Modern Contraceptive Prevalence, 2012-2022
Figure 2
Annual MCP Growth by Region
Family Planning Dynamics: Challenges and Shifts
Growing demand for family planning underscores the need for quality services, consistent supplies, and supportive policies. Failure to meet this demand poses a missed opportunity for millions of women and our collective future
To leverage this opportunity, family planning programs must adapt to changing needs. Recent years have seen a shift towards implants in countries with accessible long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), now the most used method in 10 countries and the second most common in 14 countries—a stark contrast to a decade ago. This highlights the dynamic evolution of contraceptive preferences
Our understanding of method mix, however, needs to acknowledge that there are still many women who want to avoid pregnancy but are not using a modern method of contraception.
Fifty million women across low- and lower-middle-income countries report using a traditional method of contraception to avoid pregnancy.
Sixteen countries account for 80% of these users, most of whom are in the Asia-Pacific region.
This raises many questions about whether traditional methods are a genuine preference or if family planning programs are failing to provide sufficient information or an adequate array of contraceptive method options.
Improved understanding of how to expand and adapt family planning services depends on increased visibility into the methods people are using, where they are getting information, and where they are going for services.
In response to country feedback on the FP2030 Measurement Framework, new indicators and updated ways of reporting on indicators will now provide important new information. For the first time, this year’s report includes data on the source of method (public versus private) by method.
Data from Rwanda’s most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in 2019–2020, for example, indicate that 99% of women who use implants—now the most common method in the country—receive them from the public sector. In contrast, only 50% of women who use injections, until recently the most popular method, receive them from the public sector.
Data points such as these shed important light on the role of the public and private sectors in method provision. In some countries, such as Indonesia, the private sector is an important source for a wide range of contraceptive methods; in others, private sector provision is significant only for certain methods. The updated reporting of this new FP2030 indicator will allow for additional analysis and insights in the coming years.
This year’s report includes an update to the Family Planning Information Indicator. Based on feedback from countries, including Track20 Country Monitoring and Evaluation Officers, the indicator now contains additional detail.
The reporting provides information on the percentage of women (aged 15–49) who received information on family planning from the health care system and also now looks more deeply at what percentage of women went to a health facility or were visited by a fieldworker. This will help illuminate where there are missed opportunities for reaching women with more family planning information.
With the DHS program returning to normal as the pandemic wanes, the large number of surveys that were delayed in 2020 and 2021 are now scheduled to be completed. A large influx of data for assessing family planning progress will be available over the next few years in a variety of new ways. With our new regional offices in place and closer collaborative engagement with countries, the partnership will be able use those data more effectively than ever to accelerate progress.
For more information, analysis and reports:
For more information, analysis and reports:
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