Family Planning Coverage

When evaluating the overall levels of coverage for family planning programs and services, it is helpful to look at the percentage of demand for family planning that is met by modern methods. Women and their partners are better equipped to exercise their right to make an informed, responsible decision about the number and spacing of their children when they have access to and use an effective method of contraception. By avoiding unplanned births and pregnancies that are spaced too closely together, which are more likely to have negative obstetric outcomes, current family planning methods help to improve mother and child health. 75% or more of the need for family planning satisfied by modern techniques is typically regarded as high, and values of 50 per cent or less are generally considered as very low.

Definition of the indicator

The proportion of women in reproductive age (15–49) who are currently using a modern form of contraception and who want to delay or avoid having (additional) children. The indicator is also known as the demand for family planning met by modern methods.

The term “proportion of demand satisfied by modern methods” refers to the proportion of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who have their family planning needs addressed by modern methods. The indicator’s constituents are the prevalence of contraception (using both traditional and contemporary methods) and the unmet demand for family planning. Contraceptive prevalence measures the proportion of women who are now using or whose partners are currently using at least one method of contraception.

Contraceptive methods are frequently categorized as modern or traditional for analytical purposes. The intrauterine device (IUD), the implant, injectables, oral contraceptive pills, male and female condoms, vaginal barrier methods (such as the diaphragm, cervical cap, and spermicidal foam, jelly, cream, and sponge), lactational amenorrhea method (LAM), emergency contraception, and other contemporary methods not reported separately. Rhythm (such as fertility awareness-based methods, periodic abstinence, and other conventional methods not mentioned individually and withdrawal are examples of traditional methods of contraception.