Finishing the family planning revolution
This post originally appeared on Marie Stopes International’s website here. Reposted with permission.
Developed regions have seen contraceptive use plateau within the range of 60% to 80%.
If current trends continue, south Asia will not see contraceptive prevalence hit 60% for approximately 20 years, while this will not happen in eastern Africa for 45 years or in middle and west Africa for a startling 500 years.
Yet, there’s a huge opportunity to change this course. Some countries and regions have seen annual increases in contraceptive use of around two percentage points over the last decade.
If we can replicate this growth in those regions with the greatest need, we could see contraceptive prevalence rise to 60% in south Asia within 10 years, while the same could occur in eastern Africa within 20 years and in middle and western Africa within just 25 years.
