DHS COMPARATIVE

REPORTS 34

UNMET NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING 

AMONG YOUNG WOMEN: LEVELS AND 

TRENDS

FEBRUARY 2014

This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The report was prepared by

Kerry L.D. MacQuarrie of ICF International.

DHS Comparative Reports No. 34 

Unmet Need for Family Planning among 

Young Women: Levels and Trends 

Kerry L.D. MacQuarrie 

ICF International 

Rockville, Maryland, USA 

February 2014 

Corresponding author: Kerry L.D. MacQuarrie, Demographic and Health Surveys, ICF International, 530 

Gaither Road, Suite 500, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; Phone: 301-572-0282; Email: 

kerry.macquarrie@icfi.com 
Acknowledgments 

The author would like to thank Anjala Kanesathasan for her helpful comments. Early stages of 

the tabulations for this report benefitted greatly from the contributions of Shanxiao Wang and Jessica Yi. 

The author appreciates the contributions of Joshua Colton who produced maps for this report. 

Editor: Sidney Moore 

Document Production: Yuan Cheng 

This study was carried out with support provided by the United States Agency for International 

Development (USAID) through the MEASURE DHS project (#GPO-C-00-08-00008-00). The views 

expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States 

Government. 

Recommended citation: 

MacQuarrie, Kerry L.D. 2014. Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young Women: Levels and 

Trends. DHS Comparative Reports No. 34. Rockville, Maryland, USA: ICF International. 
iii 

Contents 

Tables .............................................................................................................................................. v 

Maps ............................................................................................................................................. viii 

Figures............................................................................................................................................ ix 

Preface ............................................................................................................................................ xi 

Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... xiii 

1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 1 

1.1 Study Objectives .............................................................................................................. 2 

2 Data and Methods ..................................................................................................................... 5 

3 Current Levels of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young Married Women ............ 7 

3.1 Geographic Distribution of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young 

Married Women ............................................................................................................... 7

3.2 Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young Married Women ........... 9 

3.3 Unmet Need for Spacing and for Limiting among Young Married Women ................. 16 

4 Trends in Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young Married Women ....................... 19 

4.1 Trends in Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young Married 

Women ........................................................................................................................... 19 

4.2 Trends in Unmet Need for Spacing and for Limiting among Young Married 

Women ........................................................................................................................... 24 

5 Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young Unmarried Women ................................... 31 

5.1 Geographic Distribution of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young 

Unmarried Women ......................................................................................................... 31 

5.2 Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young Unmarried 

Women ........................................................................................................................... 33 

5.3 Trends in Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young 

Unmarried Women ......................................................................................................... 37 

5.4 Comparison of Unmet Need among Young Unmarried and Young Married 

Women ........................................................................................................................... 40 

6 Estimates of Young Women with Unmet Need ...................................................................... 43 

7 Age and Unmet Need .............................................................................................................. 51 

7.1 Age and Unmet Need among Young Married Women ................................................. 51 

7.2 Comparison of Unmet Need between Younger and Older Married Women ................. 55 
iv 

8 Factors Associated with Unmet Need ..................................................................................... 61 

8.1 Unmet Need and Place of Residence among Young Married and Unmarried 

Women ........................................................................................................................... 61 

8.2 Unmet Need and Household Wealth among Young Married Women .......................... 66 

8.3 Unmet Need and Education among Young Married Women ........................................ 71 

8.4 Unmet Need and Parity among Young Married Women ............................................... 77 

9 Components of Unmet Need ................................................................................................... 81 

9.1 Exposure to the Risk of Pregnancy through Marriage ................................................... 81 

9.2 Exposure to the Risk of Pregnancy through Sexual Activity outside of Marriage ........ 89 

9.3 Fertility Preferences: Ideal Number of Children ........................................................... 95 

9.4 Fertility Preferences: Desired Timing of Next Birth ................................................... 108 

9.5 Use of Contraception ................................................................................................... 123 

10 Limitations ............................................................................................................................ 139 

11 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 141 

References ................................................................................................................................... 145 

Appendix ..................................................................................................................................... 147 
v 

Tables 

Table 1. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family planning 

among currently married women age 15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-

2012 ................................................................................................................................ 9 

Table 2. Unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently married women age 

15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ............................................................... 17 

Table 3. Trends in unmet need for family planning, current use of contraception, and 

demand for family planning among currently married women age 15-24 ................... 19 

Table 4. Trends in unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently married 

women age 15-24 ......................................................................................................... 24 

Table 5. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family planning 

among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, most recent DHS 

surveys, 2000-2012 ...................................................................................................... 33 

Table 6. Trends in unmet need for family planning, current use of contraception, and 

demand for family planning among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24 .................................................................................................................................. 37 

Table 7. Estimated number of women age 15-24 with unmet need for family planning ........... 44 

Table 8. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, 

by two-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 .................................... 52 

Table 9. Comparison of unmet need for family planning among currently married 

women age 15-24 and age 25-49, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 .................... 56 

Table 10. Unmet need for family planning among women age 15-24, by urban-rural 

residence, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ......................................................... 62 

Table 11. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, 

by wealth quintile, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ........................................... 67 

Table 12. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, 

by educational attainment, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ............................... 72 

Table 13. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, 

by parity, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 .......................................................... 77 

Table 14. Proportion of young women married by age 15 and by age 18, most recent 

DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ............................................................................................. 82 

Table 15. Trends in the proportion of young women married by age 15 and by age 18 .............. 84 

Table 16. Percentage sexually active among unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year 

age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ........................................................ 90 
vi 

Table 17. Trends in the percentage sexually active among unmarried women age 15-24, 

by five-year age group .................................................................................................. 92 

Table 18. Ideal number of children among married women age 15-24, most recent DHS 

surveys, 2000-2012 ...................................................................................................... 96 

Table 19. Trends in the ideal number of children among married women age 15-24 .................. 98 

Table 20. Ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24, most recent 

DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ........................................................................................... 102 

Table 21. Trends in the ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24 ............ 104 

Table 22. Desire for a(nother) child among married women age 15-24, most recent DHS 

surveys, 2000-2012 .................................................................................................... 109 

Table 23. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among married women age 15-24 ..................... 111 

Table 24. Desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, 

most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ........................................................................ 115 

Table 25. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried women 

age 15-24 .................................................................................................................... 117 

Table 26. Current use of contraception among married women age 15-24, by method 

type, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ............................................................... 123 

Table 27. Trends in current use of contraception among married women age 15-24, by 

method type ................................................................................................................ 126 

Table 28. Current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24, by method type, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ....................................... 130 

Table 29. Trends in current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24, by method type ............................................................................ 132 

Appendix Table A1. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family 

planning among currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age group, 

most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ........................................................................ 147 

Appendix Table A2. Unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently married 

women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-

2012 ............................................................................................................................ 150 

Appendix Table A3. Trends in unmet need for family planning, current use of 

contraception, and demand for family planning among currently married 

women age 15-24, by five-year age group ................................................................. 153 

Appendix Table A4. Trends in unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently 

married women age 15-24, by five-year age group .................................................... 158 
vii 

Appendix Table A5. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family 

planning among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age 

group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ............................................................. 163 

Appendix Table A6.Trends in unmet need for family planning among sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group ................................................ 165 

Appendix Table A7. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women 

age 15-49, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ................ 168 

Appendix Table A8. Ideal number of children among currently married women age 15-

24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ............................ 171 

Appendix Table A9. Trends in the ideal number of children among currently married 

women age 15-24, by five-year age group ................................................................. 174 

Appendix Table A10. Ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24, by 

five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ....................................... 179 

Appendix Table A11. Trends in the ideal number of children among unmarried women 

age 15-24, by five-year age group .............................................................................. 181 

Appendix Table A12. Desire for a(nother) child among currently married women age 15-

24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ............................ 184 

Appendix Table A13. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among currently married 

women age 15-24, by five-year age group ................................................................. 187 

Appendix Table A14. Desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-

2012 ............................................................................................................................ 192 

Appendix Table A15. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group ................................................ 194 

Appendix Table A16. Current use of contraception among currently married women age 

15-24, by method type, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 

2000-2012 ................................................................................................................... 197 

Appendix Table A17. Trends in current use of contraception among currently married 

women age 15-24, by method type, by five-year age group ...................................... 200 

Appendix Table A18. Current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24, by method type, by five-year age group, most recent DHS 

surveys, 2000-2012 .................................................................................................... 205 

Appendix Table A19. Trends in current use of contraception among sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24, by method type, by five-year age group ..................... 207 
viii 

Maps 

Map 1. Unmet need for family planning among married women age 15-24 ............................. 8 

Map 2. Unmet need for family planning among unmarried, sexually active women age 

15-24 ............................................................................................................................. 32 
ix 

Figures 

Figure 1. Regional comparison of unmet need for family planning, current use of 

contraception, and percentage of demand satisfied between currently married 

women age 15-19 and currently married women age 20-24, most recent DHS 

surveys, 2000-2012 ...................................................................................................... 12 

Figure 2. Comparison of total unmet need for family planning between currently married 

women age 15-19 and age 20-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 .................... 13 

Figure 3. Regional comparison of unmet need for family planning, current use of 

contraception, and percentage of demand satisfied between sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-19 and currently married women age 20-24, most 

recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ................................................................................... 35 

Figure 4. Comparison of total unmet need for family planning between currently married 

women age 15-24 and unmarried, sexually active women age 15-24, most 

recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 ................................................................................... 41 

xi 

Preface 

One of the most significant contributions of The DHS Program is the creation of an 

internationally comparable body of data on the demographic and health characteristics of populations in 

developing countries. 

The DHS Comparative Reports series examines these data across countries in a comparative 

framework. The DHS Analytical Studies series focuses on specific topics. The principal objectives of both 

series are to provide information for policy formulation at the international level and to examine 

individual country results in an international context. Comparative Reports are primarily descriptive, 

while Analytical Studies take a more analytical approach. 

The Comparative Reports series covers a variable number of countries, depending on the 

availability of data sets. Where possible, data from previous DHS surveys are used to evaluate trends over 

time. Each report provides detailed tables and graphs organized by region. Survey-related issues such as 

questionnaire comparability, survey procedures, data quality, and methodological approaches are 

addressed as needed. 

It is anticipated that the availability of comparable information for a large number of developing 

countries will enhance the understanding of analysts and policymakers regarding important issues in the 

fields of international population and health. 

Sunita Kishor 

Director, The DHS Program 

xiii 

Executive Summary 

International efforts, such as the FP2020 initiative, have focused renewed attention on family 

planning and necessitated standardized indicators of unmet need for family planning by which to measure 

progress. This study is the first publication specifically focusing on young women and applying the 

revised DHS algorithm for unmet need for family planning. This algorithm is fully comparable across 

countries and over time. 

This study examines current levels and trends in unmet need among women between 15 and 24 

years of age, both married and unmarried. It compares unmet need among different age groups. It 

explores factors associated with unmet need: place of residence, wealth, educational attainment, and 

parity. Finally, it describes levels and trends in the components of unmet need: age at marriage, fertility 

preferences, and use of contraception. The following are among the study’s key findings. 

Unmet Need among Young Married Women 

• Unmet need for family planning among young married women is highest in the West and 

Central Africa region (averaging 29.3%), followed by the East and Southern Africa region 

(25.5%); the region with the lowest level of unmet need is the Middle East and North Africa 

(10.8%). Among individual countries, unmet need is highest in Ghana (45.7%) and Haiti 

(44.8%) and lowest in Egypt (8.8%) and Indonesia (8.0%). 

• Only slightly more than half (57.7%) of the total demand for family planning (unmet need 

plus current use of contraception) is satisfied in this population, on average. 

• Total demand among young married women is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean 

(79.9%) and lowest in West and Central Africa (44.9%). 

• Unmet need has declined among young married women in the majority of countries (51 of 61 

countries). West and Central Africa is an exception; unmet need has increased in six countries 

in this region. 

• Both total demand for family planning and the proportion of demand satisfied have generally 

increased over time among young married women. 

Unmet Need among Young Unmarried Women 

• Unmet need for family planning is higher, on average, among young unmarried women than 

among young married women. 

• Unmet need among young unmarried women is highest, around 40 percent, in the two 

African regions (41.7% in West and Central Africa; 39.8% in East and Southern Africa) 

Africa. Among individual countries, it is highest in Senegal (69.5%) and lowest in Ukraine 

(7.3%). 

• Total demand for family planning among unmarried women age 15 to 24 is consistently 

high—about 90 percent in all the regions. By and large, young sexually active unmarried 

women typically do not want to become pregnant at the present time. 
xiv 

• What varies is the proportion of total demand that is satisfied. The proportion of demand 

satisfied ranges from 52.8% in West and Central Africa to 83.9% in Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia. 

• Unmet need has decreased among young unmarried women in about half the countries in the 

study and increased or fluctuated over time in the remaining half. Increases in unmet need 

have occurred in the majority of countries in West and Central Africa. Demand for family 

planning has remained steady—and high—over time. 

Number of Young Women with Unmet Need 

• An estimated 33 million women age 15-24 have an unmet need for family planning in the 61 

countries included in the study. Nearly two-thirds—21 million—live in the 10 South and 

Southeast Asian countries. The remaining one-third of young women with unmet need (12 

million) are distributed throughout the 51 other countries. 

• There are more young married women than young unmarried women with unmet need for 

family planning in countries where this comparison can be made. This is despite the larger 

percentage of sexually active unmarried women with unmet need. 

Age and Unmet Need 

• Among young married women, unmet need is highest among the youngest women (age 15-

16) and declines with increasing age in most regions in the study. 

• Young married women age 15-24 experience greater unmet need than do married women age 

25-49 in all regions except the Middle East and North Africa (10.8% and 12.6%, 

respectively). The biggest difference in unmet need between younger and older women of 

reproductive age occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean (24.5% and 15.6%, 

respectively). 

Factors Associated with Unmet Need 

• Unmet need is usually higher in rural areas for both married and unmarried young women. 

The exception is West and Central Africa, where unmet need among married women age 15-

24 is significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas in seven countries. 

• Unmet need generally decreases as household wealth increases. In West and Central Africa, 

however, unmet need is also high for young married women in the richest wealth quintile. 

• Unmet need declines with educational attainment in the Middle East and North Africa, 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the 

Caribbean. However, in Africa, unmet need increases with educational attainment in 

numerous countries. 

• Unmet need increases markedly with parity. Differences are largest between young married 

women with no children and those with one child. 
xv 

Components of Unmet Need 

• The proportion of women who are married by age 15 and by age 18 is highest in West and 

Central Africa (39.2% and 73.0%, respectively) and lowest in the Middle East and North 

Africa (13.4% and 48.8%, respectively) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (6.1% and 

39.4%, respectively). There is a general trend toward delaying marriage. 

• The proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who report they are sexually active is highest 

in West and Central Africa (18.8%) and lowest in East and Southern Africa (9.7%). Over 

time, the proportion who report they are sexually active declines in nearly as many countries 

as it increases (14 and 15 countries, respectively). It increases in all seven countries in Latin 

American and the Caribbean. 

• Ideal number of children among young married women is highest in West and Central Africa 

(mean 5.5 children) and lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean (mean 2.4 children). Ideal 

number of children has increased in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (and selected West and 

Central African countries) while decreasing elsewhere, most notably in South and Southeast 

Asia. 

• Ideal number of children is lower among young unmarried women than married women the 

same age in Africa and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Ideal number of children has 

declined over time among young unmarried women. 

• Most married women age 15-24 want to postpone a birth for two or more years. This 

preference has existed for some time and has become increasingly normative over time. 

• A larger proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 want to postpone a birth for two or more 

years than do married women the same age, in almost every country. As with young married 

women, the preference to wait two or more years has become stronger over time among 

young unmarried women. 

• Most married young women do not use any contraceptive method. Use of modern methods of 

contraception exceeds that of traditional methods. However, use of traditional methods is 

relatively high in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

• A higher proportion of young unmarried women use contraception compared with their 

married counterparts. Nonetheless, the majority of women age 15-24 in all regions except 

Latin America and the Caribbean (44.6%) do not use any method of contraception: West and 

Central Africa (84.4%), East and Southern Africa (67.4%), Middle East and North Africa 

(55.5%), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (54.0%), and South and Southeast Asia (64.9%). 

• Use of modern methods has increased over time among both married and unmarried young 

women. 

Overall, unmet need for family planning has declined over time among young women age 15-24 

in many countries—especially among young married women. However, levels of unmet need remain 

substantial in West and Central Africa. In general, sexually active unmarried women age 15-24 want to 

avoid a pregnancy to a greater degree than do married women. Unmet need is generally higher among 

unmarried women than married women, and higher among younger women (age 15-19) than older 

women (age 20-24).

1 

1 Background 

Unmet need for family planning has been an ongoing topic of fertility research since the 1960s 

when knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveys revealed a “KAP gap” in many countries. That is, 

given the stated fertility intentions of many women, nonuse of contraception is discrepant behavior. More 

than four decades after the concept’s emergence, unmet need has become a mainstay of demographic 

approaches to understanding fertility. It remains a critical measure for assessing women’s ability to 

achieve their reproductive intentions, estimating demand for family planning services, and monitoring the 

degree to which those services meet client needs. 

In recent years, unmet need has received renewed attention as an advocacy and monitoring tool 

for family planning programs, becoming a key indicator (Indicator 5.6) for the Millennium Development 

Goals (MDG) (Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators (IAEG) 2008). It is an important 

measure for assessing progress toward the Family Planning 2020 goal to extend family planning services 

to an additional 120 million women and girls by 2020 (Carr et al. 2012; Horton and Peterson 2012). As 

such, new scrutiny has been focused on the way in which unmet need is measured, with the objective of 

assuring that it is calculated consistently over time and across settings. 

The concept of unmet need for family planning is notable for bringing together in one measure 

both contraceptive behavior and fertility preferences, a feature that distinguishes it from other fertilityrelated measures such as the contraceptive prevalence rate (Casterline and Sinding 2000). At the heart of 

the concept is the prevention of unintended pregnancy among women who want to avoid pregnancy (Jain 

1999; Yinger 1998). As such, the early, basic definition of unmet need can be described as the proportion 

of married women who do not want any (more) births, but who are not using contraception (Casterline 

and Sinding 2000; Freedman, Coombs, and Chang 1972). 

Efforts to develop methods to quantify this group of women were made by both Nortman and 

Westoff, who expanded the original definition in two important ways (Nortman 1982; Westoff 1978, 

1988; Westoff and Pebley 1981). First, it was expanded to include certain women who are temporarily 

infecund, recognizing that women who are currently pregnant, breastfeeding, or amenorrheic may soon 

experience unmet need (Nortman 1982). The second extension of the definition made the distinction 

between two types of unmet need: unmet need for spacing births and unmet need for limiting fertility 

(Westoff 1988). Since this early development, decomposing total unmet need into unmet need for spacing 

and unmet need for limiting has become standard practice. 

Recent criticisms of the measurement of unmet need continue to raise concerns with who is 

included in the algorithms used to estimate unmet need. Mindful that the motivation behind the concept of 

unmet need is assessing the degree to which women can avoid unintended pregnancies, some have argued 

that the measure should include sexually active unmarried women or women using less efficacious 

methods of contraception (i.e. traditional methods), methods that are a poor fit for their reproductive goals 

or are otherwise inappropriate, or methods with which they are dissatisfied and which they may 

discontinue (Casterline and Sinding 2000; DeGraff and de Silva 1996; Dixon-Mueller and Germain 1992; 

Foreit and Mostajo 1993; Yinger 1998). 

There has been a greater response to the first criticism than to criticisms regarding contraceptive 

methods. As the age of sexual debut has declined and sexual experience and fertility becomes 

increasingly separated from the institution of marriage in many countries (Kothari et al. 2012; Lloyd 

2005), the exclusion of unmarried women from the unmet need algorithm has become increasingly 

problematic (Dixon-Mueller and Germain 1992; Yinger 1998). Currently, the field generally defines 

unmet need for family planning as the proportion of fecund, sexually active women who want to limit or 
2 

delay childbearing (beyond two years), but who are not using contraception (Becker 1999; Bongaarts and 

Bruce 1995; Casterline and Sinding 2000; Yinger 1998). 

The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has been collecting data with which to 

calculate unmet need for family planning since the first phase of survey implementation (1984-89). The 

DHS program has been collecting data on adolescents and youth for more than three decades (Kothari et 

al. 2012). An increasing number of surveys now interview both married and unmarried women alike, 

facilitating measurement of unmet need for both populations. However, the algorithm for estimating 

unmet need has evolved over time and been applied inconsistently. For example, there has been variation 

in 1) specification of the duration of postpartum amenorrhea, 2) application of a “contraceptive calendar,” 

and 3) use of data on contraceptive discontinuation (Bradley et al. 2012). Because international 

monitoring efforts (e.g., the MDGs and FP2020) require stable unmet need indicators, the DHS program 

recently undertook efforts to standardize and simplify the algorithm for unmet need. The results of this 

initiative reveal earlier estimates to have underestimated unmet need where contraceptive calendar data 

had been applied and smaller changes elsewhere (Bradley et al. 2012). Updated estimates for all women 

of reproductive age are reported in DHS Analytical Study No. 25 (Bradley et al. 2012). 

Young women, particularly unmarried women, may disproportionately experience unmet need for 

family planning due to their unique fertility preferences associated with this stage of the life course. 

Alternately, they may experience higher levels of unmet need where they lack full knowledge of their 

options, access to services is lacking (particularly those designed for young people or for spacing needs 

generally), or where programs underestimate needs of youth. This study examines the current state of 

young women’s need for family planning and the extent to which unmet need in this population equals or 

exceeds unmet need in the general population of women of reproductive age. The study uses data from 

recent DHS surveys and applies the revised, standard definition of unmet need. This definition is fully 

comparable across settings and over time. This algorithm is applied both to married women and to 

unmarried women who have been sexually active within the 30 days preceding the survey. 

1.1 Study Objectives 

The study describes current levels of unmet need for family planning and demand for family 

planning among women age 15-24 and investigates trends in unmet need among young women since 

1990. It makes comparisons based on age and examines the socio-demographic factors associated with 

unmet need, such as rural-urban residence, wealth, education, and parity. Finally, it explores current 

levels and trends in the components of unmet need, namely exposure to the risk of pregnancy through 

marriage or non-marital sexual activity, fertility preferences, and the use or non-use of contraception. 

Specifically, this report addresses the following questions: 

• In which regions/countries is unmet need and total demand for family planning higher/lower 

among young women? 

• Has unmet need among young women declined over time? Which regions have had the 

sharpest decreases? 

• How do women age 15-24 compare with women age 25-49 regarding unmet need? Are 

young women particularly disadvantaged? 

• How does unmet need and total demand for family planning compare between young married 

women and young sexually active unmarried women? 
3 

• Which socio-demographic groups experience the highest levels of unmet need? 

• What proportion of young women is married and what proportion is unmarried and sexually 

active? What are their fertility desires? What proportion of young women is using 

contraception? How many are using modern methods versus traditional methods? How have 

these patterns changed over time? 

5 

2 Data and Methods 

This study uses Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 142 surveys in 61 countries 

that conducted a DHS survey since the year 2000. Current survey data are supplemented by data from up 

to two prior surveys—supplying as many as three data points per country—to establish trends over time 

for 47 countries. 

This study calculates total demand for family planning, unmet need for spacing and limiting, and 

proportion of demand satisfied for young women. Chapters 3 and 4 present current levels and trends in 

unmet need among married women by five-year age group (15-19 and 20-24); Chapter 5 presents this 

information for unmarried women and compares unmet need by marital status. Analysis of unmet need 

among unmarried women is necessarily limited to the 91 surveys in 41 countries that interviewed all

women age 15-49; surveys that sampled only ever-married women are excluded. Chapter 6 combines 

DHS data on unmet need with population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau to estimate the number 

of women age 15-24 with unmet need. Chapter 7 offers a more detailed examination of unmet need by 

two-year age group and compares young women 15-24 with women age 25 and older. 

Chapter 8 presents the results of bivariate analyses of unmet need across the major sociodemographic variables: rural-urban residence, wealth quintile, educational attainment, and parity. Finally, 

Chapter 9 describes current levels and trends in the underlying components of unmet need for family 

planning. These components include two measures describing the population at risk of pregnancy: 1) 

proportion married or in union by exact ages 15 and 18, and 2) proportion unmarried and sexually active 

in the past 30 days; two measures describing fertility preferences: 1) desired ideal family size, and 2) 

fertility desires (wanting no more children, wanting a child after 2 years or more, wanting a child 

immediately); and current use of contraception (use of a modern method, a traditional method, or no 

method). 

Throughout the study, we apply the revised algorithm for unmet need (Bradley et al. 2012). Use 

of the term “married women” refers to women in formal marriages or living in union. The revised 

algorithm for unmet need considers all women currently using any contraceptive method to have a met 

need for family planning, without distinction of method type. Where distinctions are made between use of 

modern methods and use of traditional methods, the following are classified as modern methods, in 

keeping with previous DHS work in this area (e.g. Westoff 2012): pill, IUD, injections, female or male 

condom, foam/jelly, diaphragm, implants, lactational amenorrhea method, and female or male 

sterilization. Traditional methods mainly comprise withdrawal and periodic abstinence. 

The data are not pooled; rather analyses are conducted separately for each survey. All data are 

weighted within each survey to account for undersampling or oversampling of geographic districts and 

non-response; weighted sample sizes are reported throughout the study. Regional averages are calculated 

giving equal weight to each country, regardless of sample or population size. 

7 

3 Current Levels of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young 

Married Women 

3.1 Geographic Distribution of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young 

Married Women 

Map 1 displays the geographic distribution of the prevalence of unmet need for family planning 

among married women age 15-24. It indicates that, among young, married women, unmet need is highest

in West African countries, namely in Eritrea, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, and São Tomé and Príncipe, 

and, in other regions, in Haiti, and Nepal. Unmet need among young married women is lowest in 

Indonesia and Vietnam in South and Southeast Asia and in many of the East European and Central Asian 

and Middle Eastern and North African countries surveyed. 
Map 1. Unmet need for family planning among married women age 15-24 

8 
9 

3.2 Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young Married 

Women 

Table 1 presents the most recent DHS estimates of unmet need for family planning and current 

use of contraception among married women age 15-24. It also shows total demand for family planning, 

which is the sum of the percentage of women with unmet need plus the percentage currently using 

contraception (i.e., those with “met need”), and the proportion of demand satisfied, which is the 

percentage of women currently using contraception divided by total demand. The last column of Table 1 

shows the rank order of each country according to level of unmet need among married women age 15-24. 

On average among countries in this study1

, unmet need among married women age 15-24 is 

highest in West and Central Africa, at nearly 30 percent; this region includes five of the top ten countries 

in terms of unmet need. West and Central Africa is followed by East and Southern Africa, Latin America 

and the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia, with one or two top ten countries each; in these 

regions, unmet need is experienced by nearly one-quarter of married women age 15-24. Unmet need is 

much lower in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region and in the Middle East and North Africa 

region, where levels are generally below 20 percent. Among individual countries, unmet need among 

married women age 15-24 is highest in Ghana (45.7%) and Haiti (44.8%) and lowest in Indonesia (8.0%) 

and Egypt (8.8%). 

Table 1. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family planning among 

currently married women age 15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Rank 

order 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 28.3 13.1 41.4 31.6 2,886 20 

Burkina Faso 2010 23.3 13.3 36.6 36.3 3,728 32 

Cameroon 2011 25.1 20.3 45.4 44.7 2,803 29 

Chad 2004 20.9 10.5 31.4 33.4 1,478 38 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 26.4 43.2 69.6 62.1 1,495 25 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 31.6 17.6 49.2 35.8 1,941 12 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 30.9 15.3 46.2 33.1 1,512 14 

Gabon 2012 32.7 31.6 64.3 49.1 953 10 

Ghana 2008 45.7 20.9 66.6 31.4 499 1 

Guinea 2005 20.8 9.9 30.7 32.2 1,474 40 

Liberia 2007 41.8 6.6 48.4 13.6 991 4 

Mali 2006 30.1 8.5 38.6 22.0 3,968 17 

Mauritania 2000-02 35.0 6.3 41.3 15.3 1,155 6 

Niger 2006 14.7 9.2 23.9 38.5 2,440 53 

Nigeria 2008 19.8 7.7 27.5 28.0 5,523 41 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 43.3 34.2 77.5 44.1 395 3 

Senegal 2010-11 30.5 8.1 38.6 21.0 2,764 15 

Sierra Leone 2008 26.7 4.2 30.9 13.6 1,171 23 

Regional average 29.3 15.6 44.9 34.7 37,176 

(Continued...)

 

1

 Regional averages are unweighted averages and exclude those countries for which current DHS survey data is 

unavailable. 
10 

Table 1. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Rank 

order 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 28.0 20.4 48.4 42.1 1,307 22 

Eritrea 2002 34.8 4.5 39.3 11.5 1,530 7 

Ethiopia 2011 25.6 31.5 57.1 55.2 2,527 27 

Kenya 2008-09 30.2 33.3 63.5 52.4 1,170 16 

Lesotho 2009 28.3 39.9 68.2 58.5 1,151 20 

Madagascar 2008-09 21.2 32.1 53.3 60.2 3,390 37 

Malawi 2010 26.2 38.5 64.7 59.5 4,639 26 

Mozambique 2011 23.1 9.5 32.6 29.1 2,940 33 

Namibia 2006-07 23.4 51.3 74.7 68.7 516 31 

Rwanda 2010 16.0 43.6 59.6 73.2 1,087 49 

Swaziland 2006-07 28.4 45.9 74.3 61.8 431 19 

Tanzania 2010 22.7 26.0 48.7 53.4 1,610 35 

Uganda 2011 34.3 20.4 54.7 37.3 1,505 8 

Zambia 2007 24.3 38.5 62.8 61.3 1,169 30 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 15.5 53.7 69.2 77.6 1,662 52 

Regional average 25.5 32.6 58.1 56.1 26,634 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 8.8 40.5 49.3 82.2 3,133 60 

Jordan 2009 13.5 39.7 53.2 74.6 1,320 55 

Morocco 2003-04 10.1 53.2 63.3 84.0 1,441 59 

Regional average 10.8 44.5 55.3 80.5 5,894 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Albania 2008-09 17.5 53.3 70.8 75.3 467 45 

Armenia 2010 18.1 37.1 55.2 67.2 518 43 

Azerbaijan 2006 15.9 32.3 48.2 67.0 848 50 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 20.9 19.3 40.2 48.0 1,053 38 

Moldova 2005 13.0 62.3 75.3 82.7 765 56 

Turkey 2003 16.2 58.5 74.7 78.3 664 48 

Ukraine 2007 12.0 61.4 73.4 83.7 517 57 

Regional average 16.2 46.3 62.5 74.1 4,832 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 15.9 54.0 69.9 77.3 5,322 50 

Cambodia 2010 17.2 40.2 57.4 70.0 2,061 46 

India 2005-06 23.1 27.5 50.6 54.3 23,508 33 

Indonesia 2012 8.0 58.2 66.2 87.9 4,644 61 

Maldives 2009 32.5 22.5 55.0 40.9 1,300 11 

Nepal 2011 39.3 25.8 65.1 39.6 2,553 5 

Pakistan 2006-07 25.2 13.0 38.2 34.0 2,022 28 

Philippines 2008 26.6 41.8 68.4 61.1 1,283 24 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 33.8 14.3 48.1 29.7 1,343 9 

Vietnam 2002 10.8 53.8 64.6 83.3 603 58 

Regional average 23.2 35.1 58.4 60.2 44,639 

(Continued...)
11 

Table 1. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Rank 

order 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 30.1 52.7 82.8 63.6 1,735 17 

Colombia 2010 16.8 68.6 85.4 80.3 4,456 47 

Dominican Republic 2007 21.5 55.6 77.1 72.1 3,209 36 

Guyana 2009 31.5 36.0 67.5 53.3 564 13 

Haiti 2012 44.8 33.4 78.2 42.7 1,654 2 

Honduras 2011-12 14.7 64.5 79.2 81.4 3,235 53 

Nicaragua 2001 18.1 62.5 80.6 77.5 2,035 43 

Peru 2010 18.6 70.1 88.7 79.0 1,950 42 

Regional average 24.5 55.4 79.9 69.3 18,838 

Demand for family planning is substantially higher in Latin America and the Caribbean (79.9%) 

than in the other regions, indicating that high levels of use of contraception (55.4%) among young 

married women coexist with high levels of unmet need (24.5%). Demand for family planning is lowest, 

on average, in West and Central Africa (44.9%). Because unmet need is generally quite high, this region 

also has the lowest average proportion of demand satisfied (32.6%). This pattern contrasts with the 

Middle East and North Africa, which has the second lowest demand for family planning (55.3%) but the 

highest proportion of demand satisfied (80.5%). For the countries surveyed in this report, the overall 

proportion of demand that is satisfied averages 57.7 percent. 

Figure 1 uses aggregate data for each region to compare unmet need, current use of contraception, 

and demand for family planning among young married women by five-year age group (15-19 and 20-24). 

Figure 2 compares levels of unmet need among married women age 15-19 and married women age 20-24 

among individual countries in each region included in this study. Country-level details on unmet need, 

current use of contraception, total demand for family planning, and proportion of demand satisfied, by 

five-year age group (15-19 and 20-24) can be found in Appendix Table A1. 

West and Central Africa has the highest level of unmet need in both age groups, followed by 

Latin America and Caribbean and East and Southern Africa in the 15-19 age group, then followed by East 

and Southern Africa and South and Southeast Asia in the 20-24 age group. In most regions, unmet need is 

higher among married women age 15-19 than those age 20-24. This difference is particularly acute in 

Latin America and the Caribbean where, on average, unmet need is nearly eight percentage points higher 

among married women age 15-19. The Middle East and North Africa, where unmet need is relatively low, 

is the only region where the opposite pattern is observed. In Egypt and Jordan, unmet need is higher 

among married women age 20-24 than among those age 15-19; in Morocco, there is little difference 

between the two age groups. Demand for family planning and the proportion of demand satisfied are 

higher among married women age 20-24 than among those age 15-19 in every region. 

 
12 

Figure 1. Regional comparison of unmet need for family planning, current use of contraception, 

and percentage of demand satisfied between currently married women age 15-19 and currently 

married women age 20-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

(26.9%)

(48.1%)

(48.9%)

(61.0%)

(63.9%)

(77.6%)

(37.4%)

(58.8%)

(62.5%)

(72.5%)

(75.3%)

(81.1%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

West and Central Africa

East and Southern Africa

South and Southeast Asia

Latin America and Caribbean

Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Middle East and North Africa

unmet need

15-19

current use

15-19

unmet need

20-24

current use

20-24 ( % ) Demand satisfied
13 

Figure 2. Comparison of total unmet need for family planning between currently married women 

age 15-19 and age 20-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Sierra Leone

Senegal

Sao Tome and Principe

Nigeria

Niger

Mauritania

Mali

Liberia

Guinea

Ghana

Gabon

Côte d'Ivoire

Congo Democratic Republic

Congo Brazzaville

Chad

Cameroon

Burkina Faso

Benin

West and Central Africa

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Zimbabwe

Zambia

Uganda

Tanzania

Swaziland

Rwanda

Namibia

Mozambique

Malawi

Madagascar

Lesotho

Kenya

Ethiopia

Eritrea

Burundi

East and Southern Africa

age 15-19

age 20-24

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Morocco

Jordan

Egypt

Middle East and North Africa

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Ukraine

Turkey

Moldova

Kyrgyz Republic

Azerbaijan

Armenia

Albania

Eastern Europe and Central Asia

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Vietnam

Timor-Leste

Philippines

Pakistan

Nepal

Maldives

Indonesia

India

Cambodia

Bangladesh

South and Southeast Asia

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Peru

Nicaragua

Honduras

Haiti

Guyana

Dominican Republic

Colombia

Bolivia

Latin America and Caribbean
14 

3.2.1 West and Central Africa 

While West and Central Africa has the highest average level of unmet need (29.3%), the regional 

average masks substantial variation (Table 1). Unmet need ranges from 14.7 percent among married 

women age 15-24 in Niger to 45.7 percent in Ghana. In these same countries, unmet need ranges from 

11.2 to 61.7 percent among women age 15-19 compared with 17.2 to 42.4 percent among women age 20-

24 (Figure 2). Along with Ghana (45.7%), São Tomé and Príncipe (43.3%), Liberia (41.8%), Mauritania 

(35%), and Gabon (32.7%) are all included in the ten study countries with the highest levels of unmet 

need among young married women. Meanwhile, Guinea (20.8%), Niger (14.7%), and Nigeria (19.8%) 

stand out as having relatively low levels of unmet need in the region. Comparing the two age groups 

(married women age 15-19 and married women age 20-24) in Figure 2, neither age group has consistently 

greater unmet need than the other; however, where differences are greatest, unmet need is higher among 

married women age 15-19. 

Demand for family planning is lowest in Niger (23.9%) and Nigeria (27.5%) and highest in São 

Tomé and Príncipe (77.5%), Congo (Brazzaville, 69.6%), and Ghana (66.6%) (Table 1). The proportion 

of demand satisfied is highest in Congo (Brazzaville) at 62.1 percent, the only country in the region to 

exceed 50 percent. The proportion of demand satisfied is particularly low in Sierra Leone (13.6%), 

Liberia (13.6%), and Mauritania (15.3%). 

3.2.2 East and Southern Africa 

Several points are notable regarding patterns of unmet need among married women age 15-24 in 

East and Southern Africa (Table 1). First, while unmet need is relatively high overall (25.5%), few 

countries in this region have levels of unmet need that exceed 30 percent compared with West and Central 

Africa. These are Eritrea (34.8%), Kenya (30.2%), and Uganda (34.3%). Second, there is less variation 

across countries than in West and Central Africa. Unmet need among married women age 15-24 is lowest 

in Rwanda (16%) and Zimbabwe (15.5%); the remaining ten countries in the region have levels of unmet 

need between 20 and 29 percent. 

While, on average, unmet need is greater among married women age 15-19 compared with those 

age 20-24, there is no consistent pattern as to which age group is more disadvantaged with regard to 

unmet need at a national level (Figure 2). Unmet need is substantially higher among those age 15-19 in 

Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Namibia, higher among those age 20-24 in Burundi, Rwanda, and 

Tanzania, and nearly equal in Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. 

On average, total demand for family planning in East and Southern Africa exceeds that in West 

and Central Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, and is similar to that in South and Southeast 

Asia (Table 1). It ranges from a low of 32.6 percent in Mozambique and 39.3 percent in Eritrea to a high 

of 74.3 percent in Swaziland and 74.7 percent in Namibia. The regional average is 58.1 percent. In Eritrea 

and Mozambique, unmet need combines with low levels of use of contraception (4.5% and 9.5%, 

respectively) to produce a low proportion of demand satisfied (11.5% and 29.1%, respectively). The 

country with the highest proportion of demand satisfied among married women age 15-24 is Zimbabwe 

(77.6%), which also has the lowest level of unmet need (15.5%) and the highest level of use of 

contraception (53.7%) in the region. 

3.2.3 Middle East and North Africa 

In the Middle East and North Africa, low level of unmet need (10.8%) among married women 

age 15-24 combine with low demand for family planning (55.3%) such that a high proportion of that 

demand is satisfied (80.3%) by use of contraception (44.5%) (Table 1). Within this region, unmet need is 
15 

lowest in Egypt (8.8%) and highest in Jordan (13.5%). While unmet need is generally higher among 

married women age 20-24 compared with those age 15-19 year olds (a different pattern than found in 

other regions), this difference is particularly pronounced in Jordan where unmet need is 6.3 percentage 

points higher among married women age 20-24 (14.7%) than among those age 15-19 (8.4%) (Figure 2). 

3.2.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

After the Middle East and North Africa, the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region has the 

second lowest level of unmet need (16.2%) among married women age 15-24 (Table 1). Unmet need 

ranges from 12.0 percent in Ukraine to 20.9 percent in the Kyrgyz Republic. As in most other regions, 

unmet need is higher among married women age 15-19 in some countries and higher among married 

women age 20-24 in other countries (Figure 2). Differences are particularly large in several countries. 

Unmet need is more than 10 percentage points higher among married women age 15-19 (27.0%) in 

Armenia than among those age 20-24 (16.7%) and approximately three times higher in Ukraine (30.6% 

and 10.3%, respectively). In contrast, unmet need is twice as high among married women age 20-24 as 

among those age 15-19 in the Kyrgyz Republic. 

Use of contraception is relatively high among married women age 15-24 in Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia, compared with other regions (Table 1). Total demand and the proportion of demand 

satisfied, therefore, is also generally high. For example, in Turkey, 58.5 percent of married women age 

15-24 are currently using contraception. Combined with the 16.2 percent of women who have an unmet 

need for family planning, the total demand for family planning is 74.7 percent; however, more than threequarters (78.3%) of that demand is satisfied. 

3.2.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Unmet need among married women age 15-29 in South and Southeast Asia ranges from a high of 

39.3 percent in Nepal to a low of 8.0 percent in Indonesia (Table 1). The average of the countries 

surveyed in the region is 23.2 percent. Current use of contraception is high in Indonesia (58.2%), 

Bangladesh (54.0%), and Vietnam (53.8%) and low in Pakistan (13.0%) and Timor-Leste (14.3%). Total 

demand for family planning is lowest in Pakistan (38.2%), where just over one-third (34.0%) of that 

demand is satisfied. Total demand is highest in Bangladesh (69.9%), with more than three-quarters 

(77.3%) of that demand satisfied. On average, the demand profile in South and Southeast Asia resembles 

that in East and Southern Africa, with total demand for family planning estimated at 58.4 percent and 

more than half (60.2%) of that demand satisfied. While demand for family planning is consistently higher 

among married women age 20-24, compared with those age 15-19, there is no clear, region-wide pattern 

regarding age and unmet need (Figure 2). 

3.2.6 Latin America and the Caribbean 

In Latin America and the Caribbean, levels of unmet need among married women age 15-24 are 

similar to those in South and Southeast Asia and East and Southern Africa, averaging 24.5 percent in 

surveyed countries (Table 1). There is considerable variation within the region, however. Haiti has the 

second highest level of unmet need (44.8%) among all the countries surveyed in the study. Unmet need is 

also relatively high in Guyana (31.5%) and Bolivia (30.1%), at about 30 percent. Honduras has the lowest 

level of unmet need in the region (14.7%). Unmet need in the remaining Latin America and Caribbean 

countries ranges from 16.8 percent in Colombia to 21.5 percent in the Dominican Republic. 

The Latin America and the Caribbean region has the highest average levels of use of 

contraception (55.4%) and the highest total demand for family planning (79.9%) of all the regions in the 
16 

study. However, with just 69.3 percent of demand satisfied, demand still outpaces use of contraception, 

which puts Latin America and the Caribbean in the middle of all the regions for which DHS data are 

available. 

There is little variation in levels of demand for family planning, which range from 67.5 percent in 

Guyana to 88.7 percent in Peru. Variations in levels of unmet need and use of contraception do combine, 

however, to produce substantial variation in the proportion of demand satisfied, from a low of 42.7 

percent in Haiti to a high of 81.4 percent in Honduras. Use of contraception is generally high in the 

region, with the exception of Guyana and Haiti, where a little more than one third of married women age 

15-24 currently use some method of contraception, levels that are low for this region. 

3.3 Unmet Need for Spacing and for Limiting among Young Married Women 

Unmet need for spacing comprises women who want to delay a birth two or more years, whereas 

unmet need for limiting comprises women who want to avoid a subsequent birth altogether. Table 2 

presents the most recent DHS estimates of unmet need for spacing and unmet need for limiting among 

married women age 15-24. A disaggregation of these data by five-year age group is provided in Appendix 

Table A2. 

The overwhelming majority of unmet need for family planning among married women age 15-24 

in all surveyed countries is unmet need for spacing. Unmet need for limiting contributes little to the 

overall level of unmet need. This finding is not surprising given that women in this age range are more 

likely to be at an early stage in their reproductive careers. Perhaps more surprising, then, is the existence 

of noticeably sizable levels of unmet need for limiting—greater than 10 percent in at least one age 

group—in one or more countries in nearly every region. These countries are Ghana and São Tomé and 

Príncipe in West and Central Africa, Swaziland in East and Southern Africa, Nepal, in South and 

Southeast Asia, and Bolivia and Guyana in Latin America and the Caribbean. Unmet need for limiting is 

rare in the Middle East and North Africa and in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, although levels are not 

negligible in Azerbaijan (6.3%) and Turkey (4.2%). 

Unmet need for limiting is generally interpreted as unmet need arising at a stage of the life cycle 

when women have already met (or exceeded) their desired fertility. Thus, it would be expected to occur 

among young women in those settings where childbearing begins at an early age, particularly if desired 

family size is small and/or births tend to be closely spaced. It is also possible that unmet need for limiting 

among young women represents a growing desire to remain childless throughout one’s life, in which case 

unmet need for limiting would be reported among nulliparous women. Alternately, unmet need for 

limiting may arise out of the way in which women, particularly young women, report their fertility 

desires. That is, women report their current fertility desires at the time of the survey, and these desires 

may change over time. It may be entirely consistent for a woman to report that she does not want any 

(more) children at one point in time and, at a future point in time, to report that she does want another 

child. To the extent that this phenomenon occurs disproportionately among young women—because these 

women have a longer period of time in which to change their fertility desires—there may be some amount 

of unmet need for limiting that is overestimated and is perhaps better characterized as unmet need for 

spacing. None of these potential explanations are explored empirically in this study. 
17 

Table 2. Unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently married women age 15-24, most 

recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Unmet need 

for spacing 

Unmet need 

for limiting 

Total unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Rank 

order 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 27.4 0.9 28.3 2,886 20 

Burkina Faso 2010 23.1 0.2 23.3 3,728 32 

Cameroon 2011 23.3 1.9 25.1 2,803 29 

Chad 2004 20.7 0.2 20.9 1,478 38 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 25.4 0.9 26.4 1,495 25 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 28.1 3.5 31.6 1,941 12 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 29.3 1.6 30.9 1,512 14 

Gabon 2012 29.2 3.5 32.7 953 10 

Ghana 2008 36.9 8.9 45.7 499 1 

Guinea 2005 19.7 1.0 20.8 1,474 40 

Liberia 2007 39.3 2.5 41.8 991 4 

Mali 2006 28.7 1.4 30.1 3,968 17 

Mauritania 2000-02 30.7 4.3 35.0 1,155 6 

Niger 2006 14.5 0.2 14.7 2,440 53 

Nigeria 2008 17.9 1.9 19.8 5,523 41 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 33.5 9.8 43.3 395 3 

Senegal 2010-11 29.9 0.7 30.5 2,764 15 

Sierra Leone 2008 22.7 4.0 26.7 1,171 23 

Regional average 26.7 2.6 29.3 37,176 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 27.7 0.3 28.0 1,307 22 

Eritrea 2002 33.0 1.8 34.8 1,530 7 

Ethiopia 2011 23.3 2.2 25.6 2,527 27 

Kenya 2008-09 23.8 6.5 30.2 1,170 16 

Lesotho 2009 20.5 7.9 28.3 1,151 20 

Madagascar 2008-09 19.4 1.8 21.2 3,390 37 

Malawi 2010 18.1 8.1 26.2 4,639 26 

Mozambique 2011 20.3 2.8 23.1 2,940 33 

Namibia 2006-07 15.0 8.4 23.4 516 31 

Rwanda 2010 15.0 1.0 16.0 1,087 49 

Swaziland 2006-07 16.2 12.3 28.4 431 19 

Tanzania 2010 21.7 1.0 22.7 1,610 35 

Uganda 2011 32.0 2.3 34.3 1,505 8 

Zambia 2007 20.2 4.1 24.3 1,169 30 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 14.3 1.2 15.5 1,662 52 

Regional average 21.4 4.1 25.5 26,634 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 6.7 2.1 8.8 3,133 60 

Jordan 2009 10.9 2.7 13.5 1,320 55 

Morocco 2003-04 9.0 1.1 10.1 1,441 59 

Regional average 8.9 2.0 10.8 5,894 

(Continued...)
18 

Table 2. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet need 

for spacing 

Unmet need 

for limiting 

Total unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Rank 

order 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Albania 2008-09 15.3 2.2 17.5 467 45 

Armenia 2010 16.4 1.7 18.1 518 43 

Azerbaijan 2006 9.6 6.3 15.9 848 50 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 20.4 0.5 20.9 1,053 38 

Moldova 2005 9.8 3.3 13.0 765 56 

Turkey 2003 12.0 4.2 16.2 664 48 

Ukraine 2007 10.7 1.3 12.0 517 57 

Regional average 13.5 2.8 16.2 4,832 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 12.6 3.3 15.9 5,322 50 

Cambodia 2010 13.4 3.8 17.2 2,061 46 

India 2005-06 17.6 5.6 23.1 23,508 33 

Indonesia 2012 7.4 0.6 8.0 4,644 61 

Maldives 2009 26.9 5.5 32.5 1,300 11 

Nepal 2011 28.5 10.8 39.3 2,553 5 

Pakistan 2006-07 21.0 4.2 25.2 2,022 28 

Philippines 2008 21.0 5.6 26.6 1,283 24 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 32.8 1.1 33.8 1,343 9 

Vietnam 2002 9.2 1.6 10.8 603 58 

Regional average 19.0 4.2 23.2 44,639 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 17.7 12.4 30.1 1,735 17 

Colombia 2010 12.5 4.3 16.8 4,456 47 

Dominican Republic 2007 18.7 2.7 21.5 3,209 36 

Guyana 2009 22.0 9.5 31.5 564 13 

Haiti 2012 36.5 8.3 44.8 1,654 2 

Honduras 2011-12 12.2 2.5 14.7 3,235 53 

Nicaragua 2001 11.7 6.5 18.1 2,035 43 

Peru 2010 13.7 4.9 18.6 1,950 42 

Regional average 18.1 6.4 24.5 18,838 

Each of the countries listed above as having unmet need for limiting greater than 10 percent in 

either or both age groups also has a relatively high level of total unmet need, ranking among the top third 

of surveyed countries. This pattern is by no means universal, as counterexamples elsewhere demonstrate: 

Azerbaijan, Malawi, Namibia, Nicaragua, and the Philippines all have non-negligible levels of unmet 

need for limiting in both age groups (ranging from 5% to 10%), but Azerbaijan and Nicaragua rank 

among the lowest third of countries for total unmet need, while the others rank in the middle third for total 

unmet need. This finding suggests that total unmet need and unmet need for limiting are not consistently 

correlated. Neither does there seem to be a pattern with regards to unmet need for limiting and age (see 

Appendix Table A2). Among countries with non-negligible levels of unmet need for limiting (5% to 

10%), unmet need for limiting is higher among married women age 20-24 just as frequently as it is lower 

in this age group. 
19 

4 Trends in Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young 

Married Women 

Of the 61 countries included in this report, 47 have multiple surveys that can be used to examine 

trends over time in unmet need for family planning among married women. Multiple surveys are available 

for 13 countries in each of the two African regions, three countries each in the Middle East and North 

Africa and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, eight countries in South and Southeast Asia, and seven 

countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

4.1 Trends in Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young 

Married Women 

Table 3 presents trends in the levels of unmet need, current use of contraception, total demand for 

family planning, and the proportion of demand satisfied for married women age 15-24 in the 47 countries 

in which multiple surveys have been conducted. Appendix Table A3 provides these trends data by fiveyear age group (15-19 and 20-24). No statistical tests were conducted to determine if observed changes 

over time are significant. 

Generally, the situation trends toward a decline in levels of unmet need among married women 

age 15-24. This trend is frequently accompanied by increases in current use of contraception that have 

kept pace with or exceeded increases in total demand for family planning, with the result that the 

proportion of demand satisfied has also increased over successive surveys. These trends vary in degree 

and pace of change within and across regions, and have not everywhere been universal in their direction 

toward reduced unmet need. Of concern are the 10 countries in which women age 15-24 have experienced 

an increase in unmet need over time: Benin, Cameroun, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, and Mali 

(West and Central Africa), Eritrea and Zimbabwe (East and Southern Africa), Kyrgyz Republic (Eastern 

Europe and Central Asia), and Nepal (South and Southeast Asia). 

Table 3. Trends in unmet need for family planning, current use of contraception, and demand for 

family planning among currently married women age 15-24 

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 28.3 13.1 41.4 31.6 2,886 

Benin 2001 26.0 15.7 41.7 37.6 1,155 

Benin 1996 25.9 16.0 41.9 38.2 1,094 

Burkina Faso 2010 23.3 13.3 36.6 36.3 3,728 

Burkina Faso 2003 27.2 12.2 39.4 31.0 2,739 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 25.5 11.3 36.8 30.7 1,511 

Cameroon 2011 25.2 20.3 45.5 44.6 2,803 

Cameroon 2004 20.4 25.5 45.9 55.6 2,391 

Cameroon 1998 18.8 19.2 38.0 50.5 1,176 

Chad 2004 20.9 10.5 31.4 33.4 1,478 

Chad 1996-97 16.2 4.4 20.6 21.4 1,991 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 26.3 43.2 69.5 62.2 1,495 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 23.8 46.1 69.9 66.0 1,093 

(Continued...)
20 

Table 3. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 30.9 15.3 46.2 33.1 1,512 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 31.3 12.8 44.1 29.0 534 

Côte d'Ivoire 1994 27.8 12.0 39.8 30.2 1,526 

Gabon 2012 32.7 31.6 64.3 49.1 953 

Gabon 2000 29.8 38.2 68.0 56.2 950 

Ghana 2008 45.8 20.9 66.7 31.3 499 

Ghana 2003 44.6 19.9 64.5 30.9 667 

Ghana 1998 45.4 20.4 65.8 31.0 674 

Guinea 2005 20.7 9.9 30.6 32.4 1,474 

Guinea 1999 21.5 5.0 26.5 18.9 1,459 

Mali 2006 30.1 8.5 38.6 22.0 3,968 

Mali 2001 30.1 7.5 37.6 19.9 3,165 

Mali 1995-96 28.3 5.4 33.7 16.0 2,278 

Niger 2006 14.7 9.2 23.9 38.5 2,440 

Niger 1998 17.3 8.1 25.4 31.9 2,188 

Niger 1992 16.5 4.0 20.5 19.5 1,837 

Nigeria 2008 19.8 7.7 27.5 28.0 5,523 

Nigeria 2003 16.2 7.5 23.7 31.6 1,456 

Nigeria 1999 21.9 6.8 28.7 23.7 1,406 

Senegal 2010-11 30.6 8.1 38.7 20.9 2,764 

Senegal 2005 32.9 7.2 40.1 18.0 2,849 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 34.8 4.5 39.3 11.5 1,530 

Eritrea 1995 33.3 7.1 40.4 17.6 937 

Ethiopia 2011 25.5 31.5 57.0 55.3 2,527 

Ethiopia 2005 36.7 14.2 50.9 27.9 2,284 

Ethiopia 2000 38.1 6.3 44.4 14.2 2,669 

Kenya 2008-09 30.3 33.3 63.6 52.4 1,170 

Kenya 2003 33.9 24.9 58.8 42.3 1,297 

Kenya 1998 31.7 28.1 59.8 47.0 1,234 

Lesotho 2009 28.4 39.9 68.3 58.4 1,151 

Lesotho 2004 32.3 28.8 61.1 47.1 1,072 

Madagascar 2008-09 21.2 32.1 53.3 60.2 3,390 

Madagascar 2003-04 21.6 20.9 42.5 49.2 1,291 

Madagascar 1997 27.3 12.3 39.6 31.1 1,256 

Malawi 2010 26.2 38.5 64.7 59.5 4,639 

Malawi 2004 30.6 26.5 57.1 46.4 3,071 

Malawi 2000 31.0 23.1 54.1 42.7 3,257 

Mozambique 2011 23.1 9.5 32.6 29.1 2,940 

Mozambique 2003 17.1 24.5 41.6 58.9 2,683 

Mozambique 1997 24.8 3.0 27.8 10.8 2,163 

Namibia 2006-07 23.4 51.3 74.7 68.7 516 

Namibia 2000 29.5 45.4 74.9 60.6 400 

Namibia 1992 25.1 28.4 53.5 53.1 394 

(Continued...)
21 

Table 3. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Rwanda 2010 16.0 43.6 59.6 73.2 1,087 

Rwanda 2005 34.4 12.1 46.5 26.0 1,045 

Rwanda 2000 29.7 9.7 39.4 24.6 1,135 

Tanzania 2010 22.7 26.0 48.7 53.4 1,610 

Tanzania 2004-05 23.4 20.8 44.2 47.1 1,990 

Tanzania 1999 21.5 23.2 44.7 51.9 777 

Uganda 2011 34.3 20.4 54.7 37.3 1,505 

Uganda 2006 35.2 19.1 54.3 35.2 1,528 

Uganda 2000-01 33.1 18.4 51.5 35.7 1,616 

Zambia 2007 24.3 38.5 62.8 61.3 1,169 

Zambia 2001-02 26.3 29.8 56.1 53.1 1,524 

Zambia 1996 24.6 22.4 47.0 47.7 1,705 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 15.5 53.7 69.2 77.6 1,662 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 15.0 54.8 69.8 78.5 1,648 

Zimbabwe 1999 13.5 50.5 64.0 78.9 1,134 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 8.8 40.5 49.3 82.2 3,133 

Egypt 2005 9.9 40.8 50.7 80.5 3,690 

Egypt 2000 10.7 38.5 49.2 78.3 2,785 

Jordan 2009 13.6 39.7 53.3 74.5 1,320 

Jordan 2007 14.4 41.1 55.5 74.1 1,466 

Jordan 2002 19.3 38.5 57.8 66.6 864 

Jordan 1997 21.3 32.9 54.2 60.7 980 

Morocco 2003-04 10.1 53.2 63.3 84.0 1,441 

Morocco 1992 21.6 31.9 53.5 59.6 930 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Armenia 2010 18.1 37.1 55.2 67.2 518 

Armenia 2005 18.9 39.3 58.2 67.5 582 

Armenia 2000 19.1 50.5 69.6 72.6 610 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 20.9 19.3 40.2 48.0 1,053 

Kyrgyz Republic 1997 12.3 45.5 57.8 78.7 551 

Turkey 2003 16.2 58.5 74.7 78.3 664 

Turkey 1998 21.1 48.6 69.7 69.7 1,186 

Turkey 1993 19.9 44.6 64.5 69.1 1,355 

(Continued...)
22 

Table 3. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 15.9 54.0 69.9 77.3 5,322 

Bangladesh 2007 18.1 48.2 66.3 72.7 3,470 

Bangladesh 2004 17.9 48.4 66.3 73.0 3,657 

Cambodia 2010 17.2 40.2 57.4 70.0 2,061 

Cambodia 2005 24.2 32.1 56.3 57.0 2,034 

Cambodia 2000 36.8 13.5 50.3 26.8 1,447 

India 2005-06 23.2 27.5 50.7 54.2 23,508 

India 1998-99 24.5 23.8 48.3 49.3 24,154 

India 1992-93 31.0 16.3 47.3 34.5 26,388 

Indonesia 2012 8.0 58.2 66.2 87.9 4,644 

Indonesia 2007 9.8 59.0 68.8 85.8 4,766 

Indonesia 2002-03 9.0 58.1 67.1 86.6 4,672 

Nepal 2011 39.3 25.8 65.1 39.6 2,553 

Nepal 2006 34.7 25.8 60.5 42.6 2,389 

Nepal 2001 33.8 19.3 53.1 36.3 2,573 

Pakistan 2006-07 25.2 13.0 38.2 34.0 2,022 

Pakistan 1990-91 29.0 5.2 34.2 15.2 1,459 

Philippines 2008 26.6 41.8 68.4 61.1 1,283 

Philippines 2003 28.5 39.6 68.1 58.1 1,334 

Philippines 1998 31.6 36.2 67.8 53.4 1,212 

Vietnam 2002 10.8 53.8 64.6 83.3 603 

Vietnam 1997 13.7 49.5 63.2 78.3 845 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 30.1 52.7 82.8 63.6 1,735 

Bolivia 2003 30.7 53.2 83.9 63.4 2,051 

Bolivia 1998 33.8 40.2 74.0 54.3 1,224 

Colombia 2010 16.8 68.6 85.4 80.3 4,456 

Colombia 2005 16.4 68.0 84.4 80.6 3,668 

Colombia 2000 18.7 65.7 84.4 77.8 1,140 

Dominican Republic 2007 21.4 55.6 77.0 72.2 3,209 

Dominican Republic 2002 24.6 50.6 75.2 67.3 3,175 

Dominican Republic 1999 28.6 42.1 70.7 59.5 165 

Haiti 2012 44.8 33.4 78.2 42.7 1,654 

Haiti 2005-06 43.9 31.7 75.6 41.9 1,524 

Haiti 2000 46.4 27.7 74.1 37.4 1,333 

Honduras 2011-12 14.7 64.5 79.2 81.4 3,235 

Honduras 2005-06 23.3 55.2 78.5 70.3 2,944 

Nicaragua 2001 18.2 62.5 80.7 77.4 2,035 

Nicaragua 1998 24.5 48.6 73.1 66.5 2,280 

Peru 2010 18.6 70.1 88.7 79.0 1,950 

Peru 2005 19.8 67.9 87.7 77.4 3,322 

Peru 2000 22.0 62.1 84.1 73.8 2,551 
23 

4.1.1 West and Central Africa 

Four countries in West and Central Africa—Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, and Senegal—show 

decreasing unmet need among young married women while six countries—Benin, Cameroun, Chad, 

Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, and Mali—show increasing unmet need. Levels of unmet need have 

fluctuated in the remaining three countries, without a clear trend. This stands in contrast to other regions 

in which a majority of countries show a trend of declining unmet need among married women age 15-24. 

4.1.2 East and Southern Africa 

The majority of countries in East and Southern Africa show declines in unmet need over time 

among married women age 15-24. The decline is particularly notable in Ethiopia where unmet need fell 

12.6 percentage points between 2000 and 2011. This trend is accompanied by a dramatic increase in 

current use of contraception, from 6.3 percent among married women age 15-24 in 2000 to 31.5 percent 

in 2011—and a nearly four-fold increase in the proportion of demand satisfied. Substantial changes are 

also evident in Madagascar, where unmet need declined more than six percentage points between 1997 

and 2008-09; this decline was accompanied by an almost tripling of use of contraception (from 12.3% to 

32.1%) and a near doubling of the proportion of demand satisfied (from 31.1% to 60.2%). 

In contrast to the dominant trend in the region, two countries, Eritrea and Zimbabwe, experienced 

increases in unmet need among married women age 15-24. Three countries show fluctuations in the level 

of unmet need with no clear trend. 

4.1.3 Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco all experienced declining unmet need among married women age 

15-24. Use of contraception and, therefore, demand for family planning have fluctuated over time. The 

general trend is toward greater use of contraception and the proportion of demand satisfied also trends 

upward. 

4.1.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Armenia and Turkey show steady progress toward lower levels of unmet need among married 

women age 15-24, accompanied by increases in use of contraception (in Turkey), demand for family 

planning, and the proportion of demand satisfied. On the other hand, the Kyrgyz Republic exhibits a 

deteriorating situation with regards to unmet need. Unmet need among married women age 15-24 

increased 8.6 percentage points and current use of contraception fell sharply from 45.5 percent in 1997 to 

19.3 percent in 2012. While total demand for family planning declined so did the proportion of demand 

satisfied, from more than three-quarters to less than half of married women age 15-24 with a need for 

family planning. 

4.1.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Seven of the eight countries in South and Southeast Asia with multiple surveys exhibit the 

general pattern of declining unmet need and increasing use of contraception, demand for family planning, 

and proportion of demand satisfied among married women age 15-24. These trends are particularly 

pronounced in Cambodia and Pakistan. In Indonesia, unmet need is lower (8.0%) in 2012—and 

proportion of demand satisfied is higher—than in either of the two preceding surveys (9.0% in 2002-03 

and 9.8% in 2007); however, the decline was not steady, but occurred after an increase in 2007. Also, 

levels of use of contraception in Indonesia fluctuated across successive surveys. The trend in unmet need 
24 

in Nepal is the opposite of the general pattern, with unmet need increasing from 33.8 percent in 2001 to 

39.3 percent a decade later. Use of contraception increased during this period but it is overshadowed by a 

12 percentage point increase in the demand for family planning. 

4.1.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

The countries surveyed in Latin America and the Caribbean show that in general unmet need has 

declined among married women age 15-24 and the proportion of demand for family planning satisfied has 

increased over time. While unmet need in Haiti is lower in 2012 (44.8%) than it was in 2000 (46.4%), 

there appears to have been a slight increase since the intervening survey in 2005-06 (43.9%). At the same 

time, current use of contraception, demand for family planning, and the proportion of demand satisfied all 

increased in Haiti. On the other hand, Bolivia shows a steady decline in unmet need between 1998 

(33.8%) and 2008 (30.1%) but use of contraception has fluctuated. It appears that in Bolivia the greatest 

changes in unmet need and use of contraception occurred between the 1998 and 2003 surveys, with more 

modest changes occurring between the 2003 and 2008 surveys. 

4.2 Trends in Unmet Need for Spacing and for Limiting among Young Married 

Women 

Table 4 presents levels of unmet need for spacing and limiting among married women age 15-24 

in countries where multiple surveys have been conducted. Appendix Table A4 displays trends in unmet 

need for spacing and limiting in this population by five-year age group (15-19 and 20-24). The trends for 

spacing mirror the trends for total unmet need because spacing accounts for almost all unmet need. 

Among successive surveys, unmet need for spacing among married women age 15-24 is consistently 

higher—usually substantially so—than unmet need for limiting. This is generally the case for both age 

groups (15-19 and 20-24) as well (Appendix Table A4). Trends in unmet need for limiting show no clear 

pattern within or across regions, and because unmet need for limiting is low overall, differences in 

successive surveys are generally small. As with other trend data presented in this report, no statistical tests 

were conducted to determine if changes over time are statistically significant. 

Table 4. Trends in unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently married women age 

15-24 

Region and country Year 

Unmet need 

for spacing 

Unmet need 

for limiting 

Total unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 27.4 0.9 28.3 2,886 

Benin 2001 25.2 0.8 26.0 1,155 

Benin 1996 25.5 0.4 25.9 1,094 

Burkina Faso 2010 23.1 0.2 23.3 3,728 

Burkina Faso 2003 26.7 0.5 27.2 2,739 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 24.8 0.7 25.5 1,511 

Cameroon 2011 23.3 1.9 25.2 2,803 

Cameroon 2004 19.1 1.3 20.4 2,391 

Cameroon 1998 15.6 3.5 19.1 1,176 

Chad 2004 20.7 0.2 20.9 1,478 

Chad 1996-97 13.8 2.4 16.2 1,991 

(Continued...)
25 

Table 4. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet need 

for spacing 

Unmet need 

for limiting 

Total unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 25.4 0.9 26.3 1,495 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 22.3 1.5 23.8 1,093 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 29.3 1.6 30.9 1,512 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 29.7 1.6 31.3 534 

Côte d'Ivoire 1994 26.5 1.3 27.8 1,526 

Gabon 2012 29.2 3.5 32.7 953 

Gabon 2000 27.6 2.2 29.8 950 

Ghana 2008 36.9 8.9 45.8 499 

Ghana 2003 39.5 5.1 44.6 667 

Ghana 1998 42.4 3.0 45.4 674 

Guinea 2005 19.7 1.0 20.7 1,474 

Guinea 1999 19.9 1.6 21.5 1,459 

Mali 2006 28.7 1.4 30.1 3,968 

Mali 2001 25.3 4.8 30.1 3,165 

Mali 1995-96 27.1 1.2 28.3 2,278 

Niger 2006 14.5 0.2 14.7 2,440 

Niger 1998 17.0 0.3 17.3 2,188 

Niger 1992 14.4 2.1 16.5 1,837 

Nigeria 2008 17.9 1.9 19.8 5,523 

Nigeria 2003 15.0 1.2 16.2 1,456 

Nigeria 1999 21.2 0.7 21.9 1,406 

Senegal 2010-11 29.9 0.7 30.6 2,764 

Senegal 2005 32.3 0.6 32.9 2,849 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 33.0 1.8 34.8 1,530 

Eritrea 1995 30.9 2.4 33.3 937 

Ethiopia 2011 23.3 2.2 25.5 2,527 

Ethiopia 2005 27.5 9.2 36.7 2,284 

Ethiopia 2000 31.1 7.0 38.1 2,669 

Kenya 2008-09 23.8 6.5 30.3 1,170 

Kenya 2003 28.3 5.6 33.9 1,297 

Kenya 1998 27.2 4.5 31.7 1,234 

Lesotho 2009 20.5 7.9 28.4 1,151 

Lesotho 2004 18.4 13.9 32.3 1,072 

Madagascar 2008-09 19.4 1.8 21.2 3,390 

Madagascar 2003-04 18.6 3.0 21.6 1,291 

Madagascar 1997 21.0 6.3 27.3 1,256 

Malawi 2010 18.1 8.1 26.2 4,639 

Malawi 2004 22.1 8.5 30.6 3,071 

Malawi 2000 21.1 9.9 31.0 3,257 

Mozambique 2011 20.3 2.8 23.1 2,940 

Mozambique 2003 15.5 1.6 17.1 2,683 

Mozambique 1997 23.0 1.8 24.8 2,163 

(Continued...)
26 

Table 4. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet need 

for spacing 

Unmet need 

for limiting 

Total unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Namibia 2006-07 15.0 8.4 23.4 516 

Namibia 2000 15.0 14.5 29.5 400 

Namibia 1992 19.6 5.5 25.1 394 

Rwanda 2010 15.0 1.0 16.0 1,087 

Rwanda 2005 29.8 4.6 34.4 1,045 

Rwanda 2000 26.4 3.3 29.7 1,135 

Tanzania 2010 21.7 1.0 22.7 1,610 

Tanzania 2004-05 21.6 1.8 23.4 1,990 

Tanzania 1999 18.1 3.4 21.5 777 

Uganda 2011 32.0 2.3 34.3 1,505 

Uganda 2006 32.6 2.6 35.2 1,528 

Uganda 2000-01 28.6 4.5 33.1 1,616 

Zambia 2007 20.2 4.1 24.3 1,169 

Zambia 2001-02 20.8 5.5 26.3 1,524 

Zambia 1996 22.9 1.7 24.6 1,705 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 14.3 1.2 15.5 1,662 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 11.0 4.0 15.0 1,648 

Zimbabwe 1999 10.7 2.8 13.5 1,134 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 6.7 2.1 8.8 3,133 

Egypt 2005 7.5 2.4 9.9 3,690 

Egypt 2000 8.6 2.1 10.7 2,785 

Jordan 2009 10.9 2.7 13.6 1,320 

Jordan 2007 12.5 1.9 14.4 1,466 

Jordan 2002 16.2 3.1 19.3 864 

Jordan 1997 19.4 1.9 21.3 980 

Morocco 2003-04 9.0 1.1 10.1 1,441 

Morocco 1992 18.2 3.4 21.6 930 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Armenia 2010 16.4 1.7 18.1 518 

Armenia 2005 13.6 5.3 18.9 582 

Armenia 2000 12.3 6.8 19.1 610 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 20.4 0.5 20.9 1,053 

Kyrgyz Republic 1997 10.4 1.9 12.3 551 

Turkey 2003 12.0 4.2 16.2 664 

Turkey 1998 14.9 6.2 21.1 1,186 

Turkey 1993 13.5 6.4 19.9 1,355 

(Continued...)
27 

Table 4. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet need 

for spacing 

Unmet need 

for limiting 

Total unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 12.6 3.3 15.9 5,322 

Bangladesh 2007 14.9 3.2 18.1 3,470 

Bangladesh 2004 14.7 3.2 17.9 3,657 

Cambodia 2010 13.4 3.8 17.2 2,061 

Cambodia 2005 17.8 6.4 24.2 2,034 

Cambodia 2000 29.8 7.0 36.8 1,447 

India 2005-06 17.6 5.6 23.2 23,508 

India 1998-99 19.3 5.2 24.5 24,154 

India 1992-93 27.1 3.9 31.0 26,388 

Indonesia 2012 7.4 0.6 8.0 4,644 

Indonesia 2007 7.6 2.2 9.8 4,766 

Indonesia 2002-03 7.6 1.4 9.0 4,672 

Nepal 2011 28.5 10.8 39.3 2,553 

Nepal 2006 25.1 9.6 34.7 2,389 

Nepal 2001 26.9 6.9 33.8 2,573 

Pakistan 2006-07 21.0 4.2 25.2 2,022 

Pakistan 1990-91 24.9 4.1 29.0 1,459 

Philippines 2008 21.0 5.6 26.6 1,283 

Philippines 2003 22.1 6.4 28.5 1,334 

Philippines 1998 23.9 7.7 31.6 1,212 

Vietnam 2002 9.2 1.6 10.8 603 

Vietnam 1997 11.3 2.4 13.7 845 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 17.7 12.4 30.1 1,735 

Bolivia 2003 16.3 14.4 30.7 2,051 

Bolivia 1998 17.6 16.2 33.8 1,224 

Colombia 2010 12.5 4.3 16.8 4,456 

Colombia 2005 12.1 4.3 16.4 3,668 

Colombia 2000 14.4 4.3 18.7 1,140 

Dominican Republic 2007 18.7 2.7 21.4 3,209 

Dominican Republic 2002 19.9 4.7 24.6 3,175 

Dominican Republic 1999 21.1 7.5 28.6 165 

Haiti 2012 36.5 8.3 44.8 1,654 

Haiti 2005-06 38.5 5.4 43.9 1,524 

Haiti 2000 38.0 8.4 46.4 1,333 

Honduras 2011-12 12.2 2.5 14.7 3,235 

Honduras 2005-06 16.8 6.5 23.3 2,944 

Nicaragua 2001 11.7 6.5 18.2 2,035 

Nicaragua 1998 16.5 8.0 24.5 2,280 

Peru 2010 13.7 4.9 18.6 1,950 

Peru 2005 15.5 4.3 19.8 3,322 

Peru 2000 14.7 7.3 22.0 2,551 
28 

4.2.1 West and Central Africa 

Table 4 indicates that, in Ghana, unmet need for limiting has been increasing. The increase is 

most pronounced in the younger age group, rising from 3.3 percent in 1998 to 6.2 percent in 2003 and to 

12.7 percent in 2008, approximately doubling between each survey (see Appendix Table A4). In 

Cameroon, unmet need for limiting among married women age 15-24 declined from 3.5 percent in 1998 

to less than two percent in subsequent surveys. Mali, which showed low levels of unmet need for limiting 

in 1995-96 (1.2%) and in the most recent survey in 2006 (1.4%), saw a sharp, temporary increase in 

unmet need for limiting in the intervening survey in 2001 (4.8%). 

4.2.2 East and Southern Africa 

In countries throughout the region there has generally been a decrease in unmet need for limiting 

among young married women. These declines have been particularly large in Lesotho, especially among 

those age 15-19 (from 16.4% to 3.3%), and in Madagascar, especially among those age 20-24 (from 7.9% 

to 1.7%) (see Appendix Table A4). For several countries, e.g., Ethiopia, Namibia, Rwanda, and 

Zimbabwe, the decline in unmet need for limiting follows a spike in an intervening survey. Kenya and 

Zambia contradict the prevailing trends in East and Southern Africa; in these two countries, unmet need 

for limiting has increased over time. 

4.2.3 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

In all the countries surveyed in Eastern Europe and Central Asia unmet need for limiting has 

declined over time. The trend is largely driven by changes in need status among married women age 20-

24, because there are fewer married women age 15-19 in this region (see Appendix Table A4). While 

levels of unmet need for limiting are now quite modest in Armenia (1.7%) and Turkey (4.2%), according 

to the most recent surveys, levels were markedly higher 10 years prior (Table 4). 

4.2.4 South and Southeast Asia 

Trends in unmet need for limiting among married women age 15-24 in South and Southeast Asia 

are mixed (Table 4). Declines are observed in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In Cambodia, for 

example, unmet need for limiting in 2010 (3.8%) fell to about half the level it had been a decade earlier 

(7.0%). However, unmet need for limiting increased in India and Nepal, countries that have some of the 

highest levels of unmet need for limiting among young married women. In India, increases in unmet need 

for limiting are offset by substantial decreases in unmet need for spacing, resulting in decreases in total 

unmet need. In Nepal increases in unmet need for limiting have been accompanied by increases in unmet 

need for spacing, resulting in increases in total unmet need. There has been little change in unmet need for 

limiting in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In these two countries declines in total unmet need are accounted for 

by declines in unmet need for spacing. 

4.2.5 Latin America and Caribbean 

Unmet need for limiting among married women age 15-24 has been, and remains, higher in Latin 

America and the Caribbean than in the other regions. The countries surveyed in Latin America and the 

Caribbean have largely experienced declines in unmet need for limiting that mirror declines in total unmet 

need; however, levels in many countries are still comparatively high. Bolivia has the highest level of 

unmet need for limiting in the region, 12.4 percent in 2008, but it has experienced a steady decline from 

16.2 percent in 1998. In contrast, the level of unmet need for limiting in Colombia (4.3% in 2010) has not 

changed since 2000, although unmet need for spacing and thus total unmet need have both fallen during 
29 

this period. In Haiti, unmet need for limiting (8.3% in 2012) has returned to near 2000 levels (8.4%) 

despite a three percentage point decline in 2005-06 (5.4%); unmet need for spacing fell slightly during 

this period. 

Because unmet need for limiting accounts for such a small proportion of overall unmet need for 

family planning, this study does not draw any further distinctions between unmet for spacing and unmet 

need for limiting. 

31 

5 Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young Unmarried 

Women 

5.1 Geographic Distribution of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Young 

Unmarried Women 

Map 2 displays the geographic distribution of the prevalence of unmet need for family planning 

among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24. Forty-one of the 61 countries included in this study 

have the necessary survey data by which to estimate unmet need in this population. No countries in the 

Middle East and North Africa region, in the South and Southeast Asia region, and few countries in the 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia region collected these data. The map uses the same scale as Map 1, 

which illustrates the prevalence of unmet need among young married women. Map 2 indicates that, 

among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, unmet need is highest in the two African regions 

and in Haiti. Unmet need is lowest in Colombia, Peru, and the Ukraine. 
Map 2. Unmet need for family planning among unmarried, sexually active women age 15-24

32 
33 

5.2 Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young Unmarried 

Women 

Table 5 presents the most recent DHS estimates of unmet need for family planning, current use of 

contraception, total demand for family planning, and the proportion of demand satisfied, among sexually 

active, unmarried women age 15-24. The last column of the table shows the rank order of each country 

according to level of unmet need. Recall that the algorithm for calculating unmet need among unmarried 

women defines “sexually active” based on respondents’ reports of having had sexual intercourse within 

the 30 days prior to the survey. Any underreporting of sexual activity by unmarried women due to social 

desirability bias is likely to bias downward estimates of unmet need in this population (Lavrakas 2008). 

Thus, this study may underestimate the true magnitude of unmet need among young unmarried women. 

Unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 ranges from a low of 7.3 

percent in Ukraine to a high of 69.5 percent in Senegal. Countries in West and Central Africa and East 

and Southern Africa have, on average, the highest levels of unmet need among unmarried women, at 

about 40 percent. Unmet need is lowest, on average, in the three countries in Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia, where it averages 15.4 percent. Correspondingly, use of contraception is highest in Eastern Europe 

and Central Asia (80%) and lowest in the two African regions (46.6% and 46.3%, respectively). 

Table 5. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family planning among 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Rank 

order 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 29.7 59.9 89.6 66.9 494 26 

Burkina Faso 2010 34.8 59.2 94.0 63.0 276 20 

Cameroon 2011 25.5 64.2 89.7 71.6 643 31 

Chad 2004 56.8 9.8 66.6 14.7 39 5 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 17.1 75.7 92.8 81.6 876 35 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 37.5 49.9 87.4 57.1 442 18 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 50.6 39.7 90.3 44.0 776 7 

Gabon 2012 28.5 60.7 89.2 68.0 897 28 

Ghana 2008 48.7 48.1 96.8 49.7 175 9 

Guinea 2005 44.2 46.9 91.1 51.5 218 15 

Liberia 2007 58.1 26.6 84.7 31.4 717 4 

Mali 2006 50.1 28.5 78.6 36.3 70 8 

Nigeria 2008 33.2 62.9 96.1 65.5 1,034 23 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 35.9 51.3 87.2 58.8 105 19 

Senegal 2010-11 69.5 24.6 94.1 26.1 77 1 

Sierra Leone 2008 47.4 38.2 85.6 44.6 344 10 

Regional average 41.7 46.6 88.4 52.8 7,183 

(Continued...)
34 

Table 5. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Rank 

order 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 62.2 16.7 78.9 21.2 44 2 

Ethiopia 2011 26.4 60.6 87.0 69.7 101 30 

Kenya 2008-09 47.1 44.3 91.4 48.5 138 12 

Lesotho 2009 38.6 50.1 88.7 56.5 164 17 

Madagascar 2008-09 41.6 40.2 81.8 49.1 485 16 

Malawi 2010 46.2 39.0 85.2 45.8 302 13 

Mozambique 2011 47.2 31.4 78.6 39.9 656 11 

Namibia 2006-07 16.1 77.2 93.3 82.7 665 37 

Rwanda 2010 54.4 33.4 87.8 38.0 96 6 

Swaziland 2006-07 34.4 59.6 94.0 63.4 291 21 

Tanzania 2010 33.1 49.0 82.1 59.7 356 24 

Uganda 2011 33.8 49.8 83.6 59.6 160 22 

Zambia 2007 44.6 46.6 91.2 51.1 179 14 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 31.8 50.4 82.2 61.3 89 25 

Regional average 39.8 46.3 86.1 53.8 3,726 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Albania 2008-09 15.6 77.3 92.9 83.2 90 38 

Moldova 2005 23.3 72.3 95.6 75.6 182 32 

Ukraine 2007 7.3 90.4 97.7 92.5 280 41 

Regional average 15.4 80.0 95.4 83.9 552 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 20.6 77.2 97.8 78.9 337 34 

Colombia 2010 14.4 82.2 96.6 85.1 3,120 39 

Dominican Republic 2007 29.3 54.8 84.1 65.2 1,017 27 

Guyana 2009 27.9 66.7 94.6 70.5 185 29 

Haiti 2012 58.8 35.1 93.9 37.4 681 3 

Honduras 2011-12 17.1 73.9 91.0 81.2 486 35 

Nicaragua 2001 22.2 63.0 85.2 73.9 173 33 

Peru 2010 8.9 87.9 96.8 90.8 648 40 

Regional average 24.9 67.6 92.5 73.1 6,647 

Figure 3 displays aggregate data for each region with which to compare sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-19 and age 20-24 on unmet need, current use of contraception, and total 

demand for family planning. Appendix Table A5 provides these data for individual countries in this 

study. Looking at the two age groups that comprise the population of sexually active, unmarried women 

in this study, there is little difference in total demand for family planning: similar proportions of those age 

15-19 and those age 20-24 want to avoid pregnancy. However, differences between age groups in unmet 

need for family planning and use of contraception are substantial. In all regions except Eastern Europe 

and Central Asia, unmet need is at least ten percentage points higher and use of contraception is about ten 

percentage points lower among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-19 compared with those age 

20-24. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia there is almost no difference between the two age groups. 
35 

Figure 3. Regional comparison of unmet need for family planning, current use of contraception, 

and percentage of demand satisfied between sexually active, unmarried women age 15-19 and 

currently married women age 20-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

5.2.1 West and Central Africa 

Table 5 indicates that, on average, West and Central Africa has the highest levels of unmet need 

among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 (41.7%). Seven of the ten countries with the highest 

levels of unmet need among those surveyed are in this region. They are Senegal (69.5%), Liberia 

(58.1%), Chad (56.8%), Côte d’Ivoire (50.6%), Mali (50.1%), Ghana (48.7%), and Sierra Leone (47.4%). 

However, unmet need is not universally high throughout the region. Cameroon (25.5%) and Congo 

(Brazzaville) (17.1%), for instance, rank in the lowest third among the countries surveyed. 

Use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 varies greatly in the 

region, from a low of 9.8 percent in Chad to a high of 75.7 percent in Congo (Brazzaville). Because 

demand for family planning is consistently high in West and Central Africa (averaging 88.4%)—Chad 

(66.6%) is an outlier—it is primarily use of contraception that dictates the proportion of demand for 

family planning that is satisfied. The proportion of demand satisfied ranges from 26.1 percent in Senegal 

where use of contraception is lowest to 81.6 percent in Congo (Brazzaville) where use of contraception is 

highest. 

5.2.2 East and Southern Africa 

East and Southern Africa closely follows West and Central Africa with unmet need averaging 

39.8 percent among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 (Table 5). Two of the ten countries with 

the highest levels of unmet need—Burundi (62.2%) and Rwanda (54.4%)—are in this region. As with 

(48.1%)

(44.1%)

(83.5%)

(67.1%)

(60.3%)

(65.1%)

(83.2%)

(77.6%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

West and Central Africa

East and Southern Africa

Eastern Europe

Latin America and Caribbean

unmet need

15-19

current use

15-19

unmet need

20-24

current use

20-24 ( % ) Demand satisfied
36 

West and Central Africa, two countries (Ethiopia and Namibia) rank in the lowest third among those 

surveyed. Unmet need ranges greatly from a low of 16.1 percent of sexually active, unmarried women age 

15-24 in Namibia to 62.2 percent in Burundi. Current use of contraception has a similarly wide range, 

from 77.2 percent in Namibia to 16.7 percent in Burundi. These disparate combinations of unmet need 

and use of contraception yield total demand for family planning that falls in a more narrow range from 

78.6 percent in Mozambique to 94.0 percent in Swaziland. At the same time, the proportion of demand 

satisfied ranges from a low of 21.2 percent in Burundi to 82.7 percent in Namibia. Looking at the two age 

groups of sexually active, unmarried women, unmet need in the countries in East and Southern Africa is 

nearly always higher and use of contraception lower among those age 15-19 compared with those age 20-

24 (Appendix Table A5). 

5.2.3 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Only three countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia—Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine—

collected the relevant data for estimating unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24. This region has the lowest level of unmet need (15.4%), the highest level of use of contraception 

(80.0%), and the highest total demand for family planning (95.4%) among the countries providing this 

data (Table 5). Albania and Moldova are similar with regard to the proportion of sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24 who are currently using contraception (77.3% and 72.3%, respectively), 

although unmet need is slightly higher in Moldova (23.3%) than in Albania (15.6%). Use of contraception 

in Ukraine (90.4%) is the highest of all the countries in the study; Ukraine also has the lowest level of 

unmet need (7.3%) among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24. 

5.2.4 Latin America and Caribbean 

Unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 in Latin America and the 

Caribbean is not as low as it is in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but with an average of 24.9 percent 

among the countries supplying data, the region fares substantially better than the two African regions 

(Table 5). Relatively high levels of current use of contraception (67.6 % on average) contribute to the 

high proportion of demand for family planning satisfied (73.1 percent). 

Haiti stands out from its regional neighbors with a relatively high level of unmet need among 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 (58.8%), the third highest among all the countries surveyed. 

It also has the lowest level of use of contraception in this population in the Latin America and Caribbean 

region (35.1%) and the lowest proportion of demand satisfied (37.4%). Peru stands out from its neighbors 

for the opposite reason. Unmet need in Peru (8.9%) is the lowest in the region and second lowest (after 

Ukraine) among all the countries surveyed. Although Peru does not have the highest total demand for 

family planning in the region (96.8%), it does have the highest level of current use of contraception 

among sexually active, unmarried young women (87.9%) and the highest proportion of demand satisfied 

(90.8%) in the region. 

Excluding Haiti and Peru, unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 in the 

remaining countries in the region ranges from 14.4 percent in Colombia to 29.3 percent in the Dominican 

Republic. Current use of contraception among this population in the Latin America and Caribbean region 

ranges from 35.1 percent in Haiti or, excluding this outlier, from 54.8 percent in the Dominican Republic 

to 87.9 percent in Peru. There is less variation in total demand for family planning, which exceeds 90 

percent in most countries. In only two of the eight countries in this region, the Dominican Republic and 

Nicaragua, is total demand somewhat lower, at about 85 percent. The proportion of demand satisfied 

ranges from 37.4 percent in Haiti or, again excluding this outlier, from 65.2 percent in the Dominican 

Republic to 90.8 percent in Peru. 
37 

5.3 Trends in Unmet Need and Demand for Family Planning among Young 

Unmarried Women 

Table 6 presents trends in unmet need, current use of contraception, total demand for family 

planning, and proportion of demand satisfied for countries in which multiple surveys collected data on 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24. No country in Eastern Europe conducted multiple surveys 

of this population, so data are shown only for West and Central Africa, East and Southern Africa, and 

Latin America and the Caribbean. These trends are disaggregated by five-year age group (15-19 and 20-

24) in Appendix Table A6. As noted elsewhere in this study, no statistical tests were conducted to 

determine if observed changes over time are statistically significant. 

Table 6. Trends in unmet need for family planning, current use of contraception, and demand for 

family planning among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 29.7 59.9 89.6 66.9 494 

Benin 2001 47.3 39.8 87.1 45.7 223 

Benin 1996 31.3 54.9 86.2 63.7 151 

Burkina Faso 2010 34.8 59.2 94.0 63.0 276 

Burkina Faso 2003 33.0 58.4 91.4 63.9 239 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 37.8 49.0 86.8 56.5 148 

Cameroon 2011 25.5 64.2 89.7 71.6 643 

Cameroon 2004 18.2 74.2 92.4 80.3 365 

Cameroon 1998 13.9 55.0 68.9 79.8 334 

Chad 2004 56.8 9.8 66.6 14.7 39 

Chad 1996-97 26.3 10.1 36.4 27.7 98 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 17.1 75.7 92.8 81.6 876 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 15.2 77.7 92.9 83.6 660 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 50.6 39.7 90.3 44.0 776 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 28.7 59.2 87.9 67.3 246 

Gabon 2012 28.5 60.7 89.2 68.0 897 

Gabon 2000 24.7 64.3 89.0 72.2 599 

Ghana 2008 48.7 48.1 96.8 49.7 175 

Ghana 2003 46.6 46.9 93.5 50.2 162 

Ghana 1998 44.0 42.5 86.5 49.1 138 

Guinea 2005 44.2 46.9 91.1 51.5 218 

Guinea 1999 42.6 47.8 90.4 52.9 144 

Mali 2006 50.1 28.5 78.6 36.3 70 

Mali 2001 44.3 23.2 67.5 34.4 262 

Mali 1995-96 46.1 36.6 82.7 44.3 195 

Nigeria 2008 33.2 62.9 96.1 65.5 1,034 

Nigeria 2003 41.1 52.7 93.8 56.2 245 

Nigeria 1999 35.0 59.1 94.1 62.8 239 

(Continued...)
38 

Table 6. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 26.4 60.6 87.0 69.7 101 

Ethiopia 2000 34.2 45.6 79.8 57.1 87 

Kenya 2008-09 47.1 44.3 91.4 48.5 138 

Kenya 2003 40.2 51.4 91.6 56.1 142 

Kenya 1998 47.5 38.4 85.9 44.7 246 

Lesotho 2009 38.6 50.1 88.7 56.5 164 

Lesotho 2004 40.4 46.1 86.5 53.3 131 

Madagascar 2008-09 41.6 40.2 81.8 49.1 485 

Madagascar 2003-04 36.7 38.2 74.9 51.0 267 

Madagascar 1997 37.5 25.5 63.0 40.5 325 

Malawi 2010 46.2 39.0 85.2 45.8 302 

Malawi 2004 52.6 26.5 79.1 33.5 163 

Malawi 2000 56.1 23.7 79.8 29.7 222 

Mozambique 2011 47.2 31.4 78.6 39.9 656 

Mozambique 2003 28.1 48.8 76.9 63.5 661 

Mozambique 1997 52.4 11.8 64.2 18.4 308 

Namibia 2006-07 16.1 77.2 93.3 82.7 665 

Namibia 2000 29.4 56.1 85.5 65.6 380 

Namibia 1992 8.4 35.2 43.6 80.7 510 

Tanzania 2010 33.1 49.0 82.1 59.7 356 

Tanzania 2004-05 40.9 39.2 80.1 48.9 318 

Tanzania 1999 41.8 34.3 76.1 45.1 210 

Uganda 2011 33.8 49.8 83.6 59.6 160 

Uganda 2006 33.3 47.8 81.1 58.9 178 

Uganda 2000-01 33.2 52.6 85.8 61.3 152 

Zambia 2007 44.6 46.6 91.2 51.1 179 

Zambia 2001-02 42.3 28.4 70.7 40.2 211 

Zambia 1996 46.8 21.7 68.5 31.7 301 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 31.8 50.4 82.2 61.3 89 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 36.4 48.3 84.7 57.0 78 

Zimbabwe 1999 31.0 41.9 72.9 57.5 77 

(Continued...)
39 

Table 6. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 20.6 77.2 97.8 78.9 337 

Bolivia 2003 31.3 60.9 92.2 66.1 316 

Bolivia 1998 21.7 60.2 81.9 73.5 98 

Colombia 2010 14.4 82.2 96.6 85.1 3,120 

Colombia 2005 15.2 80.4 95.6 84.1 2,058 

Colombia 2000 10.7 83.2 93.9 88.6 520 

Dominican Republic 2007 29.3 54.8 84.1 65.2 1,017 

Dominican Republic 2002 30.6 53.8 84.4 63.7 544 

Haiti 2012 58.8 35.1 93.9 37.4 681 

Haiti 2005-06 56.5 35.1 91.6 38.3 319 

Haiti 2000 52.5 36.9 89.4 41.3 236 

Honduras 2011-12 17.1 73.9 91.0 81.2 486 

Honduras 2005-06 21.6 68.2 89.8 75.9 261 

Nicaragua 2001 22.2 63.0 85.2 73.9 173 

Nicaragua 1998 36.4 44.9 81.3 55.2 74 

Peru 2010 8.9 87.9 96.8 90.8 648 

Peru 2005 8.1 90.3 98.4 91.8 1,010 

Peru 2000 17.3 79.5 96.8 82.1 492 

5.3.1 West and Central Africa

In the majority of countries in West and Central Africa, unmet need has increased among sexually 

active, unmarried women age 15-24. This is the case for eight of the 11 countries with trend data: 

Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, and Mali. In some countries such as 

Burkina Faso and Guinea, there have been increases in unmet need among young unmarried women at the 

same time there have been decreases among their married counterparts. 

Chad and the Côte d’Ivoire illustrate two contrasting patterns of increasing unmet need. Use of 

contraception has been relatively static in Chad; the increase over time in unmet need accounts entirely 

for the concurrent increase in demand for family planning. In Côte d’Ivoire, demand for family planning 

has remained high, but a decline in use of contraception of about 20 percentage points resulted in a sharp 

increase in unmet need. 

In the remaining three countries, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, unmet need has declined over 

time among young unmarried women, although some countries with three surveys show fluctuations in 

the downward trend. Benin and Nigeria had large increases in unmet need in the intervening surveys 

(2001 in Benin and 2003 in Nigeria) before settling at levels barely lower than those of surveys in the late 

1990s. 

5.3.2 East and Southern Africa 

Unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 has generally fallen in East and 

Southern Africa. Six countries have seen declines: Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, and 

Zambia; however, these declines have not always been steady. Fluctuations in levels of unmet need in 
40 

Kenya and Zambia, for example, suggest a need for longer term data to establish the overall direction of 

trends. 

Levels of unmet need have also fluctuated in Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, without 

clear indication of increasing or decreasing trends. In Namibia, unmet need, which was strikingly low 

among young unmarried women in 1992 (8.4%)—as was overall demand for family planning (43.6%)—

more than tripled by 2000 (29.4%); this was followed by a decline in 2006-07 (16.1%), although this 

level of unmet need is still nearly double that of 1992. In Mozambique, unmet need was initially 

relatively high at 52.4 percent in 1997 before falling to 28.1 percent in 2003 and then rising to 47.2 

percent in 2011. Modest increases in demand for family planning mean that movement in one direction in 

the level of unmet need is accompanied by movement in the level of use of contraception in the opposite 

direction—i.e., increases in unmet need are accompanied by declines in use of contraception, and vice 

versa. 

In Uganda and Madagascar, unmet need has increased although the magnitude of these changes is 

very small. In Uganda, unmet need crept up from 33.2 percent in 2000-01 to 33.8 percent in 2011 among 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24. At the same time, the small increase hides divergent trends 

in the two age groups (see Appendix Table A6). There was an overall increase in unmet need among 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-19 from 32.7 percent in 2000-01 to 38.6 percent in 2011—with 

an intervening sharp rise to 45.0 percent in 2006—however, unmet need declined overall among those 

age 20-24, from 33.9 percent in 2000-01 to 29.0 percent in 2011. 

5.3.3 Latin America and Caribbean 

Demand for family planning has been steady and high in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 

the exception of Bolivia where it has been increasing. Unmet need has declined among sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24 in most countries and the pattern occurs in both age groups. Unmet need fell 

by 14 percentage points between 1998 and 2001 in Nicaragua and by more than eight percentage points 

between 2000 and 2010 in Peru. There was a modest one percentage point decline in Bolivia between 

1998 and 2008 (from 21.7% to 20.6%), with an intervening sharp increase to 31.3 percent in 2003. Use of 

contraception has increased in this population over time as unmet need has declined. 

Contrasting with the dominant trend, unmet need has increased slightly among sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24 in Colombia (from 10.7% in 2000 to 14.4% in 2010) and, to a larger extent, 

in Haiti (from 52.5% in 2000 to 58.8% in 2012). Use of contraception has declined by small degrees in 

both countries. 

5.4 Comparison of Unmet Need among Young Unmarried and Young Married 

Women 

Figure 4 provides a comparison of unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24 and married women the same age, by region, for all countries in which both populations were 

surveyed. Data come from the most recent survey in each country. In most regions, the predominant 

pattern is that of greater unmet need among unmarried women. The overall average is 35.9 percent for 

young unmarried women, compared with 25.9 percent for married women. 
Figure 4. Comparison of total unmet need for family planning between currently married women age 15-24 and unmarried, sexually 

active women age 15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Unmarried Married

0

908070605040302010

100

West and Central Africa

0

908070605040302010

100

East and Southern Africa

0

908070605040302010

100

Eastern Europe and Central Asia

0

908070605040302010

100

Latin America and Caribbean

41 
42 

5.4.1 West and Central Africa 

In West and Central Africa, unmet need is generally higher among sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24 than among married women age 15-24. Unmet need is, on average, almost 12 

percentage points higher for young unmarried women. This pattern is not universal, however, with unmet 

need higher among married women in Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. 

Differences between the groups are negligible in Benin and Cameroon. Where differences are sizable, 

however, young unmarried women experience higher levels of unmet need than do young married 

women. Differences are particularly marked in Chad and Senegal (36 and 39 percentage points, 

respectively). 

5.4.2 East and Southern Africa 

Sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 also experience greater unmet need than married 

women in nearly all of the East and Southern African countries. Namibia and Uganda are the two 

exceptions, with unmet need higher among married women than among unmarried women. In Ethiopia, 

unmet need is similar across marital status. Differences by marital status, averaging 15 percentage points, 

are larger in East and Southern Africa compared with West and Central Africa: unmet need is 39.8 

percent, on average, among young unmarried women and 24.8 percent among young married women. 

Larger differences occur in Rwanda (38 percentage points), Burundi (34 percentage points), Mozambique 

(24 percentage points), and Madagascar (20 percentage points), among other places. 

5.4.3 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Differences by marital status are generally modest in the three Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

countries for which comparisons can be made. In Albania and Ukraine, unmet need is slightly higher 

among married women age 15-24, compared with sexually active, unmarried women the same age (about 

2 percentage points higher in Albania and about 5 percentage points higher in Ukraine). Unmet need is 

higher by about 10 percentage points among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 in Moldova. 

5.4.4 Latin America and Caribbean 

Patterns of unmet need by marital status are more varied in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Unmet need among women age 15-24 is higher among sexually active, unmarried women in four 

countries but higher among married women in four countries. Differences may not be statistically 

significant in some countries. On average, unmet need is higher among young unmarried women (24.9%) 

than among young married women (24.5%)—a difference of just 0.4. Sexually active, unmarried women 

are more disadvantaged with regard to unmet need status in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, whereas 

married women are more disadvantaged in Bolivia and Peru. 
43 

6 Estimates of Young Women with Unmet Need 

To estimate the numbers of women age 15-24 experiencing unmet need in the countries included 

in this study, DHS data on unmet need are combined with population estimates from the U.S. Census 

Bureau. Age- and sex-disaggregated population estimates for each of the countries, for the year of the 

most recent DHS survey in the country, were retrieved from the U.S. Census Bureau’s International 

Database2

 on July 12, 2013, retaining only women age 15-19 and 20-24 (US Census Bureau 2012a). 

Details on the population estimation methods are described by the U.S. Census Bureau (US Census 

Bureau 2012b). For surveys that span two years, the population estimate is weighted according to the 

sample distribution of interviews conducted in each year, by age group. The population estimate in each 

age group is then multiplied by the DHS proportion of women reported to be a) married and b) unmarried 

and sexually active in the 30 days preceding the survey for each age group. These estimates for each age 

group and marital status are then multiplied by the DHS proportion with unmet need for family planning. 

Where the proportion of unmet need in a DHS survey is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases, no 

estimate of the number of women with unmet need is calculated. 

The resulting estimates of the number of women age 15-24 experiencing unmet need for family 

planning, by age group and marital status, are presented in Table 7. These estimates should be viewed as 

crude estimates of the number of young women with unmet need in each country in that they rely on the 

accuracy of both the underlying population estimate and the reported marital and need status. The 

proportion of young women who are unmarried and sexually active may be especially subject to 

underreporting due to social desirability bias, particularly in cultural settings where nonmarital sexual 

activity is not socially sanctioned. Thus, the estimates presented here are believed to be conservative 

estimates of the actual number of women with unmet need. 

In total, it is estimated that nearly 33 million women age 15-24 have an unmet need for family 

planning in the 61 countries surveyed by DHS. Sixty-four percent of young women with unmet need—68 

percent of young married women with unmet need—reside in one of the 10 South and Southeast Asian 

countries, 16 percent are in West and Central Africa (18 countries), and 12 percent are in East and 

Southern Africa (15 countries). 

The first observation to make in comparing young women by marital status (for those countries 

with data on both populations) is that, nearly everywhere, there is a greater number of married women age 

15-24 with unmet need than sexually active, unmarried women in this age range. This is despite a larger 

percentage of sexually active, unmarried women experiencing unmet need compared with their married 

counterparts in most countries. The difference reflects the relatively large proportion of women of this age 

who are married and the small proportion who are unmarried and sexually active. There are several 

exceptions to this pattern among women in the younger age group (15-19) in Africa (Côte d’Ivoire, 

Gabon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland, and Tanzania). However, where this is the 

case, the pattern is reversed among women in the older age group (20-24). For example, in Côte d’Ivoire 

there are about twice as many sexually active, unmarried women age 15-19 with unmet need as there are 

married women with unmet need, but at the same time, there are about twice as many married women age 

20-24 with unmet need as there are sexually active, unmarried women in this older age group. 

 

2

 http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/informationGateway.php 
44 

Table 7. Estimated number of women age 15-24 with unmet need for family planning 

Region and country Year1 Age 

Female 

population2

Number of women with unmet need 

Married Unmarried Total 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 15-19 417,674 24,109 13,940 38,049 

Benin 2006 20-24 357,272 71,717 5,002 76,719 

Benin 2006 Total 15-24 774,946 101,321 18,183 114,768 

Burkina Faso 2010 15-19 880,219 60,167 18,339 78,507 

Burkina Faso 2010 20-24 724,031 140,338 5,778 146,116 

Burkina Faso 2010 Total 15-24 1,604,250 210,444 23,448 224,623 

Cameroon 2011 15-19 1,041,949 64,803 28,366 93,169 

Cameroon 2011 20-24 960,627 148,062 20,686 168,749 

Cameroon 2011 Total 15-24 2,002,576 209,604 49,023 261,918 

Chad 2004 15-19 514,271 41,039 6,383 47,421 

Chad 2004 20-24 415,211 77,630 * 77,630 

Chad 2004 Total 15-24 929,482 118,111 8,447 125,052 

Congo (Brazzaville) 2011 15-19 235,550 15,411 9,981 25,391 

Congo (Brazzaville) 2011 20-24 195,803 24,258 5,443 29,701 

Congo (Brazzaville) 2011 Total 15-24 431,353 40,313 15,269 55,092 

Congo (Kinshasa) 2007 15-19 3,573,915 232,394 176,923 409,317 

Congo (Kinshasa) 2007 20-24 2,909,013 617,365 83,454 700,819 

Congo (Kinshasa) 2007 Total 15-24 6,482,928 923,921 250,403 1,110,136 

Cote d'Ivoire 2012 15-19 1,197,608 65,695 129,912 195,607 

Cote d'Ivoire 2012 20-24 1,096,136 200,111 97,462 297,572 

Cote d'Ivoire 2012 Total 15-24 2,293,744 269,331 226,324 493,179 

Gabon 2012 15-19 86,525 4,836 6,811 11,647 

Gabon 2012 20-24 76,350 9,897 5,387 15,285 

Gabon 2012 Total 15-24 162,875 14,806 12,162 26,932 

Ghana 2008 15-19 1,159,988 59,404 42,299 101,703 

Ghana 2008 20-24 1,063,605 212,857 58,439 271,296 

Ghana 2008 Total 15-24 2,223,593 266,240 99,626 372,999 

Guinea 2005 15-19 466,614 32,392 20,074 52,466 

Guinea 2005 20-24 393,889 65,512 8,746 74,258 

Guinea 2005 Total 15-24 860,503 94,146 29,667 126,724 

Liberia 2007 15-19 161,353 12,609 29,973 42,582 

Liberia 2007 20-24 161,307 36,895 20,467 57,361 

Liberia 2007 Total 15-24 322,660 49,903 50,241 99,943 

Mali 2006 15-19 691,845 121,344 5,856 127,200 

Mali 2006 20-24 572,676 138,183 1,997 140,180 

Mali 2006 Total 15-24 1,264,521 261,106 7,602 267,380 

Mauritania 2000-01 15-19 140,826 11,998 11,998 

Mauritania 2000-01 20-24 120,779 21,332 21,332 

Mauritania 2000-01 Total 15-24 261,604 33,420 33,331 

Niger 2006 15-19 651,583 43,057 43,057 

Niger 2006 20-24 540,250 80,285 80,285 

Niger 2006 Total 15-24 1,191,833 126,844 123,342 

(Continued...)
45 

Table 7. – Continued

Region and country Year1

 Age 

Female 

population2

Number of women with unmet need 

Married Unmarried Total 

Nigeria 2008 15-19 7,761,465 400,957 223,321 624,278 

Nigeria 2008 20-24 6,738,289 832,711 173,363 1,006,074 

Nigeria 2008 Total 15-24 14,499,754 1,254,606 394,741 1,630,352 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 15-19 8,688 835 335 1,170 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 20-24 7,784 1,998 280 2,278 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 Total 15-24 16,472 2,782 615 3,448 

Senegal 2010-11 15-19 691,815 52,787 4,863 57,650 

Senegal 2010-11 20-24 607,641 110,105 5,435 115,539 

Senegal 2010-11 Total 15-24 1,299,456 164,875 10,837 173,190 

Sierra Leone 2008 15-19 272,658 18,751 23,990 42,740 

Sierra Leone 2008 20-24 238,593 46,185 11,678 57,863 

Sierra Leone 2008 Total 15-24 511,251 67,023 34,896 100,603 

 

Regional total 15-19 19,954,546 1,262,587 741,365 2,003,952 

Regional total 20-24 17,179,256 2,835,442 503,616 3,339,057 

Regional total Total 15-24 37,133,802 4,208,795 1,231,483 5,343,009 

 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 15-19 524,024 8,374 4,072 12,446 

Burundi 2010 20-24 449,747 80,679 * 80,679 

Burundi 2010 Total 15-24 973,771 85,069 6,057 91,125 

Eritrea 2002 15-19 236,382 29,888 29,888 

Eritrea 2002 20-24 213,774 41,180 41,180 

Eritrea 2002 Total 15-24 450,156 69,398 69,398 

Ethiopia 2011 15-19 4,755,259 297,907 8,369 306,277 

Ethiopia 2011 20-24 4,056,833 546,147 26,779 572,926 

Ethiopia 2011 Total 15-24 8,812,092 821,146 34,896 856,042 

Kenya 2008-09 15-19 2,040,456 72,722 56,470 129,191 

Kenya 2008-09 20-24 1,968,705 334,554 19,195 353,749 

Kenya 2008-09 Total 15-24 4,009,160 408,028 75,533 483,561 

Lesotho 2009 15-19 106,209 5,124 1,820 6,945 

Lesotho 2009 20-24 112,792 17,434 2,378 19,811 

Lesotho 2009 Total 15-24 219,001 21,382 4,142 25,524 

Madagascar 2008-09 15-19 1,116,975 100,881 40,128 141,009 

Madagascar 2008-09 20-24 923,629 117,994 19,352 137,345 

Madagascar 2008-09 Total 15-24 2,040,604 216,304 61,120 277,424 

Malawi 2010 15-19 851,194 50,193 17,037 67,231 

Malawi 2010 20-24 736,385 149,259 6,442 155,701 

Malawi 2010 Total 15-24 1,587,579 201,734 23,471 225,204 

Mozambique 2011 15-19 1,337,435 115,116 96,381 211,497 

Mozambique 2011 20-24 1,093,611 184,875 39,921 224,796 

Mozambique 2011 Total 15-24 2,431,046 299,318 136,547 435,865 

(Continued...)
46 

Table 7. – Continued

Region and country Year1

 Age 

Female 

population2

Number of women with unmet need 

Married Unmarried Total 

Namibia 2006-07 15-19 74,218 1,349 1,639 2,989 

Namibia 2006-07 20-24 115,925 5,035 3,583 8,618 

Namibia 2006-07 Total 15-24 190,143 5,606 4,959 10,565 

Rwanda 2010 15-19 533,401 1,024 4,413 5,437 

Rwanda 2010 20-24 546,673 34,165 5,532 39,697 

Rwanda 2010 Total 15-24 1,080,074 33,353 9,989 43,341 

Swaziland 2006-07 15-19 75,193 1,276 2,310 3,586 

Swaziland 2006-07 20-24 67,486 6,508 3,933 10,441 

Swaziland 2006-07 Total 15-24 142,679 7,537 6,135 13,672 

Tanzania 2010 15-19 2,306,503 69,177 84,197 153,373 

Tanzania 2010 20-24 2,017,517 317,218 40,314 357,532 

Tanzania 2010 Total 15-24 4,324,020 386,732 124,519 511,251 

Uganda 2011 15-19 1,909,053 119,507 28,739 148,246 

Uganda 2011 20-24 1,544,421 367,946 21,946 389,892 

Uganda 2011 Total 15-24 3,453,474 484,478 51,360 535,838 

Zambia 2007 15-19 647,766 26,058 20,041 46,099 

Zambia 2007 20-24 559,910 90,482 12,619 103,101 

Zambia 2007 Total 15-24 1,207,676 116,506 32,856 149,362 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 15-19 734,250 31,514 5,837 37,351 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 20-24 633,937 59,559 4,581 64,140 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 Total 15-24 1,368,187 93,098 10,442 103,540 

 

Regional total 15-19 17,248,317 930,111 371,454 1,301,565 

Regional total 20-24 15,041,345 2,353,035 206,576 2,559,611 

Regional total Total 15-24 32,289,663 3,249,687 582,025 3,831,713 

 

Middle East and North 

Africa 

Egypt 2008 15-19 3,670,824 250,791 250,791 

Egypt 2008 20-24 3,773,751 339,547 339,547 

Egypt 2008 Total 15-24 7,444,575 640,710 640,710 

Jordan 2009 15-19 329,397 26,895 26,895 

Jordan 2009 20-24 294,045 42,101 42,101 

Jordan 2009 Total 15-24 623,442 81,976 81,976 

Morocco 2003-04 15-19 1,595,445 17,255 17,255 

Morocco 2003-04 20-24 1,466,474 53,380 53,380 

Morocco 2003-04 Total 15-24 3,061,919 70,510 70,510 

 

Regional total 15-19 5,595,666 294,940 294,940 

Regional total 20-24 5,534,270 435,027 435,027 

Regional total Total 15-24 11,129,936 793,196 793,196 

 

(Continued...)
47 

Table 7. – Continued

Region and country Year1

 Age 

Female 

population2

Number of women with unmet need 

Married Unmarried Total 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 15-19 151,117 1,856 432 2,288 

Albania 2008-09 20-24 140,597 9,108 1,417 10,525 

Albania 2008-09 Total 15-24 291,714 9,699 1,684 11,383 

Armenia 2010 15-19 135,766 2,896 2,896 

Armenia 2010 20-24 155,049 11,289 11,289 

Armenia 2010 Total 15-24 290,815 14,423 14,423 

Azerbaijan 2006 15-19 474,810 7,709 7,709 

Azerbaijan 2006 20-24 417,380 34,226 34,226 

Azerbaijan 2006 Total 15-24 892,190 41,848 41,848 

Kyrgyzstan 2012 15-19 258,698 2,409 2,409 

Kyrgyzstan 2012 20-24 283,791 38,148 38,148 

Kyrgyzstan 2012 Total 15-24 542,489 37,756 37,756 

Moldova 2005 15-19 191,013 2,604 1,937 4,541 

Moldova 2005 20-24 173,344 12,425 4,355 16,780 

Moldova 2005 Total 15-24 364,357 14,257 6,112 20,370 

Turkey 2003 15-19 3,387,989 706,674 706,674 

Turkey 2003 20-24 3,403,042 501,013 501,013 

Turkey 2003 Total 15-24 6,791,031 1,078,144 1,078,144 

Ukraine 2007 15-19 1,611,452 28,107 17,041 45,148 

Ukraine 2007 20-24 1,903,001 91,928 23,026 114,955 

Ukraine 2007 Total 15-24 3,514,453 121,881 40,279 162,160 

 

Regional total 15-19 6,210,845 752,255 19,410 771,664 

Regional total 20-24 6,476,204 698,138 28,798 726,937 

Regional total Total 15-24 12,687,049 1,318,009 48,075 1,366,084 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 15-19 8,286,653 1,377,739 1,377,739 

Bangladesh 2011 20-24 7,584,731 1,122,169 1,122,169 

Bangladesh 2011 Total 15-24 15,871,384 2,447,844 2,447,844 

Cambodia 2010 15-19 846,032 13,807 13,807 

Cambodia 2010 20-24 832,136 77,472 77,472 

Cambodia 2010 Total 15-24 1,678,168 86,305 86,305 

India 2005-06 15-19 50,397,442 3,701,239 3,701,239 

India 2005-06 20-24 48,166,710 7,632,256 7,632,256 

India 2005-06 Total 15-24 98,564,152 11,247,550 11,247,550 

Indonesia 2007 15-19 10,831,752 92,893 92,893 

Indonesia 2007 20-24 10,107,968 499,182 499,182 

Indonesia 2007 Total 15-24 20,939,720 587,987 587,987 

Maldives 2009 15-19 20,817 7,167 7,167 

Maldives 2009 20-24 20,278 6,080 6,080 

Maldives 2009 Total 15-24 41,095 12,514 12,514 

(Continued...)
48 

Table 7. – Continued

Region and country Year1

 Age 

Female 

population2

Number of women with unmet need 

Married Unmarried Total 

Nepal 2011 15-19 1,771,292 212,215 212,215 

Nepal 2011 20-24 1,511,057 443,311 443,311 

Nepal 2011 Total 15-24 3,282,349 651,431 651,431 

Pakistan 2006-07 15-19 9,604,116 1,905,111 1,905,111 

Pakistan 2006-07 20-24 8,055,741 2,130,711 2,130,711 

Pakistan 2006-07 Total 15-24 17,659,857 4,352,378 4,352,378 

Philippines 2008 15-19 4,797,466 166,525 166,525 

Philippines 2008 20-24 4,488,495 514,543 514,543 

Philippines 2008 Total 15-24 9,285,961 647,157 647,157 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 15-19 56,668 1,196 1,196 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 20-24 46,151 7,635 7,635 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 Total 15-24 102,818 8,514 8,514 

Vietnam 2002 15-19 4,429,248 644,119 644,119 

Vietnam 2002 20-24 3,785,698 379,009 379,009 

Vietnam 2002 Total 15-24 8,214,946 862,372 862,372 

 

Regional total 15-19 91,041,485 8,122,010 8,122,010 

Regional total 20-24 84,598,965 12,812,368 12,812,368 

Regional total Total 15-24 175,640,450 20,904,053 20,904,053 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 15-19 509,032 25,852 5,255 31,106 

Bolivia 2008 20-24 476,337 59,729 5,645 65,373 

Bolivia 2008 Total 15-24 985,369 82,157 10,961 93,118 

Colombia 2010 15-19 2,076,229 67,413 56,158 123,571 

Colombia 2010 20-24 1,968,870 114,653 51,171 165,824 

Colombia 2010 Total 15-24 4,045,099 148,148 90,287 238,434 

Dominican Republic 2007 15-19 452,192 23,123 13,289 36,412 

Dominican Republic 2007 20-24 411,836 36,889 12,283 49,172 

Dominican Republic 2007 Total 15-24 864,028 59,074 25,569 84,643 

Guyana 2009 15-19 39,773 2,263 1,104 3,366 

Guyana 2009 20-24 31,315 4,892 960 5,852 

Guyana 2009 Total 15-24 71,088 7,076 2,063 9,139 

Haiti 2012 15-19 560,855 38,411 33,173 71,584 

Haiti 2012 20-24 490,978 88,587 34,913 123,500 

Haiti 2012 Total 15-24 1,051,833 125,816 68,033 193,849 

Honduras 2011-12 15-19 451,022 18,042 3,694 21,736 

Honduras 2011-12 20-24 404,898 26,839 4,062 30,901 

Honduras 2011-12 Total 15-24 855,920 44,289 7,757 52,046 

Nicaragua 2001 15-19 282,391 12,532 2,189 14,721 

Nicaragua 2001 20-24 246,043 23,487 1,483 24,970 

Nicaragua 2001 Total 15-24 528,434 35,102 3,637 38,739 

(Continued...)
49 

Table 7. – Continued

Region and country Year1

 Age 

Female 

population2

Number of women with unmet need 

Married Unmarried Total 

Peru 2010 15-19 1,480,255 38,297 7,924 46,221 

Peru 2010 20-24 1,341,375 99,319 13,749 113,069 

Peru 2010 Total 15-24 2,821,630 133,305 21,095 154,400 

 

Regional total 15-19 5,781,872 276,108 124,526 400,633 

Regional total 20-24 5,932,507 491,625 157,385 649,010 

Regional total Total 15-24 10,171,568 509,151 161,368 670,519 

 

Total of all countries 15-19 145,832,731 11,638,010 1,256,754 12,894,764 

Total of all countries 20-24 134,762,546 19,625,635 896,375 20,522,010 

Total of all countries Total 15-24 279,052,467 30,982,890 2,022,952 32,908,573 

Notes: 

1

For surveys that span two years, population estimate is weighted according to the sample distribution of interviews 

conducted in each year, by age category. 

2

Source for estimates of the female population age 15-19 and 20-24: US Census Bureau, downloaded July 12, 

2013 from http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/informationGateway.php 3

DHS survey estimates of the proportion married, or proportion unmarried and sexually active, and proportion with 

unmet need for family planning, by age category, are applied to the population estimates to estimate the number of 

women of each age category and marital status who experience unmet need for family planning. 

4

No estimates are made for countries in which the DHS survey collected data from ever-married women only, An 

asterisk indicates that the estimate is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. 

Similarly, there are more women age 20-24 than women age 15-19 with unmet need for family 

planning in all regions, with the exception of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia the age pattern of unmet need is driven by Turkey, which is not only the most populous 

country in the region but also the country with the largest number of young women experiencing unmet 

need. In Turkey, an estimated 700,000 women age 15-19 experience unmet need compared with 500,000 

women age 20-24. In no other country in the region is this pattern observed. Only four other countries in 

the study have greater numbers of women age 15-19 with unmet need than women age 20-24: 

Madagascar, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Vietnam. 

51 

7 Age and Unmet Need 

This study examines two questions related to unmet need for family planning and age. First, 

among young women (age 15-24), do the youngest women experience higher or lower levels of unmet 

need than slightly older young women? Second, how do young women (age 15-19 and 20-24) compare 

with women older than age 25 regarding unmet need? 

7.1 Age and Unmet Need among Young Married Women 

Table 8, which presents levels of unmet need among married women age 15-24 in two-year age 

groups, answers the first question. Estimates are not provided for unmarried women because the 

unweighted number of sexually active, unmarried women under age 25 is insufficient in most surveys to 

support such fine levels of disaggregation. 

These data indicate that in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin 

America and the Caribbean unmet need is generally highest among the youngest women, i.e., those age 

15-16, and declines with age. Most countries in these regions exhibit this pattern fairly consistently, 

although there are some exceptions (e.g., Kyrgyz Republic and Indonesia). East and Southern Africa, on 

average, depicts a similar pattern: unmet need is highest among women age 15-16 (28.7%) and 

consistently lower, about 25 percent, in subsequent age groups. The lowest level of unmet need in East 

and Southern Africa is among women age 19-20 (24.0%). Many, but not all, of the countries in this 

region show this pattern. 

In contrast to the regions discussed above, unmet need in the Middle East and North Africa 

increases with age. Levels of unmet need are more dynamic in West and Central Africa and do not 

resemble either the other regional patterns. Rather, the distribution of unmet need in West and Central 

Africa approximates that of a normal curve, peaking among women age 19-20 (30.6%). The individual 

countries that make up the region exhibit substantial variation in the age distribution of unmet need 

among young married women age 15-24. 
52 

Table 8. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, by two-year 

age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 

15-16 17-18 19-20 21-22 23-24 Total 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 % 33.0 27.8 25.4 29.5 29.8 28.3 

n 81 369 835 755 846 2,886 

Burkina Faso 2010 % 14.4 19.9 24.1 23.8 24.7 23.3 

n 110 521 997 1,024 1,077 3,728 

Cameroon 2011 % 30.3 26.2 23.4 27.1 23.6 25.1 

n 146 441 764 670 782 2,803 

Chad 2004 % 18.60 16.10 22.00 22.50 24.20 20.9 

n 116 329 427 356 250 1,478 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 % 46.6 37.6 23.3 24.5 23.0 26.4 

n 77 170 350 437 461 1,495 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 % 20.5 32.4 31.8 30.0 34.5 31.6 

n 85 188 498 572 599 1,941 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 % 23.7 30.0 30.0 34.5 30.2 30.9 

n 45 218 385 363 501 1,512 

Gabon 2012 % 53.5 31.2 46.7 28.2 23.5 32.7 

n 41 98 232 306 276 953 

Ghana 2008 % * (58.0) 55.8 44.3 36.3 45.7 

n 7 35 116 165 176 499 

Guinea 2005 % 19.5 19.1 20.1 22.0 22.9 20.8 

n 121 341 414 309 288 1,474 

Liberia 2007 % (52.2) 45.3 38.2 38.0 44.7 41.8 

n 40 125 247 250 330 991 

Mali 2006 % 40.7 31.9 31.3 25.7 26.1 30.1 

n 416 799 1,034 935 782 3,968 

Mauritania 2000-02 % 35.6 33.6 38.3 37.9 28.7 35.0 

n 140 172 305 280 258 1,155 

Niger 2006 % 12.4 9.8 18.0 17.8 14.7 14.7 

n 273 599 619 488 462 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 % 17.5 17.5 19.3 22.3 20.8 19.8 

n 505 974 1,622 1,165 1,257 5,523 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 % * 47.5 50.1 43.7 35.4 43.3 

n 20 58 77 123 118 395 

Senegal 2010-11 % 28.0 31.7 27.3 31.4 32.5 30.5 

n 166 484 680 661 772 2,764 

Sierra Leone 2008 % 28.7 21.0 25.8 23.3 35.7 26.7 

n 63 200 346 299 264 1,171 

Regional total % 29.7 29.8 30.6 29.3 28.4 29.3 

n 2,452 6,121 9,948 9,158 9,499 37,176 

(Continued...)
53 

Table 8. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 

15-16 17-18 19-20 21-22 23-24 Total 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 % * 13.1 24.9 27.3 34.1 28.0 

n 4 88 362 416 437 1,307 

Eritrea 2002 % 47.4 44.5 31.2 31.0 29.3 34.8 

n 119 325 475 277 333 1,530 

Ethiopia 2011 % 42.0 30.7 23.7 25.3 21.5 25.6 

n 146 382 761 560 678 2,527 

Kenya 2008-09 % (22.5) 35.2 29.2 27.5 32.4 30.2 

n 17 107 266 369 411 1,170 

Lesotho 2009 % (30.7) 26.0 31.2 28.4 27.3 28.3 

n 36 155 241 349 371 1,151 

Madagascar 2008-09 % 33.2 25.5 22.1 19.5 13.8 21.2 

n 277 684 904 721 805 3,390 

Malawi 2010 % 28.4 24.4 23.5 28.9 26.4 26.2 

n 174 553 1,090 1,346 1,476 4,639 

Mozambique 2011 % 24.2 20.5 23.2 23.6 24.2 23.1 

n 244 547 760 676 713 2,940 

Namibia 2006-07 % * 29.3 29.7 19.7 19.6 23.4 

n 21 54 101 159 182 516 

Rwanda 2010 % * (0.0) 14.4 16.8 16.8 16.0 

n 1 33 146 358 550 1,087 

Swaziland 2006-07 % * (32.0) 19.7 33.6 28.2 28.4 

n 11 36 95 140 150 431 

Tanzania 2010 % 9.0 19.4 21.2 25.2 24.4 22.7 

n 67 191 362 445 544 1,610 

Uganda 2011 % (33.3) 33.2 30.3 34.8 38.1 34.3 

n 27 216 397 431 435 1,505 

Zambia 2007 % (18.6) 25.9 19.4 25.6 26.3 24.3 

n 33 143 255 348 390 1,169 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 % 26.8 18.3 16.4 14.9 12.4 15.5 

n 71 216 385 494 496 1,662 

Regional total % 28.7 25.2 24.0 25.5 25.0 25.5 

n 1,248 3,730 6,600 7,089 7,971 26,634 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 % 4.1 7.1 7.8 10.0 9.1 8.8 

n 65 252 742 947 1,127 3,133 

Jordan 2009 % (4.0) 5.8 14.9 15.0 14.2 13.5 

n 35 119 234 420 512 1,320 

Morocco 2003-04 % 8.3 9.9 11.4 10.2 9.6 10.1 

n 52 172 284 407 525 1,441 

Regional total % 5.5 7.6 11.4 11.7 11.0 10.8 

n 152 543 1,260 1,774 2,164 5,894 

(Continued...)
54 

Table 8. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 

15-16 17-18 19-20 21-22 23-24 Total 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 % * (17.1) 20.5 13.7 19.2 17.5 

n 10 46 109 142 161 467 

Armenia 2010 % * (32.5) 17.0 17.9 16.3 18.1 

n 0 36 93 160 229 518 

Azerbaijan 2006 % * 15.3 15.1 16.0 16.5 15.9 

n 11 83 147 274 334 848 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 % * 8.0 16.0 19.5 25.7 20.9 

n 8 55 212 333 446 1,053 

Moldova 2005 % * 14.3 13.7 14.6 11.1 13.0 

n 12 59 150 246 298 765 

Turkey 2003 % * 22.6 15.7 16.6 13.8 16.2 

n 8 51 144 222 238 664 

Ukraine 2007 % * (34.4) 16.7 12.6 8.0 12.0 

n 1 22 81 152 261 517 

Regional total % * 20.6 16.4 15.8 15.8 16.2 

n 50 352 936 1,529 1,967 4,832 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 % 16.5 17.1 16.3 15.3 15.3 15.9 

n 439 912 1,246 1,337 1,387 5,322 

Cambodia 2010 % (12.2) 15.1 20.5 17.8 15.7 17.2 

n 34 171 438 615 803 2,061 

India 2005-06 % 33.1 26.9 23.4 21.8 20.6 23.1 

n 1,133 3,352 5,654 6,492 6,876 23,508 

Indonesia 2012 % 5.1 6.8 7.8 8.0 8.5 8.0 

n 115 388 915 1,426 1,800 4,644 

Maldives 2009 % * (49.5) 28.3 29.1 35.6 32.5 

n 0 36 220 461 583 1,300 

Nepal 2011 % 56.7 36.2 40.0 42.0 34.9 39.3 

n 119 386 561 754 733 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 % 23.0 18.1 25.1 27.1 27.5 25.2 

n 106 288 497 560 571 2,022 

Philippines 2008 % (28.1) 29.2 31.9 26.6 22.8 26.6 

n 34 118 282 373 476 1,283 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 % (36.7) 22.4 37.6 33.4 34.1 33.8 

n 29 96 281 416 521 1,343 

Vietnam 2002 % * (10.9) 14.2 7.7 11.9 10.8 

n 3 31 112 197 261 603 

Regional total % 26.4 23.2 24.5 22.9 22.7 23.2 

n 2,012 5,778 10,206 12,631 14,011 44,639 

(Continued...)
55 

Table 8. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 

15-16 17-18 19-20 21-22 23-24 Total 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 % 60.0 34.6 33.3 25.6 26.5 30.1 

n 72 242 346 542 533 1,735 

Colombia 2010 % 37.9 23.5 17.0 16.8 11.0 16.8 

n 209 547 1,067 1,182 1,451 4,456 

Dominican Republic 2007 % 27.8 26.3 24.3 22.6 14.8 21.5 

n 269 471 653 791 1,024 3,209 

Guyana 2009 % (57.7) 32.2 31.2 32.2 27.9 31.5 

n 19 69 153 157 166 564 

Haiti 2012 % 65.6 58.9 50.3 43.8 35.7 44.8 

n 52 186 357 499 561 1,654 

Honduras 2011-12 % 19.3 18.5 12.7 15.4 12.0 14.7 

n 261 562 665 838 910 3,235 

Nicaragua 2001 % 24.0 20.8 17.0 16.3 18.0 18.1 

n 125 335 535 479 560 2,035 

Peru 2010 % 23.5 29.1 19.5 17.7 14.9 18.6 

n 67 200 462 557 664 1,950 

Regional total % 39.5 30.5 25.7 23.8 20.1 24.5 

 n 1,074 2,612 4,238 5,045 5,869 18,838 

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on 

fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. The reported n is the weighted number of cases. 

Table 9 (see below) indicates that unmet need is higher among married women age 15-19 than 

among married women age 20-24 in all regions except the Middle East and North Africa, where the 

converse is true. The largest differences are found in Latin America and the Caribbean where the two age 

groups are separated by almost eight percentage points. 

7.2 Comparison of Unmet Need between Younger and Older Married Women 

To address the second question about age and unmet need, Table 9 compares unmet need among 

married women age 15-24 with unmet need among married women age 25-49. Women age 15-24 are 

further disaggregated into two five-year age group (15-19 and 20-24). Because the focus of this study is 

young women, women age 25-49 are not disaggregated further. However, Appendix Table A7 provides 

the age distribution of unmet need among married women age 15-49, by five-year age group, for all the 

countries with DHS surveys included in the study. 
56 

Table 9. Comparison of unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24 

and age 25-49, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-24 Age 25-49 

15-19 20-24 15-24 total 25-49 total 

% n % n % n % n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 26.6 667 28.8 2,219 28.3 2,886 27.0 10,517 

Burkina Faso 2010 21.7 1,043 23.9 2,686 23.3 3,728 25.0 9,835 

Cameroon 2011 25.7 868 24.9 1,935 25.1 2,803 22.8 6,989 

Chad 2004 19.0 571 22.1 907 20.9 1,478 20.4 3,185 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 34.8 413 23.2 1,083 26.4 1,495 15.9 4,794 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 28.9 457 32.5 1,484 31.6 1,941 24.9 4,682 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 26.5 418 32.6 1,094 30.9 1,512 25.9 4,797 

Gabon 2012 41.4 241 29.8 711 32.7 953 24.8 3,522 

Ghana 2008 61.7 85 42.4 414 45.7 499 33.6 2,377 

Guinea 2005 19.5 587 21.6 888 20.8 1,474 22.3 4,817 

Liberia 2007 40.7 251 42.2 739 41.8 991 33.9 3,549 

Mali 2006 34.8 1,566 26.9 2,402 30.1 3,968 26.4 8,398 

Mauritania 2000-02 35.5 408 34.7 747 35.0 1,155 31.1 3,386 

Niger 2006 11.2 1,014 17.2 1,426 14.7 2,440 16.7 5,502 

Nigeria 2008 18.0 1,863 20.7 3,659 19.8 5,523 20.4 18,055 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 48.3 110 41.4 285 43.3 395 35.9 1,323 

Senegal 2010-11 31.4 832 30.2 1,932 30.5 2,764 29.9 7,583 

Sierra Leone 2008 23.0 359 28.3 812 26.7 1,171 28.8 4,355 

Regional average 30.5 11,753 29.1 25,423 29.3 37,176 25.9 107,666 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 18.8 201 29.7 1,106 28.0 1,307 33.8 4,114 

Eritrea 2002 43.6 580 29.5 950 34.8 1,530 26.2 4,203 

Ethiopia 2011 32.8 765 22.4 1,762 25.6 2,527 26.5 7,761 

Kenya 2008-09 29.7 212 30.4 958 30.2 1,170 24.2 3,758 

Lesotho 2009 29.6 292 27.9 860 28.3 1,151 21.3 2,898 

Madagascar 2008-09 26.8 1,332 17.5 2,058 21.2 3,390 18.1 8,649 

Malawi 2010 25.2 1,171 26.6 3,469 26.2 4,639 26.2 10,888 

Mozambique 2011 23.2 1,136 23.0 1,804 23.1 2,940 31.0 6,391 

Namibia 2006-07 34.3 118 20.2 398 23.4 516 20.2 2,934 

Rwanda 2010 6.4 89 16.8 998 16.0 1,087 21.7 5,810 

Swaziland 2006-07 24.6 88 29.4 343 28.4 431 23.8 1,631 

Tanzania 2010 16.3 399 24.8 1,210 22.7 1,610 26.2 4,802 

Uganda 2011 31.3 409 35.4 1,097 34.3 1,505 34.3 3,912 

Zambia 2007 22.6 280 24.9 889 24.3 1,169 27.4 3,234 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 18.5 452 14.3 1,210 15.5 1,662 14.2 4,041 

Regional average 25.6 7,524 24.9 19,112 25.5 26,634 25.0 75,026 

(Continued...)
57 

Table 9. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-24 Age 25-49 

15-19 20-24 15-24 total 25-49 total 

% n % n % n % n 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 7.0 605 9.2 2,527 8.8 3,133 12.3 12,264 

Jordan 2009 8.4 242 14.7 1,078 13.5 1,320 13.4 8,331 

Morocco 2003-04 10.3 346 10.0 1,095 10.1 1,441 12.2 7,341 

Regional average 8.6 1,193 11.3 4,700 10.8 5,894 12.6 27,936 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Albania 2008-09 16.6 110 17.7 358 17.5 467 12.4 4,534 

Armenia 2010 27.0 68 16.7 450 18.1 518 12.7 3,108 

Azerbaijan 2006 16.4 151 15.8 697 15.9 848 15.3 4,420 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 9.7 158 22.9 896 20.9 1,053 17.3 4,202 

Moldova 2005 14.2 136 12.8 629 13.0 765 11.1 4,172 

Turkey 2003 20.9 120 15.1 543 16.2 664 8.1 3,238 

Ukraine 2007 30.6 45 10.3 472 12.0 517 9.8 3,600 

Regional average 19.3 788 15.9 4,045 16.2 4,832 12.4 27,274 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 17.0 1,925 15.3 3,396 15.9 5,322 12.3 11,314 

Cambodia 2010 16.0 382 17.5 1,679 17.2 2,061 24.8 9,565 

India 2005-06 27.1 6,726 21.5 16,782 23.1 23,508 10.8 69,581 

Indonesia 2012 6.7 890 8.3 3,754 8.0 4,644 11.9 28,821 

Maldives 2009 36.9 111 32.0 1,188 32.5 1,300 27.7 5,201 

Nepal 2011 41.6 792 38.3 1,761 39.3 2,553 23.3 7,055 

Pakistan 2006-07 20.2 559 27.1 1,463 25.2 2,022 25.1 7,534 

Philippines 2008 33.7 283 24.6 1,000 26.6 1,283 21.2 7,134 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 27.4 243 35.2 1,100 33.8 1,343 31.0 6,563 

Vietnam 2002 14.9 67 10.3 536 10.8 603 6.1 4,735 

Regional average 24.2 11,978 23.0 32,659 23.2 44,639 19.4 157,503 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 37.9 472 27.2 1,263 30.1 1,735 18.1 8,426 

Colombia 2010 23.7 1,249 14.1 3,207 16.8 4,456 6.2 21,791 

Dominican Republic 2007 27.2 1,050 18.7 2,159 21.5 3,209 8.4 12,208 

Guyana 2009 34.9 166 30.1 398 31.5 564 27.7 2,356 

Haiti 2012 56.6 404 41.1 1,250 44.8 1,654 32.8 6,154 

Honduras 2011-12 17.7 1,144 13.1 2,091 14.7 3,235 9.3 9,611 

Nicaragua 2001 19.9 701 17.2 1,334 18.1 2,035 13.3 5,389 

Peru 2010 23.1 480 17.1 1,470 18.6 1,950 8.9 11,089 

Regional average 30.1 5,666 22.3 13,172 24.5 18,838 15.6 77,024 

Note: The reported n is the weighted number of cases. 
58 

Table 9 indicates that, in every region with the exception of the Middle East and North Africa, 

married women age 15-24 experience higher levels of unmet need, compared with married women age 25 

and older. Again, the largest differences between the two age groups are in Latin America and the 

Caribbean where married women age 15-24, on average, experience levels of unmet need more than six 

percentage points higher than married women age 25-49. Differences are also substantial in Eastern 

Europe and Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia (each nearly four percentage points difference), and 

West and Central Africa (more than three percentage points difference). The pattern is reversed in the 

Middle East and North Africa, with unmet need almost two percentage points higher among married 

women age 25-49 than among those age 15-24. 

7.2.1 West and Central Africa 

Married women age 15-24 experience greater unmet need than their older counterparts age 25-49 

in 13 West and Central African countries. The converse is the case in the remaining five countries 

(Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone), although the differences are small and unlikely 

to be statistically significant in most places. Where differences are sizeable, unmet need is greater among 

younger women (age 15-24). This pattern applies to Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo, 

Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, and São Tomé and Príncipe. 

7.2.2 East and Southern Africa 

East and Southern Africa exhibits more diverse patterns of unmet need when younger married 

women (age 15-24) and older married women (age 25-49) are compared. Unmet need is the same high 

level for both age groups in Uganda and Malawi and the levels are similar in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. 

Unmet need is higher among married women age 15-24 in Eritrea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, 

Swaziland, and Namibia, but higher among married women age 25-49 than those younger than 25 in 

Burundi, Mozambique, and Rwanda and, by a smaller margin, in Tanzania and Zambia. 

7.2.3 Middle East and North Africa 

There is virtually no difference in unmet need between married women age 15-24 and those age 

25-49 in Jordan. However, in Egypt and Morocco, older married women (age 25-49) experience higher 

levels of unmet need than younger women—more than 3 percentage points higher in Egypt and just over 

two percentage points higher in Morocco. 

7.2.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

The age pattern for unmet need in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is consistent. In all countries, 

unmet need is higher among young married women age 15-24 compared with those age 25-49. The 

differences are largest in Turkey—where unmet need among younger women (16.2%) is double that of 

older women (8.1 %)—and in Armenia and Albania. There is only a slight difference in unmet need 

between age groups in Azerbaijan (15.9% versus 15.3%). 

7.2.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Generally, younger married women in South and Southeast Asia typically experience higher 

levels of unmet need—almost four percentage points higher, on average—than older married women. 

This pattern is not uniform, but occurs in seven of 10 countries in the region. Differences are particularly 

striking in Nepal and India, where younger married women experience levels of unmet need substantially 
59 

higher than their older counterparts—16 percentage points higher in Nepal and more than 12 percentage 

points higher in India. In contrast to this predominant pattern, unmet need in Cambodia is more than 

seven percentage points higher among married women age 25-49 than among those age 15-24. Likewise, 

older married women in Indonesia have somewhat higher unmet need than younger married women. In 

Pakistan, levels of unmet need are nearly identical for the two age groups. 

7.2.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

As with Eastern Europe and Central Asia, unmet need is universally higher among married 

women age 15-24 than among married women age 25-49 in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Furthermore, these differences are frequently sizable, ranging from more than 13 percentage points in the 

Dominican Republic to just under four percentage points in Guyana. Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican 

Republic, Haiti, and Peru all have levels of unmet need among younger married women age 15-24 that 

exceed levels among older married women age 25-49 by nearly 10 percentage points or more. 

61 

8 Factors Associated with Unmet Need 

8.1 Unmet Need and Place of Residence among Young Married and Unmarried 

Women 

Table 10 displays levels of unmet need among married women age 15-24 and sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24, by urban and rural residence. Differences between women living in urban 

areas and those living in rural areas that are statistically significant, as indicated by a Wald test of 

independence, are so indicated by a double asterisk (**). 

In nearly all regions and for both married and unmarried women age 15-24, unmet need is higher, 

on average, among rural women than among urban women. The differences are greatest among sexually 

active, unmarried women in East and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa, and in Latin America and 

the Caribbean. In these regions, women in rural areas experience levels of unmet need more than 10 

percentage points higher than their urban counterparts. At the same time, levels of unmet need among 

married women in West and Central Africa are higher on average among women in urban areas (32.3%) 

than among those in rural areas (28.2%). For the three countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 

data on sexually active, unmarried women, unmet need averages more than five percentage points higher 

among women in urban areas (17.4%) than those in rural areas (11.9%). 

8.1.1 West and Central Africa 

Unmet need differs significantly by place of residence in the majority of countries in West and 

Central Africa; these include 11 of 18 countries with data on married women age 15-24 and nine of 16 

countries with data on sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24. Differences are usually statistically 

significant for women of both marital statuses within each country. However, unmet need is significant in 

Liberia only among sexually active, unmarried women, and in Ghana and Senegal, only among married 

women. Where unmet need differs significantly by place of residence among sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24, rural women are consistently more disadvantaged than their urban counterparts. 

Among married women age 15-24, unmet need is significantly higher among urban women than rural 

women in seven of the 11 countries in which differences are significant. 

8.1.2 East and Southern Africa 

Compared with West and Central Africa fewer countries in East and Southern Africa show 

significant differences in unmet need by place of residence. Among married women age 15-24, unmet 

need is higher for rural women in Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia while it is higher for urban 

women in Burundi and Eritrea. The differences are greatest in Ethiopia (more than 12 percentage points) 

and Namibia (more than 10 percentage points). 

Among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, unmet need is higher for rural women in 

Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia. The differences tend to be greater for unmarried women than for 

married women. In Namibia the difference in unmet need is 13.6 percent for unmarried women compared 

with 10.7 percent for married women; in Malawi the difference is 20.5 percent for unmarried women 

compared with 3.9 percent for married women. 

8.1.3 Middle East and North Africa 

Estimates suggest levels of unmet need among married women age 15-24 do not differ 

significantly by place of residence in any of the three Middle East and North Africa surveys providing 

data to this study. 
Table 10. Unmet need for family planning among women age 15-24, by urban-rural residence, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 Unmarried, sexually active women age 15-24 

Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total 

% % % n n n % % % n n n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 29.5 27.7 28.3 ** 920 1,966 2,886 25.0 39.3 29.7 ** 335 159 494 Burkina Faso 2010 21.0 23.9 23.3 ** 743 2,985 3,728 26.8 50.4 34.8 ** 183 94 276 

Cameroon 2011 25.7 24.7 25.1 ** 1,289 1,514 2,803 22.4 34.2 25.5 ** 470 173 643 

Chad 2004 29.1 18.9 20.9 292 1,187 1,478 (58.7) * 56.8 17 22 39 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 26.6 25.9 26.4 ** 988 507 1,495 14.8 23.7 17.1 ** 650 226 876 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 33.3 30.6 31.6 ** 733 1,208 1,941 29.2 44.7 37.5 ** 204 238 442 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 30.9 31.0 30.9 ** 616 897 1,512 47.0 58.3 50.6 ** 526 249 776 

Gabon 2012 31.9 37.7 32.7 ** 819 134 953 27.5 40.6 28.5 ** 826 71 897 Ghana 2008 41.3 48.1 45.7 ** 175 325 499 46.6 51.0 48.7 93 82 175 

Guinea 2005 25.4 19.0 20.8 409 1,065 1,474 37.6 52.6 44.2 122 96 218 Liberia 2007 46.4 39.7 41.8 310 681 991 53.0 66.3 58.1 ** 440 277 717 Mali 2006 36.5 26.7 30.1 ** 1,360 2,607 3,968 44.1 * 50.1 45 25 70 

Mauritania 2000-02 38.8 32.8 35.0 420 735 1,155 Niger 2006 26.3 13.0 14.7 312 2,128 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 21.5 19.3 19.8 ** 1,272 4,251 5,523 24.3 41.0 33.2 ** 482 552 1,034 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 52.0 35.7 43.3 185 210 395 32.9 (42.8) 35.9 73 32 105 Senegal 2010-11 36.9 27.2 30.5 ** 946 1,818 2,764 67.7 (71.6) 69.5 42 35 77 

Sierra Leone 2008 28.9 25.9 26.7 310 861 1,171 44.9 53.4 47.4 240 103 344 

Regional average 32.3 28.2 29.3 12,099 25,079 37,176 37.7 47.9 41.7 4,748 2,434 7,183 

(Continued...)

62 
Table 10. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 Unmarried, sexually active women age 15-24 

Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total 

% % % n n n % % % n n n 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 29.9 27.9 28.0 ** 96 1,211 1,307 (48.1) (67.2) 62.2 11 32 44 

Eritrea 2002 36.2 34.4 34.8 ** 390 1,140 1,530 

Ethiopia 2011 15.5 27.7 25.6 ** 437 2,090 2,527 26.7 26.3 26.4 33 68 101 

Kenya 2008-09 22.9 32.6 30.2 288 882 1,170 42.7 50.5 47.1 61 77 138 

Lesotho 2009 21.8 30.2 28.3 256 895 1,151 32.2 44.0 38.6 75 89 164 

Madagascar 2008-09 23.3 20.8 21.2 512 2,877 3,390 37.7 42.8 41.6 115 370 485 

Malawi 2010 23.0 26.9 26.2 767 3,872 4,639 31.9 52.4 46.2 ** 91 212 302 Mozambique 2011 27.7 21.3 23.1 850 2,091 2,940 39.3 56.8 47.2 ** 359 298 656 

Namibia 2006-07 17.1 27.8 23.4 ** 209 307 516 9.7 23.3 16.1 ** 353 312 665 Rwanda 2010 15.4 16.1 16.0 164 923 1,087 (41.8) 59.5 54.4 28 68 96 

Swaziland 2006-07 26.7 29.1 28.4 118 313 431 26.6 37.5 34.4 85 206 291 

Tanzania 2010 19.8 23.5 22.7 ** 354 1,256 1,610 27.9 35.9 33.1 126 230 356 

Uganda 2011 24.8 36.3 34.3 267 1,238 1,505 32.2 35.0 33.8 69 91 160 Zambia 2007 23.2 24.9 24.3 ** 377 792 1,169 41.3 47.1 44.6 77 102 179 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 15.7 15.4 15.5 515 1,147 1,662 25.3 43.6 31.8 57 32 89 

Regional average 22.9 26.3 25.5 5,600 21,034 26,634 33.1 44.4 39.8 1,540 2,187 3,726 

Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 5.8 10.0 8.8 911 2,222 3,133 Jordan 2009 13.5 13.5 13.5 1,102 218 1,320 

Morocco 2003-04 10.3 9.9 10.1 640 801 1,441 

Regional average 9.9 11.1 10.8 2,653 3,241 5,894 

 (Continued...)

63 
Table 10. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 Unmarried, sexually active women age 15-24 

Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total 

% % % n n n % % % n n n 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 15.0 18.6 17.5 150 317 467 19.4 8.0 15.6 60 30 90 

Armenia 2010 18.2 18.0 18.1 259 259 518 Azerbaijan 2006 12.9 18.4 15.9 ** 385 464 848 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 18.8 21.8 20.9 305 749 1,053 Moldova 2005 12.5 13.5 13.0 352 413 765 25.8 19.7 23.3 108 74 182 

Turkey 2003 15.6 17.4 16.2 844 413 1,257 

Ukraine 2007 8.8 21.1 12.0 380 136 517 7.1 8.1 7.3 240 41 280 

Regional average 14.5 18.4 16.2 2,675 2,751 5,425 17.4 11.9 15.4 408 145 552 

South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 12.9 17.0 15.9 ** 1,331 3,990 5,322 Cambodia 2010 13.1 18.0 17.2 ** 323 1,738 2,061 India 2005-06 21.1 23.8 23.1 5,578 17,931 23,508 

Indonesia 2012 7.6 8.3 8.0 ** 1,884 2,760 4,644 

Maldives 2009 34.8 31.5 32.5 361 939 1,300 

Nepal 2011 28.1 40.6 39.3 ** 253 2,300 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 27.6 24.3 25.2 573 1,449 2,022 

Philippines 2008 24.4 28.5 26.6 583 700 1,283 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 33.5 33.9 33.8 319 1,024 1,343 Vietnam 2002 9.3 11.1 10.8 72 532 603 Regional average 21.2 23.7 23.2 11,277 33,363 44,639 

 (Continued...)

64 
Table 10. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 Unmarried, sexually active women age 15-24 

Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total 

% % % n n n % % % n n n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 24.2 38.7 30.1 ** 1,029 706 1,735 16.7 37.2 20.6 ** 273 63 337 Colombia 2010 16.3 17.9 16.8 3,147 1,343 4,490 13.8 17.8 14.4 2,771 417 3,188 

Dominican Republic 2007 22.5 19.6 21.5 2,062 1,147 3,209 29.0 30.4 29.3 815 202 1,017 Guyana 2009 31.1 31.6 31.5 89 475 564 22.1 32.9 27.9 85 100 185 Haiti 2012 46.7 43.4 44.8 714 940 1,654 56.3 61.5 58.8 357 324 680 

Honduras 2011-12 15.0 14.5 14.7 1,458 1,778 3,235 16.1 20.2 17.1 373 113 486 

Nicaragua 2001 17.3 19.1 18.1 ** 1,070 965 2,035 18.3 36.8 22.2 136 37 173 

Peru 2010 16.2 22.6 18.6 ** 1,224 726 1,950 6.9 23.1 8.9 ** 570 78 648 Regional average 23.7 25.9 24.5 10,793 8,080 18,872 22.4 32.49 24.9 5,380 1,334 6,714 

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has 

been suppressed. The reported n is the weighted number of cases. 

** Wald test of independence significant at p<0.05 

65 
66 

8.1.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

The only country in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where differences in unmet need by place of 

residence are statistically significant is Azerbaijan. Here, unmet need is more than five percentage points 

higher among rural married women age 15-24 than among urban married women the same age, 18.4 

percent and 12.9 percent, respectively. 

8.1.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Unmet need differs significantly by place of residence in four of the 10 countries in South and 

Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Nepal. In each country, married women age 15-24 

living in rural areas experience greater unmet need than their urban counterparts. These differences are 

particularly notable in Nepal where the level of unmet need among rural married women is 40.6 percent 

compared with 28.1 percent among urban married women, a difference of more than 12 percentage 

points. 

8.1.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

In two countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Bolivia and Peru, levels of unmet need are 

significantly higher in rural areas compared with urban areas for both married and unmarried women age 

15-24. In a third country, Nicaragua, unmet need is significantly higher in rural areas for married women 

only (nearly two percentage points higher). This difference among married women in Peru is more than 

six percentage points and in Bolivia the difference is more than 14 percentage points. The gap is even 

wider among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24: more than 16 percentage points higher among 

those living in rural areas in Peru and more than 20 percentage points higher among those living in rural 

areas in Bolivia. 

8.2 Unmet Need and Household Wealth among Young Married Women 

Table 11 presents levels of unmet need among married women age 15-24 by household wealth 

quintile (lowest (poorest) quintile, second quintile, middle quintile, fourth quintile, highest (richest) 

quintile). As with subsequent socio-demographic characteristics, there are too few cases to disaggregate 

data for sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 so only data for married women are presented. 

Differences by wealth quintile that are statistically significant—as indicated by a Wald test of 

independence—are marked with a double asterisk (**). In nearly all regions, unmet need decreases with 

increasing wealth quintile. The pattern is less clear in West and Central Africa, where unmet need is 

highest among women in the highest (richest) quintile—followed by women in the middle and second 

quintiles—and unmet need lowest among women in the fourth and lowest (poorest) quintiles. 

8.2.1 West and Central Africa 

Unmet need among married women age 15-24 differs significantly by wealth status in eight of 18 

West and Central African countries. In Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria, unmet need is highest among 

women in the higher (richer) quintiles (or richest and richer), and lower among women in lower (poorer) 

wealth quintiles those in the poorer quintiles. However, in Ghana the pattern is reversed, with unmet need 

highest among women in lower wealth quintiles. Benin and Cameroon indicate unmet need is higher close 

to the middle of the wealth distribution, while Chad suggests a bimodal distribution with high levels of 

unmet need in the middle quintile and in the richest quintile. 
Table 11. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, by wealth quintile, most recent DHS surveys, 

2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

% % % % % % n n n n n n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 27.0 28.6 28.1 32.6 22.9 28.3 ** 605 593 652 649 387 2,886 

Burkina Faso 2010 22.3 25.6 24.7 22.7 20.5 23.3 606 811 824 780 708 3,728 Cameroon 2011 24.0 21.9 29.0 27.9 22.5 25.1 ** 564 562 557 595 524 2,803 

Chad 2004 19.5 20.8 23.6 13.6 27.8 20.9 ** 258 325 293 317 286 1,478 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 24.5 30.5 26.8 25.7 22.3 26.4 266 330 349 349 201 1,495 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 31.6 29.0 33.0 29.6 37.8 31.6 387 452 443 427 231 1,941 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 32.0 34.3 28.0 31.7 28.3 30.9 361 290 322 302 236 1,512 Gabon 2012 38.7 33.5 29.5 29.3 35.5 32.7 170 247 247 198 91 953 

Ghana 2008 46.1 52.3 55.0 37.6 33.5 45.7 ** 106 121 93 123 57 499 

Guinea 2005 15.6 17.4 21.9 24.3 25.6 20.8 ** 300 334 287 244 310 1,474 

Liberia 2007 36.4 37.6 41.5 46.1 54.3 41.8 238 224 227 180 122 991 

Mali 2006 28.3 26.7 27.6 26.6 38.0 30.1 ** 663 700 788 791 1,026 3,968 

Mauritania 2000-02 31.7 38.3 35.0 38.4 29.8 35.0 239 280 249 222 165 1,155 

Niger 2006 14.9 13.6 10.4 13.4 23.7 14.7 ** 414 522 522 593 389 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 17.2 17.2 21.2 24.3 24.0 19.8 ** 1,634 1,400 1,016 909 564 5,523 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 48.0 44.5 39.5 31.6 58.8 43.3 82 103 87 76 46 395 Senegal 2010-11 27.6 29.4 30.9 34.7 31.6 30.5 724 607 470 528 435 2,764 Sierra Leone 2008 25.6 28.0 22.9 27.5 31.4 26.7 278 233 255 235 169 1,171 Regional average 28.4 29.4 29.4 28.8 31.6 29.3 7,895 8,134 7,681 7,518 5,947 37,176 

(Continued...)

67 
Table 11. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

% % % % % % n n n n n n 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 24.3 29.6 26.5 30.3 30.8 28.0 299 273 286 251 198 1,307 

Eritrea 2002 31.4 34.6 36.6 36.7 32.8 34.8 255 355 436 314 170 1,530 Ethiopia 2011 33.1 25.7 28.0 29.6 11.9 25.6 ** 513 538 500 459 516 2,527 

Kenya 2008-09 34.6 35.8 35.1 32.3 16.4 30.2 ** 247 217 198 239 269 1,170 

Lesotho 2009 32.7 31.6 26.7 27.2 22.0 28.3 233 243 233 266 176 1,151 

Madagascar 2008-09 25.2 19.1 17.5 19.6 23.7 21.2 ** 727 708 643 604 707 3,390 

Malawi 2010 27.1 25.5 27.6 26.5 24.2 26.2 854 1,069 1,064 875 778 4,639 

Mozambique 2011 17.6 18.6 25.5 24.4 32.1 23.1 ** 618 616 618 656 433 2,940 

Namibia 2006-07 30.7 18.2 26.2 19.6 11.0 23.4 149 75 136 101 55 516 

Rwanda 2010 20.9 19.2 11.3 11.3 15.6 16.0 ** 264 227 226 191 180 1,087 

Swaziland 2006-07 34.0 23.2 29.7 28.0 26.2 28.4 98 77 82 82 92 431 Tanzania 2010 27.4 21.8 24.8 20.1 18.7 22.7 298 393 343 328 247 1,610 Uganda 2011 35.1 37.4 37.0 37.9 25.2 34.3 ** 335 339 291 221 319 1,505 

Zambia 2007 25.3 27.3 25.5 22.0 20.3 24.3 243 243 266 261 157 1,169 Zimbabwe 2010-11 16.8 18.2 14.4 15.1 11.6 15.5 338 352 367 367 237 1,662 Regional average 27.7 25.7 26.2 25.4 21.5 25.5 5,471 5,725 5,689 5,215 4,534 26,634 

Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 13.2 9.5 9.1 6.6 3.9 8.8 ** 626 758 685 652 412 3,133 

Jordan 2009 12.0 16.3 15.0 8.6 13.7 13.5 277 372 317 225 129 1,320 

Morocco 2003-04 9.1 9.8 11.5 8.8 11.8 10.1 337 377 315 233 178 1,441 

Regional average 11.4 11.9 11.9 8.0 9.8 10.8 1,240 1,507 1,317 1,110 719 5,894 

(Continued...)

678 
Table 11. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

% % % % % % n n n n n n 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 17.6 14.1 20.4 22.7 9.9 17.5 99 110 134 71 54 467 

Armenia 2010 15.5 27.8 10.3 19.2 16.7 18.1 131 115 99 86 87 518 

Azerbaijan 2006 27.5 15.0 12.5 15.0 9.6 15.9 ** 151 223 187 165 122 848 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 16.5 21.7 21.2 28.4 16.6 20.9 219 239 229 193 174 1,053 

Moldova 2005 8.9 13.9 17.3 11.5 12.9 13.0 112 148 148 173 185 765 

Turkey 2003 21.2 18.1 17.1 7.0 17.4 16.2 ** 268 276 270 271 171 1,257 Ukraine 2007 20.6 14.7 18.7 9.3 3.6 12.0 ** 56 109 106 104 142 517 

Regional average 18.3 17.9 16.8 16.2 12.4 16.2 1,036 1,220 1,173 1,063 935 5,425 South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 17.0 14.0 15.7 18.2 14.8 15.9 958 1,141 1,127 1,146 949 5,322 

Cambodia 2010 19.9 18.1 17.5 15.2 14.6 17.2 477 412 430 409 335 2,061 

India 2005-06 24.5 23.7 23.7 22.7 19.6 23.1 ** 5,155 5,475 5,214 4,622 3,042 23,508 

Indonesia 2012 11.0 8.5 5.1 5.7 10.1 8.0 ** 1,115 1,129 1,014 897 489 4,644 Maldives 2009 31.2 33.5 27.2 35.1 36.5 32.5 236 269 302 267 226 1,300 

Nepal 2011 39.9 39.3 41.6 38.3 36.5 39.3 441 534 623 589 366 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 26.2 25.6 30.2 20.9 22.5 25.2 447 482 390 377 326 2,022 

Philippines 2008 29.8 25.7 24.5 26.4 25.9 26.6 317 302 259 242 164 1,283 Timor-Leste 2009-10 35.7 30.6 35.6 34.4 32.6 33.8 227 274 308 307 227 1,343 Vietnam 2002 13.4 9.9 11.0 11.3 6.5 10.8 166 133 131 91 83 603 Regional average 24.9 22.9 23.2 22.8 22.0 23.2 9,539 10,151 9,798 8,947 6,207 44,639 

(Continued...)

679 
Table 11. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

Lowest 

(poorest) Second Middle Fourth

Highest 

(richest) Total 

% % % % % % n n n n n n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 44.4 31.5 30.1 20.6 20.4 30.1 ** 351 378 425 420 161 1,735 

Colombia 2010 22.0 16.0 16.0 13.4 10.5 16.8 ** 1,214 1,181 1,068 701 325 4,490 Dominican Republic 2007 22.2 21.3 21.0 22.3 20.1 21.5 898 737 613 492 469 3,209 Guyana 2009 43.3 21.1 37.0 25.7 22.1 31.5 ** 155 137 122 95 56 564 Haiti 2012 40.1 50.3 42.2 45.1 47.5 44.8 290 312 401 410 241 1,654 

Honduras 2011-12 16.7 15.3 13.7 12.3 16.0 14.7 706 737 677 697 418 3,235 

Nicaragua 2001 21.9 18.8 17.5 16.5 14.9 18.1 451 439 423 386 336 2,035 

Peru 2010 22.3 20.7 17.7 14.3 9.8 18.6 504 508 507 270 162 1,950 

Regional average 29.1 24.4 24.4 21.3 20.2 24.5 4,569 4,429 4,236 3,471 2,168 18,872 

Note: The reported n is the weighted number of cases. 

** Wald test of independence significant at p<0.05 

67 70
71 

8.2.2 East and Southern Africa 

The six countries in East and Southern Africa for which unmet need differs significantly by 

wealth suggest a negative association: unmet need declines with household wealth quintile. This pattern is 

evident in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. However, unmet need suggests a U-shaped distribution in 

Madagascar, with higher levels of unmet need in the lowest (poorest) and highest (richest) quintiles. In 

Mozambique, unmet need increases with increasing wealth quintile. 

8.2.3 Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa region where levels of unmet need 

vary significantly by wealth quintile among married women age 15-24. Here, unmet need declines 

steadily as wealth quintiles increase, from 13.2 percent in the lowest wealth quintile to 3.9 percent in the 

highest. 

8.2.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

In Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the Ukraine, unmet need among married women age 15-24 declines 

consistently with increasing wealth quintiles. The differences are largest in Azerbaijan and Ukraine. In 

Azerbaijan, unmet need is 27.5 percent in the lowest wealth quintile and 9.6 percent in the highest wealth 

quintile. In Ukraine, these figures are 20.6 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. 

8.2.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Unmet need among married women age 15-24 in South and Southeast Asia differs significantly 

by wealth status in just two of the 10 countries: India and Indonesia. In both these countries, unmet need 

is highest among women in the lowest wealth quintile (24.5 percent in India and 11.0 percent in 

Indonesia) and declines with subsequent wealth quintiles. However, in Indonesia, unmet need increases 

again in the richest wealth quintile (10.1%) to a level near that in the lowest wealth quintile. 

8.2.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

In Bolivia, Colombia, and Guyana, unmet need declines consistently among married women age 

15-24 from the lowest to the highest wealth quintile. The differences are statistically significant and quite 

substantial. In all three countries, levels of unmet need among young married women in the highest 

wealth quintile are about half that of unmet need among young married women in the lowest wealth 

quintile. In the case of Bolivia and Guyana, the differences are about 20 percentage points; in Colombia, 

the difference is about 10 percentage points. 

8.3 Unmet Need and Education among Young Married Women 

Table 12 indicates levels of unmet need among married women age 15-24 by educational 

attainment. As with prior tables showing unmet need by socio-demographic characteristics, a double 

asterisk (**) indicates a significant Wald test of independence. Differences in unmet need by education 

are statistically significant in the majority of countries in all regions except East and Southern Africa and 

South and Southeast Asia, where only about one-third of countries show these differences to be 

statistically significant. 
Table 12. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, by educational attainment, most recent DHS 

surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

% % % % % n n n n n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 26.1 32.6 35.9 * 28.3 ** 2,053 583 238 11 2,886 

Burkina Faso 2010 22.8 28.7 18.9 * 23.3 ** 2,903 525 283 17 3,728 Cameroon 2011 21.9 27.4 26.1 12.8 25.1 ** 659 1,018 1,033 92 2,803 

Chad 2004 17.2 31.1 30.0 * 20.9 ** 1,072 311 91 4 1,478 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 33.8 27.0 26.5 (5.0) 26.4 97 416 932 50 1,495 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 25.8 31.0 37.4 * 31.6 ** 438 876 605 22 1,941 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 31.0 31.5 30.7 * 30.9 941 398 154 18 1,512 Gabon 2012 39.3 38.4 31.8 * 32.7 55 173 691 33 953 

Ghana 2008 39.9 47.8 47.7 * 45.7 129 135 226 9 499 

Guinea 2005 17.3 22.9 48.7 * 20.8 ** 1,170 166 135 3 1,474 

Liberia 2007 34.0 48.1 42.7 * 41.8 ** 388 443 157 2 991 

Mali 2006 27.3 34.8 43.6 * 30.1 ** 3,000 497 449 22 3,968 

Mauritania 2000-02 30.7 41.2 35.8 * 35.0 ** 598 416 128 13 1,155 

Niger 2006 14.3 16.6 20.4 NA 14.7 2,119 253 68 0 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 16.1 21.2 27.0 21.3 19.8 ** 3,060 998 1,340 124 5,523 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 * 39.4 48.2 NA 43.3 23 254 118 0 395 Senegal 2010-11 28.3 36.3 33.9 * 30.5 ** 1,889 592 271 11 2,764 Sierra Leone 2008 24.2 28.7 43.3 * 26.7 ** 861 189 115 5 1,171 

Regional average 26.5 32.5 34.9 13.0 29.3 21,455 8,243 7,034 436 37,176 

 (Continued...)

72 
Table 12. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

% % % % % n n n n n 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 27.8 27.6 34.0 * 28.0 654 587 65 1 1,307 

Eritrea 2002 31.2 38.3 37.4 * 34.8 ** 764 593 169 5 1,530 

Ethiopia 2011 26.1 27.9 14.3 10.6 25.6 ** 1,221 1,059 152 95 2,527 Kenya 2008-09 29.2 33.3 22.7 (11.9) 30.2 123 790 226 31 1,170 

Lesotho 2009 * 31.1 26.0 * 28.3 9 601 513 28 1,151 Madagascar 2008-09 21.1 21.5 20.8 18.0 21.2 713 1,738 876 62 3,390 

Malawi 2010 26.5 27.4 21.6 * 26.2 384 3,415 813 27 4,639 

Mozambique 2011 20.7 22.1 30.9 * 23.1 ** 696 1,763 473 8 2,940 Namibia 2006-07 27.9 26.4 21.0 * 23.4 58 172 281 5 516 

Rwanda 2010 20.8 15.7 10.8 * 16.0 148 829 102 8 1,087 

Swaziland 2006-07 (31.2) 32.6 26.0 * 28.4 ** 36 168 217 10 431 

Tanzania 2010 25.1 21.8 22.7 * 22.7 409 1,079 119 3 1,610 Uganda 2011 23.8 37.9 28.3 (21.0) 34.3 ** 91 1,001 385 28 1,505 

Zambia 2007 27.0 25.5 21.2 * 24.3 127 708 315 18 1,169 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 * 17.5 14.6 * 15.5 6 505 1,140 11 1,662 

Regional average 26.0 27.1 23.5 16.5 25.5 5,439 15,008 5,846 340 26,634 Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 12.0 7.1 8.3 6.1 8.8 ** 681 261 1,890 301 3,133 Jordan 2009 (24.4) 25.1 14.7 6.6 13.5 ** 18 63 942 297 1,320 Morocco 2003-04 9.0 9.2 14.5 * 10.1 803 351 264 22 1,441 

Regional average 15.1 13.8 12.5 6.4 10.8 1,502 675 3,096 620 5,894 

 (Continued...)

73 
Table 12. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

% % % % % n n n n n 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 * 17.7 13.1 (21.9) 17.5 4 324 91 49 467 

Armenia 2010 * (23.9) 18.9 16.7 18.1 ** 1 26 241 250 518 

Azerbaijan 2006 * (36.0) 15.3 13.5 15.9 9 27 740 73 848 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 NA * 21.4 20.4 20.9 ** 0 5 662 386 1,053 Moldova 2005 * * 13.5 11.1 13.0 ** 1 6 586 173 765 

Turkey 2003 30.1 15.4 11.8 10.3 16.2 ** 160 715 330 52 1,257 

Ukraine 2007 NA * 17.3 8.3 12.0 ** 0 1 214 301 517 

Regional average 30.1 23.3 15.9 14.6 16.2 175 1,104 2,864 1,284 5,425 South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 14.8 15.6 16.2 16.9 15.9 492 1,518 2,933 378 5,322 Cambodia 2010 14.9 18.4 16.9 6.2 17.2 230 1,035 767 29 2,061 

India 2005-06 23.3 23.4 23.3 18.2 23.1 9,353 4,010 9,324 820 23,508 Indonesia 2012 19.5 7.7 7.6 10.1 8.0 ** 77 1,341 2,977 248 4,644 Maldives 2009 * 36.4 32.1 26.2 32.5 8 188 1,020 68 1,300 Nepal 2011 31.2 42.1 43.2 37.2 39.3 ** 684 588 1,098 183 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 25.4 27.3 23.7 20.7 25.2 1,205 366 366 86 2,022 

Philippines 2008 * 33.0 25.2 24.6 26.6 14 229 783 257 1,283 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 34.2 31.2 34.7 * 33.8 251 388 679 24 1,343 Vietnam 2002 14.3 7.8 12.4 * 10.8 ** 51 192 350 11 603 

Regional average 22.2 24.3 23.5 20.0 23.2 12,365 9,855 20,297 2,104 44,639 

 (Continued...)

741 
Table 12. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Married women age 15-24 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

No 

education Primary Secondary Higher Total 

% % % % % n n n n n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 * 37.7 24.4 14.9 30.1 ** 20 805 777 133 1,735 Colombia 2010 31.6 19.8 16.3 13.6 16.8 ** 51 872 2,952 614 4,490 

Dominican Republic 2007 13.1 26.3 19.4 15.2 21.5 ** 66 1,253 1,487 402 3,209 Guyana 2009 * 38.0 29.2 * 31.5 10 105 430 19 564 

Haiti 2012 40.2 46.5 44.1 * 44.8 112 786 724 33 1,654 

Honduras 2011-12 24.8 15.0 14.2 9.3 14.7 76 1,709 1,360 90 3,235 Nicaragua 2001 23.8 18.1 15.5 21.8 18.1 ** 271 965 700 99 2,035 Peru 2010 * 23.4 18.6 8.5 18.6 ** 13 512 1,170 256 1,950 

Regional average 26.7 28.1 22.7 13.9 24.5 619 7,007 9,600 1,646 18,872 

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has 

been suppressed. The reported n is the weighted number of cases. 

** Wald test of independence significant at p<0.05 

75 
76 

8.3.1 West and Central Africa 

Unmet need among married women age 15-24 differs by educational attainment in 12 of 18 

countries in West and Central Africa. On average, unmet need increases with education through 

completion of secondary schooling. This pattern is observed for most countries that show statistically 

significant differences in unmet need by level of education. However, unmet need decreases with 

education in Burkina Faso; and in Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal, unmet need is higher among young 

married women with primary education than among either those with no education or those with 

secondary education. 

8.3.2 East and Southern Africa 

The patterns of unmet need by level of education are just as varied in East and Southern Africa as 

in West and Central Africa. Unmet need among married women age 15-24 increases with educational 

attainment in Eritrea and Mozambique, declines with educational attainment in Ethiopia and Swaziland, 

and peaks among women with primary education in Uganda. In no other countries is educational 

attainment significantly associated with unmet need in this population. 

8.3.3 Middle East and North Africa 

Among married women age 15-24 in both Egypt and Jordan, unmet need declines as educational 

attainment increases. In Egypt the decline is from 12.0 percent among women with no education to 6.1 

percent among women with higher education. The decline in Jordan is from 25.1 percent among women 

with primary education to 6.6 percent among women with higher education. 

8.3.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Educational attainment is significantly associated with unmet need among married women age 

15-24 in five of seven Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries. In each of the five countries, unmet 

need decreases with increasing level of education. In contrast to most of the other regions, countries in 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia typically have few married women age 15-24 with no education or only 

primary education. As a result, statistical analysis of unmet need by educational attainment is largely 

restricted to women achieving secondary and higher education. 

8.3.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Educational attainment is significantly associated with unmet need among married women age 

15-24 in just three of 10 countries in South and Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Nepal, and Vietnam. While 

unmet need declines with increasing educational attainment across the region as a whole, these three 

countries show diverse patterns. In Indonesia, unmet need is highest among women with no education 

(19.5%) and those with higher education (10.1%); it is lowest among women with primary education 

(7.7%) and those with secondary education (7.6%). Vietnam is similar, with unmet need highest among 

those with no education (14.3%) and those with secondary education (12.4%); it is lowest among those 

with primary education (7.8%). Nepal shows an opposing pattern: unmet need is higher among women 

with primary education (42.1%) or secondary education (43.2%) than among women with no education 

(31.2%) or higher education (37.2%). 

8.3.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

In five of eight countries in Latin American and the Caribbean, educational attainment is 

significantly associated with unmet need among married women age 15-24. Unmet need declines quite 
77 

consistently with increasing level of education in Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, 

and Peru. Two small variations to this general pattern are evident. In the Dominican Republic, the lowest

level of unmet need is among women with no education (13.1%); the highest level is among women with 

primary education (26.3%); thereafter unmet need decreases with increasing level of education. In 

Nicaragua, unmet need decreases with increasing level of education, from 23.8 percent among women 

with no education to 15.5 percent among women with secondary education, then increases sharply to 21.8 

percent among women with higher education. 

8.4 Unmet Need and Parity among Young Married Women 

Table 13 displays levels of unmet need among married women age 15-24 by parity. Women are 

disaggregated according to four parity categories: parity 0 (nulliparous), parity 1 (1 birth), parity 2 (2 

births), and parity 3+ (3 or more births). Differences across parity categories that are statistically 

significant—as indicated by a Wald test of independence—are marked with a double asterisk (**). The 

results indicate that parity is significantly associated with unmet need in a majority of countries in most 

regions, and in approximately half of the countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and in Latin 

America and the Caribbean. 

Table 13. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-24, by parity, 

most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Parity among married women age 15-24 

0 1 2 3+ Total 0 1 2 3+ Total 

% % % % % n n n n n 

West and Central 

Africa 

Benin 2006 10.3 31.4 29.5 37.3 28.3 ** 471 1,195 794 425 2,886 

Burkina Faso 2010 7.0 28.0 28.3 25.5 23.3 ** 781 1,380 1,033 534 3,728 

Cameroon 2011 15.5 23.0 29.2 35.4 25.1 ** 646 943 684 529 2,803 

Chad 2004 13.2 21.7 26.1 19.8 20.9 ** 275 479 408 317 1,478 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 25.6 23.8 26.3 34.7 26.4 200 646 430 220 1,495 

Congo Democratic 

Republic 

2007 18.1 30.4 37.4 38.0 31.6 ** 327 729 526 358 1,941 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 13.2 32.6 37.7 38.7 30.9 ** 326 484 446 256 1,512 

Gabon 2012 25.6 31.4 37.9 39.1 32.7 223 360 232 137 953 

Ghana 2008 37.3 45.0 56.0 44.5 45.7 110 213 113 63 499 

Guinea 2005 12.5 23.0 22.2 26.9 20.8 ** 373 537 344 220 1,474 

Liberia 2007 22.8 44.1 46.6 46.1 41.8 ** 156 392 290 154 991 

Mali 2006 30.8 29.5 29.8 30.3 30.1 1,006 1,255 949 758 3,968 

Mauritania 2000-02 20.8 41.8 46.3 39.3 35 ** 396 348 219 192 1,155 

Niger 2006 9.3 15.2 17.6 16.8 14.7 ** 595 773 574 498 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 14.0 21.7 21.1 22.2 19.8 ** 1,328 1,768 1,337 1,090 5,523 

São Tomé and 

Príncipe 

2008-09 44.6 46.3 39.5 (38.8) 43.3 64 179 115 36 395 

Senegal 2010-11 14.9 34.0 38.2 40.0 30.5 ** 762 982 606 413 2,764 

Sierra Leone 2008 9.2 26.1 30.2 43.9 26.7 ** 243 408 324 195 1,171 

Regional average 19.2 30.5 33.3 34.3 29.3 8,282 13,071 9,424 6,395 37,176 

(Continued...)
78 

Table 13. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Parity among married women age 15-24 

0 1 2 3+ Total 0 1 2 3+ Total 

% % % % % n n n n n 

East and Southern 

Africa 

Burundi 2010 5.2 30.7 31.3 44.4 28.0 ** 227 561 365 153 1,307 

Eritrea 2002 31.1 37.2 35.8 40.5 34.8 612 476 286 157 1,530 

Ethiopia 2011 22.9 24.5 25.8 33.5 25.6 674 895 633 325 2,527 

Kenya 2008-09 18.6 25.2 31.8 45.1 30.2 ** 171 419 338 242 1,170 

Lesotho 2009 13.8 28.5 38.9 43.2 28.3 ** 244 602 252 54 1,151 

Madagascar 2008-09 24.9 18.8 20.3 21.0 21.2 945 1,160 783 501 3,390 

Malawi 2010 22.1 23.4 28.0 32.8 26.2 ** 602 1,793 1,483 761 4,639 

Mozambique 2011 10.0 23.8 30.1 28.8 23.1 ** 641 1,135 748 416 2,940 

Namibia 2006-07 26.1 22.1 21.8 29.0 23.4 102 217 150 47 516 

Rwanda 2010 5.5 14.7 23.0 27.2 16.0 ** 205 534 265 83 1,087 

Swaziland 2006-07 20.0 29.7 28.9 (36.2) 28.4 70 187 135 39 431 

Tanzania 2010 2.4 21.0 27.3 36.8 22.7 ** 252 598 485 274 1,610 

Uganda 2011 17.1 32.6 35.9 46.2 34.3 ** 251 450 439 365 1,505 

Zambia 2007 16.4 20.7 27.8 29.6 24.3 ** 162 372 382 253 1,169 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 15.4 16.5 12.7 19.3 15.5 312 800 444 106 1,662 

Regional average 16.8 24.6 28.0 34.2 25.5 5,470 10,199 7,188 3,776 26,634 

Middle East and 

North Africa 

Egypt 2008 0.5 11.0 13.3 17.6 8.8 ** 936 1,274 723 200 3,133 

Jordan 2009 3.1 18.9 14.9 20.1 13.5 ** 369 451 360 140 1,320 

Morocco 2003-04 8.5 11.0 11.9 6.7 10.1 461 575 301 104 1,441 

Regional average 4.0 13.6 13.4 14.8 10.8 1,766 2,300 1,384 444 5,894 

Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 13.1 19.5 23.0 * 17.5 204 185 67 11 467 

Armenia 2010 9.4 20.8 22.1 * 18.1 159 236 109 13 518 

Azerbaijan 2006 4.8 18.9 23.6 (26.0) 15.9 ** 278 301 226 43 848 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 3.6 25.3 30.7 * 20.9 281 486 252 34 1,053 

Moldova 2005 12.5 13.1 12.3 (27.8) 13.0 ** 285 377 90 13 765 

Turkey 2003 17.0 14.3 17.2 21.5 16.2 360 555 249 92 1,257 

Ukraine 2007 9.0 12.3 (20.0) * 12.0 ** 214 257 41 4 517 

Regional average 9.91 17.7 21.3 25.1 16.2 1,781 2,397 1,034 210 5,425 

(Continued...)
79 

Table 13. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Parity among married women age 15-24 

0 1 2 3+ Total 0 1 2 3+ Total 

% % % % % n n n n n 

South and 

Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 12.5 15.6 18.1 22.9 15.9 ** 1,315 2,400 1,224 383 5,322 

Cambodia 2010 10.3 20.3 17.0 20.9 17.2 ** 503 1,066 405 88 2,061 

India 2005-06 17.1 27.5 22.0 27.5 23.1 ** 6,904 7,822 5,750 3,032 23,508 

Indonesia 2012 4.2 8.6 11.7 22.1 8.0 ** 1,192 2,922 463 67 4,644 

Maldives 2009 16.8 47.5 43.4 * 32.5 ** 619 561 108 12 1,300 

Nepal 2011 36.3 42.1 40.6 34.9 39.3 828 1,000 527 197 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 11.0 25.0 35.4 43.3 25.2 ** 690 597 427 307 2,022 

Philippines 2008 18.7 29.5 26.2 35.3 26.6 ** 306 607 279 91 1,283 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 20.8 39.0 34.4 32.0 33.8 ** 191 537 369 245 1,343 

Vietnam 2002 10.3 11.2 8.7 * 10.8 143 344 106 10 603 

Regional average 15.8 26.6 25.75 29.86 23.2 12,691 17,856 9,658 4,432 44,639 

Latin America and 

Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 30.8 24.7 31.0 44.9 30.1 ** 279 760 459 238 1,735 

Colombia 2010 23.8 13.5 15.9 19.3 16.8 ** 1,055 2,175 922 338 4,490 

Dominican Republic 2007 25.2 20.9 20.0 17.8 21.5 858 1,275 662 414 3,209 

Guyana 2009 18.4 29.9 40.6 48.1 31.5 ** 153 211 126 73 564 

Haiti 2010-11 48.6 44.6 41.7 43.4 44.8 389 811 351 103 1,654 

Honduras 2010-11 16.3 13.8 15.2 14.7 14.7 772 1,569 672 222 3,235 

Nicaragua 2001 21.0 16.5 16.3 22.8 18.1 409 887 477 263 2,035 

Peru 2010 26.9 14.8 18.8 24.9 18.6 ** 350 1,028 430 142 1,950 

Regional average 26.4 22.3 24.9 29.5 24.5 4,265 8,716 4,099 1,793 18,872 

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on 

fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. The reported n is the weighted number of cases. 

** Wald test of independence significant at p<0.05 

8.4.1 West and Central Africa 

Unmet need differs significantly by parity among married women age 15-24 in 13 of 18 countries 

in West and Central Africa. In all 13 countries, unmet need increases with parity. The largest differences 

are between women with no births (nulliparous women) and women with one or more births. Unmet need 

does not always increase across parity categories after parity 1, but may plateau at levels higher than 

nulliparous women, or may decline slightly among women with three or more births (parity 3+), as in 

Burkina Faso and Chad. 

8.4.2 East and Southern Africa 

Unmet need among married women age 15-24 differs significantly by parity in nine of 15 

countries in East and Southern African. In each country, unmet need increases with parity and—as in 

West and Central Africa—the largest differences are seen in the comparison of nulliparous women (parity 

0) and women with one birth (parity 1). For example, unmet need among nulliparous women in Burundi 
80 

is just 5.2 percent, compared with 30.7 percent among women with one birth, a difference of more than 

25 percentage points. The phenomenon of “plateauing” levels of unmet need at parity 1 and higher that is 

seen in West and Central Africa, however, is not apparent in East and Southern Africa. Unmet need 

continues to rise steadily (though by smaller degrees), as parity increases from parity 1 to parity 3+. 

8.4.3 Middle East and North Africa 

Unmet need increases with parity in Egypt and Jordan, with the biggest increases occurring 

between nulliparous women (0.5% and 3.1%, respectively) and women with one birth (11.0% and 

18.9%), as in the other regions. In Jordan, unmet need is lower among women with two births (14.9%) 

than among either women with one birth (18.9%) or women with three or more births (20.1%). 

8.4.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Unmet need among married women age 15-24 is significantly associated with parity in only three 

of seven countries Eastern Europe and Central Asia; the patterns exhibited by the three countries—

Azerbaijan, Moldova, and the Ukraine—are diverse. Unmet need increases with parity in both Azerbaijan 

and Ukraine. Although in Azerbaijan there is a large difference between women with no births (4.8%) and 

women with one birth (18.9%), the difference in Ukraine is more modest (9.0% and 12.3%, respectively). 

In Moldova, women who are parity 0, parity 1, and parity 2 experience similar levels of unmet need 

(12.5%, 13.1%, and 12.3%, respectively). 

8.4.5 South and Southeast Asia 

In eight of 10 countries in South and Southeast Asia—Nepal and Vietnam are exceptions—unmet 

need among married women age 15-24 is significantly associated with parity. In the eight countries, 

unmet need is consistently lower among nulliparous women than among women of other parities. 

However, the patterns of unmet need across parity categories 1, 2, and 3+ are more varied than those seen 

in other regions. In Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan, unmet need increases steadily with parity. The 

relatively large difference between parity 0 women and parity 1 women that is apparent in most countries 

is absent in Bangladesh. Instead, unmet need in Bangladesh increases almost monotonically by 

approximately three percentage points between each parity category. 

In Cambodia, India, and the Philippines, unmet need is higher among parous women than among 

nulliparous women; however, as was the case in Jordan, unmet need is lower among parity 2 women than 

among parity 1 women or parity 3+ women. In the Maldives and Timor-Leste, unmet need rises sharply 

between parity 0 (nulliparous) women and parity 1 women, then declines and as parity increases. 

8.4.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

Unmet need is significantly associated with parity among married women age 15-24 in four of the 

eight Latin American and Caribbean countries for which data are available: Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, 

and Peru. In Guyana, large increases in unmet need (about 10 percentage points) are seen across each 

parity category. In the other three countries (Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru) a new pattern of unmet need 

emerges that is not observed in the other regions. In Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru, unmet need is highest 

among nulliparous women (parity 0), then drops sharply among primaparous women (parity 1); 

thereafter, it increases gradually with parity. 
81 

9 Components of Unmet Need 

Unmet need for family planning is somewhat unusual as a demographic indicator in that it is a 

composite indicator with both attitudinal and behavioral components. This section of the study unpacks 

and explores the various components underlying the indicator among women age 15-24, with the aim of 

expanding our insight into the unmet need indicator, itself. 

The indicator is first applied to the population of women at risk of pregnancy, either because they 

are married (and who are, therefore, assumed to be sexually active) or unmarried women who explicitly 

report they were sexually active in the past 30 days. Tables 14 and 15 present current levels and trends in 

the proportion of women age 15-24 who are first married by age 15 and by age 18. Tables 16 and 17 

provide current levels and trends in the proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who are sexually 

active. 

Next, young women’s need for family planning is established by women’s reports of current 

fertility intentions. Women who want a child within the next two years are categorized as having no need

for family planning; women who want a child after two or more years are categorized as having a need 

for spacing; and, women who want no (more) children are categorized as having a need for limiting. Two 

aspects of fertility desires are explored in this report: 1) ideal number of children and 2) desire for 

a(nother) child. Tables 18 and 19 display the current levels and trends in the percent distribution and 

mean ideal number of children desired by married women age 15-24; Tables 20 and 21 show these data 

for unmarried women age 15-24. While the ideal number of children is not necessarily static over the 

entire life course—because, over time, an individual woman may change her mind about the number of 

children she would like to have—this indicator is a useful description of the fertility regime to which 

cohorts of young women aspire. Tables 22-25 present the percent distribution of desires for a(nother) 

child, which is the specific survey item used in the algorithm for the unmet need indicator. As in previous 

tables, current levels and trends are presented separately for married women and sexually active, 

unmarried women. 

Lastly, current use of contraception among young women age 15-24 is the indicator used to 

determine whether need for family planning is “met” or remains “unmet.” Tables 26-29 provide data on 

current use of contraception by method type, for both married women and sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24. Levels and trends in current use of contraception are presented separately for married 

women and sexually active, unmarried women. 

9.1 Exposure to the Risk of Pregnancy through Marriage 

Table 14 presents the proportion of women age 15-24 who experience their first marriage or 

union by age 15 and by age 18. The highest proportions of women married or in union by these two ages 

are in West and Central Africa, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, 

and South and Southeast Asia. The lowest proportions of women married or in union by age 15 and by 

age 18 are in the Middle East and North Africa and in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Table 15 shows 

trends in the proportion of women age 15-24 first married or in union by age 15 and by age 18 for 

countries with multiple DHS surveys. The results indicate that, overall, the proportions of young women 

marrying by age 15 or by age 18 have decreased over time in most regions, although these trends are not 

universal in Latin America and the Caribbean or in East and Southern Africa. This finding means that the 

proportion of young women who are at risk of unmet need (or met need) through marriage is declining. 

This trend may be offset, in whole or part, if the proportion that is sexually active among unmarried 

young women is sizable and/or increasing. 
82 

Table 14. Proportion of young women married by age 15 and by age 18, most recent DHS surveys, 

2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

First marriage by 15 

First marriage 

by 18 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Age 15-24 Age 20-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central 

Africa 

Benin 2006 46.0 667 21.7 2,219 27.3 2,886 64.3 2,219 

Burkina Faso 2010 38.0 1,043 24.8 2,686 28.5 3,728 77.8 2,686 

Cameroon 2011 53.7 868 31.6 1,935 38.5 2,803 69.5 1,935 

Chad 2004 62.5 571 56.2 907 58.6 1,478 88.3 907 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 47.3 413 21.1 1,083 28.4 1,495 64.5 1,083 

Congo Democratic 

Republic 

2007 43.7 457 24.1 1,484 28.7 1,941 66.6 1,484 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 42.6 418 27.7 1,094 31.8 1,512 68.4 1,094 

Gabon 2012 42.1 241 17.6 711 23.8 953 56.1 711 

Ghana 2008 43.5 85 17.7 414 22.1 499 62.4 414 

Guinea 2005 59.2 587 47.9 888 52.4 1,474 87.7 888 

Liberia 2007 51.3 251 31.4 739 36.5 991 74.8 739 

Mali 2006 70.5 1,566 45.7 2,402 55.5 3,968 85.8 2,402 

Mauritania 2000-02 62.7 408 43.0 747 50.0 1,155 70.2 747 

Niger 2006 75.6 1,014 61.8 1,426 67.6 2,440 91.8 1,426 

Nigeria 2008 66.8 1,863 43.1 3,659 51.1 5,523 73.8 3,659 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 34.4 110 13.2 285 19.1 395 66.4 285 

Senegal 2010-11 56.0 832 30.4 1,932 38.1 2,764 66.1 1,932 

Sierra Leone 2008 52.6 359 46.1 812 48.1 1,171 78.9 812 

Regional average 52.7 11,753 33.6 25,423 39.2 37,176 73.0 25,423 

East and Southern 

Africa 

Burundi 2010 11.1 201 9.7 1,106 9.9 1,307 50.7 1,106 

Eritrea 2002 46.9 580 38.1 950 41.5 1,530 76.6 950 

Ethiopia 2011 49.6 765 37.0 1,762 40.8 2,527 73.6 1,762 

Kenya 2008-09 26.0 212 16.2 958 18.0 1,170 57.1 958 

Lesotho 2009 23.6 292 9.4 860 13.0 1,151 50.3 860 

Madagascar 2008-09 50.2 1,332 30.7 2,058 38.4 3,390 70.9 2,058 

Malawi 2010 30.4 1,171 24.1 3,469 25.7 4,639 74.6 3,469 

Mozambique 2011 46.1 1,136 27.7 1,804 34.8 2,940 70.1 1,804 

Namibia 2006-07 37.7 118 15.5 398 20.6 516 49.0 398 

Rwanda 2010 8.1 89 4.0 998 4.4 1,087 30.4 998 

Swaziland 2006-07 25.9 88 5.1 343 9.4 431 38.6 343 

Tanzania 2010 29.1 399 19.4 1,210 21.8 1,610 65.7 1,210 

Uganda 2011 26.3 409 23.6 1,097 24.3 1,505 66.2 1,097 

Zambia 2007 35.0 280 21.6 889 24.8 1,169 66.3 889 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 26.1 452 12.3 1,210 16.0 1,662 56.6 1,210 

Regional average 31.5 7,524 19.6 19,112 22.9 26,634 59.8 19,112 

(Continued...)
83 

Table 14. – Continued

Region and country Year 

First marriage by 15 

First marriage 

by 18 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Age 15-24 Age 20-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

Middle East and North 

Africa 

Egypt 2008 19.2 605 8.7 2,527 10.7 3,133 47.7 2,527 

Jordan 2009 30.1 242 5.8 1,078 10.3 1,320 43.1 1,078 

Morocco 2003-04 29.5 346 15.8 1,095 19.1 1,441 55.6 1,095 

Regional average 26.3 1,193 10.1 4,700 13.4 5,894 48.8 4,700 

Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 18.5 110 4.7 358 8.0 467 42.1 358 

Armenia 2010 0.9 68 1.3 450 1.2 518 30.6 450 

Azerbaijan 2006 16.7 151 4.3 697 6.5 848 39.0 697 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 2.8 158 0.7 896 1.1 1,053 30.8 896 

Moldova 2005 19.3 136 6.2 629 8.6 765 47.1 629 

Turkey 2003 25.1 237 10.7 1,019 13.4 1,257 50.9 1,019 

Ukraine 2007 13.9 45 3.2 472 4.1 517 35.0 472 

Regional average 13.9 905 4.4 4,521 6.1 5,425 39.4 4,521 

South and Southeast 

Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 59.8 1,925 49.1 3,396 52.9 5,322 85.9 3,396 

Cambodia 2010 24.8 382 8.6 1,679 11.6 2,061 48.7 1,679 

India 2005-06 48.5 6,726 29.7 16,782 35.1 23,508 72.5 16,782 

Indonesia 2012 26.1 890 8.9 3,754 12.2 4,644 43.9 3,754 

Maldives 2009 0.7 111 1.5 1,188 1.4 1,300 22.6 1,188 

Nepal 2011 39.1 792 24.6 1,761 29.1 2,553 65.3 1,761 

Pakistan 2006-07 42.9 559 23.5 1,463 28.8 2,022 62.8 1,463 

Philippines 2008 26.6 283 10.3 1,000 13.9 1,283 44.5 1,000 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 35.2 243 12.8 1,100 16.8 1,343 55.7 1,100 

Vietnam 2002 12.9 67 3.2 536 4.3 603 40.8 536 

Regional average 31.7 11,978 17.2 32,659 20.6 44,639 54.3 32,659 

Latin America and 

Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 35.2 472 14.8 1,263 20.4 1,735 55.5 1,263 

Colombia 2010 41.9 1,249 18.3 3,207 24.9 4,456 56.2 3,207 

Dominican Republic 2007 54.7 1,050 36.0 2,159 42.1 3,209 70.0 2,159 

Guyana 2009 38.8 166 16.6 398 23.1 564 57.8 398 

Haiti 2012 42.7 404 12.6 1,250 20.0 1,654 50.1 1,250 

Honduras 2011-12 50.9 1,144 23.2 2,091 33.0 3,235 65.7 2,091 

Nicaragua 2001 54.8 701 35.1 1,334 41.9 2,035 76.9 1,334 

Peru 2010 32.3 480 13.5 1,470 18.1 1,950 57.6 1,470 

Regional average 43.9 5,666 21.3 13,172 27.9 18,838 61.2 13,172 
84 

Table 15. Trends in the proportion of young women married by age 15 and by age 18 

Region and country Year 

First marriage by 15 

First marriage 

by 18 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Age 15-24 Age 20-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa

Benin 2006 46.0 667 21.7 2,219 27.3 2,886 64.3 2,219 

Benin 2001 39.5 287 21.1 867 25.7 1,155 65.8 867 

Benin 1996 32.2 308 20.4 786 23.7 1,094 66.9 786 

Burkina Faso 2010 38.0 1,043 24.8 2,686 28.5 3,728 77.8 2,686 

Burkina Faso 2003 31.7 878 17.7 1,861 22.1 2,739 74.5 1,861 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 38.2 488 21.0 1,023 26.5 1,511 80.7 1,023 

Cameroon 2011 53.7 868 31.6 1,935 38.5 2,803 69.5 1,935 

Cameroon 2004 55.7 828 35.0 1,563 42.1 2,391 73.0 1,563 

Cameroon 1998 52.4 430 34.2 746 40.9 1,176 73.9 746 

Chad 2004 62.5 571 56.2 907 58.6 1,478 88.3 907 

Chad 1996-97 61.6 801 48.1 1,190 53.5 1,991 87.5 1,190 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 47.3 413 21.1 1,083 28.4 1,495 64.5 1,083 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 35.7 257 18.9 836 22.9 1,093 60.0 836 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 42.6 418 27.7 1,094 31.8 1,512 68.4 1,094 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 53.5 186 26.6 349 36.0 534 65.0 349 

Côte d'Ivoire 1994 54.1 517 31.7 1,008 39.3 1,526 73.9 1,008 

Gabon 2012 42.1 241 17.6 711 23.8 953 56.1 711 

Gabon 2000 52.1 287 30.0 663 36.7 950 67.2 663 

Ghana 2008 43.5 85 17.7 414 22.1 499 62.4 414 

Ghana 2003 38.7 137 19.0 530 23.0 667 63.1 530 

Ghana 1998 41.9 122 19.7 552 23.7 674 65.3 552 

Guinea 2005 59.2 587 47.9 888 52.4 1,474 87.7 888 

Guinea 1999 67.3 580 51.1 879 57.5 1,459 86.0 879 

Mali 2006 70.5 1,566 45.7 2,402 55.5 3,968 85.8 2,402 

Mali 2001 65.8 1,178 48.2 1,987 54.7 3,165 85.4 1,987 

Mali 1995-96 67.4 915 53.0 1,363 58.8 2,278 89.0 1,363 

Niger 2006 75.6 1,014 61.8 1,426 67.6 2,440 91.8 1,426 

Niger 1998 74.1 1,027 65.2 1,160 69.4 2,188 92.7 1,160 

Niger 1992 84.2 779 74.8 1,059 78.8 1,837 95.1 1,059 

Nigeria 2008 66.8 1,863 43.1 3,659 51.1 5,523 73.8 3,659 

Nigeria 2003 72.7 545 44.7 911 55.2 1,456 77.4 911 

Nigeria 1999 71.8 472 46.3 934 54.9 1,406 72.4 934 

Senegal 2010-11 56.0 832 30.4 1,932 38.1 2,764 66.1 1,932 

Senegal 2005 58.3 1,014 29.9 1,836 40.0 2,849 70.5 1,836 

(Continued...)
85 

Table 15. – Continued

Region and country Year 

First marriage by 15 

First marriage 

by 18 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Age 15-24 Age 20-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 46.9 580 38.1 950 41.5 1,530 76.6 950 

Eritrea 1995 69.5 366 45.6 571 55.0 937 81.0 571 

Ethiopia 2011 49.6 765 37.0 1,762 40.8 2,527 73.6 1,762 

Ethiopia 2005 63.0 711 48.0 1,574 52.7 2,284 80.3 1,574 

Ethiopia 2000 63.0 862 42.3 1,807 49.0 2,669 78.6 1,807 

Kenya 2008-09 26.0 212 16.2 958 18.0 1,170 57.1 958 

Kenya 2003 33.8 333 11.5 965 17.2 1,297 52.0 965 

Kenya 1998 22.4 285 14.7 948 16.5 1,234 52.8 948 

Lesotho 2009 23.6 292 9.4 860 13.0 1,151 50.3 860 

Lesotho 2004 19.2 293 9.9 779 12.4 1,072 57.1 779 

Madagascar 2008-09 50.2 1,332 30.7 2,058 38.4 3,390 70.9 2,058 

Madagascar 2003-04 46.7 416 24.8 875 31.9 1,291 66.8 875 

Madagascar 1997 52.8 434 26.2 822 35.4 1,256 70.2 822 

Malawi 2010 30.4 1,171 24.1 3,469 25.7 4,639 74.6 3,469 

Malawi 2004 31.0 788 22.7 2,283 24.8 3,071 70.6 2,283 

Malawi 2000 30.1 934 21.3 2,324 23.8 3,257 69.2 2,324 

Mozambique 2011 46.1 1,136 27.7 1,804 34.8 2,940 70.1 1,804 

Mozambique 2003 54.5 936 36.5 1,747 42.8 2,683 77.8 1,747 

Mozambique 1997 47.3 825 39.0 1,337 42.1 2,163 75.8 1,337 

Namibia 2006-07 37.7 118 15.5 398 20.6 516 49.0 398 

Namibia 2000 45.1 74 13.5 326 19.4 400 46.9 326 

Namibia 1992 27.9 86 12.2 307 15.6 394 47.6 307 

Rwanda 2010 8.1 89 4.0 998 4.4 1,087 30.4 998 

Rwanda 2005 11.5 65 6.2 980 6.5 1,045 41.7 980 

Rwanda 2000 14.3 172 6.5 963 7.7 1,135 51.4 963 

Tanzania 2010 29.1 399 19.4 1,210 21.8 1,610 65.7 1,210 

Tanzania 2004-05 33.4 590 18.2 1,400 22.7 1,990 69.8 1,400 

Tanzania 1999 35.5 227 17.6 550 22.8 777 65.0 550 

Uganda 2011 26.3 409 23.6 1,097 24.3 1,505 66.2 1,097 

Uganda 2006 28.7 380 25.7 1,148 26.5 1,528 74.2 1,148 

Uganda 2000-01 40.5 466 30.2 1,150 33.2 1,616 77.7 1,150 

Zambia 2007 35.0 280 21.6 889 24.8 1,169 66.3 889 

Zambia 2001-02 38.6 438 22.1 1,086 26.8 1,524 70.3 1,086 

Zambia 1996 32.7 498 21.3 1,207 24.6 1,705 70.7 1,207 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 26.1 452 12.3 1,210 16.0 1,662 56.6 1,210 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 24.1 448 14.4 1,200 17.0 1,648 60.6 1,200 

Zimbabwe 1999 24.8 314 11.5 820 15.2 1,134 55.1 820 

(Continued...)
86 

Table 15. – Continued

Region and country Year 

First marriage by 15 

First marriage 

by 18 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Age 15-24 Age 20-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 19.2 605 8.7 2,527 10.7 3,133 47.7 2,527 

Egypt 2005 21.3 792 10.4 2,898 12.7 3,690 48.9 2,898 

Egypt 2000 25.6 599 13.5 2,187 16.1 2,785 50.5 2,187 

Jordan 2009 30.1 242 5.8 1,078 10.3 1,320 43.1 1,078 

Jordan 2007 21.9 233 6.9 1,233 9.3 1,466 42.3 1,233 

Jordan 2002 28.4 154 7.8 710 11.5 864 46.8 710 

Jordan 1997 34.8 203 8.8 777 14.2 980 52.1 777 

Morocco 2003-04 29.5 346 15.8 1,095 19.1 1,441 55.6 1,095 

Morocco 1992 31.2 253 13.9 677 18.6 930 58.2 677 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Armenia 2010 0.9 68 1.3 450 1.2 518 30.6 450 

Armenia 2005 7.1 78 1.8 504 2.5 582 38.3 504 

Armenia 2000 16.4 99 6.6 511 8.2 610 52.4 511 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 2.8 158 0.7 896 1.1 1,053 30.8 896 

Kyrgyz Republic 1997 9.7 91 0.4 460 1.9 551 51.2 460 

Turkey 2003 25.1 237 10.7 1,019 13.4 1,257 50.9 1,019 

Turkey 1998 33.2 262 14.2 924 18.4 1,186 52.9 924 

Turkey 1993 28.3 329 14.4 1,026 17.8 1,355 54.0 1,026 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 59.8 1,925 49.1 3,396 52.9 5,322 85.9 3,396 

Bangladesh 2007 64.4 1,376 52.9 2,094 57.4 3,470 86.5 2,094 

Bangladesh 2004 75.3 1,536 58.7 2,121 65.6 3,657 88.2 2,121 

Cambodia 2010 24.8 382 8.6 1,679 11.6 2,061 48.7 1,679 

Cambodia 2005 23.5 363 11.9 1,671 14.0 2,034 54.8 1,671 

Cambodia 2000 21.4 438 17.2 1,009 18.5 1,447 59.7 1,009 

India 2005-06 48.5 6,726 29.7 16,782 35.1 23,508 72.5 16,782 

India 1998-99 50.2 8,106 33.7 16,122 39.2 24,229 74.3 16,122 

India 1992-93 52.4 8,897 35.5 17,491 41.2 26,388 75.8 17,491 

Indonesia 2012 26.1 890 8.9 3,754 12.2 4,644 43.9 3,754 

Indonesia 2007 28.2 814 11.8 3,952 14.6 4,766 50.5 3,952 

Indonesia 2002-03 35.6 912 15.5 3,761 19.4 4,672 56.3 3,761 

Nepal 2011 39.1 792 24.6 1,761 29.1 2,553 65.3 1,761 

Nepal 2006 39.3 784 27.4 1,606 31.3 2,389 76.3 1,606 

Nepal 2001 47.7 930 33.9 1,643 38.9 2,573 80.9 1,643 

Pakistan 2006-07 42.9 559 23.5 1,463 28.8 2,022 62.8 1,463 

Pakistan 1990-91 49.3 418 30.0 1,041 35.5 1,459 70.3 1,041 

Philippines 2008 26.6 283 10.3 1,000 13.9 1,283 44.5 1,000 

Philippines 2003 30.8 239 7.9 1,095 12.0 1,334 43.8 1,095 

Philippines 1998 30.9 244 9.4 967 13.7 1,212 47.7 967 

Vietnam 2002 12.9 67 3.2 536 4.3 603 40.8 536 

Vietnam 1997 11.7 129 3.9 716 5.1 845 44.6 716 

(Continued...)
87 

Table 15. – Continued

Region and country Year 

First marriage by 15 

First marriage 

by 18 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Age 15-24 Age 20-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 35.2 472 14.8 1,263 20.4 1,735 55.5 1,263 

Bolivia 2003 38.2 427 16.1 1,624 20.7 2,051 60.8 1,624 

Bolivia 1998 38.7 263 13.6 961 18.9 1,224 55.4 961 

Colombia 2010 41.9 1,249 18.3 3,207 24.9 4,456 56.2 3,207 

Colombia 2005 44.9 934 17.1 2,735 24.2 3,668 57.7 2,735 

Colombia 2000 40.7 325 15.8 814 22.9 1,140 58.2 814 

Dominican Republic 2007 54.7 1,050 36.0 2,159 42.1 3,209 70.0 2,159 

Dominican Republic 2002 56.9 1,017 32.8 2,158 40.6 3,175 72.4 2,158 

Dominican Republic 1999 62.2 46 27.1 119 36.9 165 59.8 119 

Haiti 2012 42.7 404 12.6 1,250 20.0 1,654 50.1 1,250 

Haiti 2005-06 51.1 448 18.9 1,076 28.4 1,524 66.9 1,076 

Haiti 2000 43.1 376 16.9 957 24.3 1,333 56.9 957 

Honduras 2011-12 50.9 1,144 23.2 2,091 33.0 3,235 65.7 2,091 

Honduras 2005-06 52.2 914 28.9 2,030 36.2 2,944 70.8 2,030 

Nicaragua 2001 54.8 701 35.1 1,334 41.9 2,035 76.9 1,334 

Nicaragua 1998 61.5 848 36.1 1,432 45.5 2,280 78.2 1,432 

Peru 2010 32.3 480 13.5 1,470 18.1 1,950 57.6 1,470 

Peru 2005 34.2 812 15.3 2,510 19.9 3,322 53.2 2,510 

Peru 2000 35.9 582 15.6 1,969 20.3 2,551 54.4 1,969 

9.1.1 West and Central Africa 

In the 18 countries in West and Central Africa for which data are available, an average of 39.2 

percent of women age 15-24 are married by age 15; this is the highest proportion among all the regions

(Table 14). Within West and Central Africa, this proportion ranges from a low of 19.1 percent among 

women age 15-24 in São Tomé and Príncipe to a high of 67.6 percent in Niger. Nearly three-quarters (73 

percent) of women age 20-24 are married by age 18, with proportions ranging from 56.1 percent in Gabon 

to 91.8 percent in Niger. 

Table 15 shows trends in age at marriage (by age 15 and by age 18) among women age 15-24 in 

13 countries in West and Central Africa that have multiple DHS surveys. The general trend is toward 

decreasing proportions of young women marrying by age 15. The largest changes are seen in Niger and 

Côte d’Ivoire: the proportion marrying by age 15 in Niger decreased from 78.8 percent to 67.6 percent 

and in Côte d’Ivoire the proportion decreased from 39.3 percent to 31.8 percent. The opposite trend is 

seen in Chad and Congo (Brazzaville) where the proportion of young women marrying by age 15 among 

15-24 year olds has increased (from 53.5 percent to 58.6 percent in Chad and from 22.9 percent to 28.4 

percent in Congo, Brazzaville). 

Trends in the proportion of women age 20-24 marrying by age 18 largely mirror trends for 

women age 15-24 marrying by age 15. These proportions have decreased in the majority of countries in 

the region. In contrast, the proportions marrying by age 18 and by age 15 have increased in Chad and 
88 

Congo (Brazzaville). A different scenario emerges in Guinea and Nigeria where the proportion marrying 

by age 15 has declined over time while the proportion marrying by age 18 has increased. This pattern 

suggests a shift away from the earliest marriages, but not out of adolescence altogether. 

9.1.2 East and Southern Africa 

In East and Southern Africa more than 20 percent of women age 15-24 (22.9%) are married by 

age 15. While marriage this early is rare in Rwanda (4.4 percent), Swaziland (9.4 percent), and Burundi 

(9.9 percent), it exceeds 40 percent in Eritrea and Ethiopia (Table 14). On average, nearly 60 percent of 

women age 20-24 (59.8%) are married by age 18 in the region. The proportion ranges from less than onethird of women age 20-24 in Rwanda (30.4%) to more than three-quarters of women in Eritrea (76.6%). 

Compared with West and Central Africa, there is not as clear a trend away from early marriage in 

East and Southern Africa. A larger number of countries in East and Southern Africa have increasing 

proportions of women marrying by age 15 or by age 18 over time (Table 15). The proportion of women 

age 15-24 marrying by age 15 and the proportion of women age 20-24 marrying by age 18 have declined 

in six countries and increased in six countries, with the two proportions almost always moving in the 

same direction. However, in Tanzania, the proportion marrying by age 15 has declined modestly while the 

proportion marrying by age 18 has increased slightly (after a large increase in 2004-05). In Zambia, the 

proportion marrying by age 15 in 2007 is nearly the same as it was in 1996, while the proportion 

marrying by age 18 has declined more than four percentage points during the same period. 

9.1.3 Middle East and North Africa 

Early marriage is uncommon in the three countries representing the Middle East and North 

Africa: Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. On average, only 13.4 percent of women age 15-24 are married or in 

union by age 15 (Table 14), although the percentage in Morocco (19.1%) is nearly double that of Egypt 

(10.7%) or Jordan (10.3%). At the same time, nearly half (48.8%) of women age 20-24 have married by 

age 18. There is less variation among the three countries in the proportion marrying by age 18, which 

ranges from 43.1 percent in Jordan to 55.6 percent in Morocco. Table 15 shows that there has been a 

decline over time in the proportion of women age 15-24 marrying by age 15 and the proportion of women 

age 20-24 marrying by age 18 in both Egypt and Jordan. These proportions have increased in Morocco. 

9.1.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

The Eastern Europe and Central Asia region has the lowest proportion of young women who were 

first married by age 15 or age 18. On average, only 6.1 percent of women age 15-24 in this region are 

married by age 15 (Table 14). The range is from less than two percent in the Kyrgyz Republic (1.1%) and 

Armenia (1.2%) to 13.4 percent in Turkey. More than one-third (39.4%) of women age 20-24 are married 

by age 18; again, this is the lowest proportion of all the regions. The proportion married by age 18 ranges 

from 30.6 percent in Armenia to 50.9 percent in Turkey. Table 15 shows that there has been a decline 

over time in the proportion of young women marrying by age 15 and by age 18 in the three countries for 

which multiple DHS surveys are available—Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkey. 

9.1.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Among the countries in South and Southeast Asia included in this study an average of 20.6 

percent of women age 15-24 are married by age 15 (Table 14). The proportion ranges from 1.4 percent in 

the Maldives to more than half of women age 15-24 in Bangladesh (52.9%). Only in the Maldives and 

Vietnam are less than 10 percent of young women married by age 15. On average, more than half of 
89 

women age 20-24 (54.3%) are married by age 18. The proportion ranges from 40.8 percent in Vietnam to 

85.9 percent in Bangladesh. 

The proportion marrying by age 15 and by age 18 has declined over time in every country in 

South and Southeast Asia (Table 15). Some of the steepest declines are in this region, suggesting a rapid 

shift away from early marriage. 

9.1.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

Marriage at a young age is common in Latin America and the Caribbean. Table 14 shows that 

nearly three in 10 women age 15-24 (27.9%) are married or in union by age 15. This proportion ranges 

from 18.1 percent in Peru to 42.1 percent in the Dominican Republic. On average, 61.2 percent of women 

age 20-24 have married by age 18; the range extends from 50.1 percent in Guyana to 76.9 percent in 

Nicaragua. 

Trends over time in age at marriage vary among young women in Latin America and the 

Caribbean (Table 15). The proportion married or in union by age 15 among women age 15-24 has 

increased in Bolivia, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. In these same countries, the proportion 

married or in union by age 18 among women age 20-24 has declined in Colombia, stayed the same in 

Bolivia—after a sizable increase in 2003—and increased in the Dominican Republic. The proportion 

married by age 15 and the proportion married by age 18 both declined in Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and 

Peru. In Haiti, the decline in the proportion married by these ages between the 2000 survey and the most 

recent survey in 2012 was interrupted by an increase in the 2005-06 survey, before falling sharply to 

levels below 2000 in the 2012 survey. 

9.2 Exposure to the Risk of Pregnancy through Sexual Activity outside of 

Marriage 

Table 16 indicates the proportion of all unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group, who 

report being sexually active in the past 30 days. The data are from 41 countries with samples of nevermarried women. Table 17 demonstrates trends in the proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who 

report being sexually active in the past 30 days. The data are from 29 countries with multiple DHS 

surveys that include never-married women. As mentioned previously, social desirability bias may result 

in an underreporting of sexual activity among unmarried women and this bias may be larger among the 

youngest women and in settings with the most conservative norms regarding gender and premarital sexual 

activity. A further consideration is that these norms, and hence, social desirability bias, are subject to 

change over time, potentially making it difficult to discern whether a change in reported levels of sexual 

activity represents actual change in sexual activity or a change in inclination to report the behavior. 

Therefore, the estimates of sexual activity among unmarried women age 15-24 presented in Table 16 

should be regarded as conservative estimates. Likewise, the observed trends in sexual activity among 

unmarried women age 15-24 reported in Table 17 should be interpreted with caution. 

On average, the proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who are sexually active is highest in 

West and Central Africa (18.8%) and lowest in East and Southern Africa (9.7%). The proportion is 

similar in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (12.3%) and Latin America and Caribbean (12.8%). No data 

on this indicator is available for countries in the Middle East and North Africa or South and Southeast 

Asia. 

Table 17 shows trends over time in the proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who are 

sexually active. The data do not indicate a consistent trend toward greater sexual activity in this 

population; rather, the proportion reported to be sexually active declines in about as many countries as it 
90 

increases. Regarding the denominator for the unmet need indicator (women at risk of pregnancy) among 

young women, this finding suggests that decreases in the proportion marrying at young ages is not 

everywhere offset by increases in non- or pre-marital sexual activity among young unmarried women. 

Changes in the proportion experiencing unmet need among young sexually active, unmarried women is 

not consistently due to more women moving into this classification. 

Table 16. Percentage sexually active among unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group, 

most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Total age 15-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 11.3 2,400 23.0 963 14.7 3,363 

Burkina Faso 2010 6.6 2,270 20.1 625 9.5 2,895 

Cameroon 2011 10.9 2,721 29.1 1,192 16.4 3,913 

Chad 2004 3.6 789 6.3 165 4.1 954 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 26.4 1,785 42.8 946 32.1 2,732 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 15.4 1,573 25.3 790 18.7 2,363 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 23.7 1,605 46.1 859 31.5 2,464 

Gabon 2012 28.5 1,543 49.4 925 36.3 2,468 

Ghana 2008 9.3 940 19.1 463 12.5 1,403 

Guinea 2005 14.0 1,061 26.5 264 16.5 1,326 

Liberia 2007 36.2 1,061 53.4 624 42.6 1,685 

Mali 2006 3.2 1,538 7.7 276 3.9 1,814 

Nigeria 2008 9.7 4,630 23.7 2,474 14.6 7,104 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 12.2 444 29.3 175 17.0 619 

Senegal 2010-11 1.4 2,597 3.2 1,288 2.0 3,885 

Sierra Leone 2008 22.2 839 42.0 374 28.3 1,214 

Regional average 14.7 27,796 27.9 12,403 18.8 40,202 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 1.1 2,158 2.7 726 1.5 2,884 

Ethiopia 2011 1.1 3,244 5.7 1,169 2.3 4,413 

Kenya 2008-09 4.6 1,549 8.7 757 6.0 2,305 

Lesotho 2009 4.5 1,493 14.0 693 7.5 2,186 

Madagascar 2008-09 10.7 2,624 26.8 762 14.3 3,386 

Malawi 2010 4.7 3,834 11.3 1,086 6.1 4,920 

Mozambique 2011 20.3 1,924 40.9 650 25.5 2,575 

Namibia 2006-07 11.7 2,128 28.5 1,457 18.5 3,584 

Rwanda 2010 1.5 2,857 3.2 1,685 2.1 4,541 

Swaziland 2006-07 8.2 1,185 27.5 703 15.4 1,889 

Tanzania 2010 9.6 1,773 26.6 699 14.4 2,472 

Uganda 2011 4.9 1,639 15.1 532 7.4 2,171 

Zambia 2007 7.6 1,294 16.8 481 10.1 1,775 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 1.9 1,493 9.6 631 4.2 2,124 

Regional average 6.6 29,195 17.0 12,031 9.7 41,225 

(Continued...)
91 

Table 16. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Total age 15-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Albania 2008-09 2.3 1,368 9.4 619 4.5 1,987 

Moldova 2005 5.7 1,282 22.0 494 10.3 1,776 

Ukraine 2007 8.0 737 41.4 534 22.0 1,272 

Regional average 5.3 3,387 24.3 1,647 12.3 5,035 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 4.3 3,046 13.9 1,474 7.4 4,521 

Colombia 2010 17.0 7,851 39.2 4,553 25.2 12,404 

Dominican Republic 2007 9.7 4,530 24.5 2,351 14.8 6,881 

Guyana 2009 8.9 850 29.5 369 15.2 1,219 

Haiti 2012 10.5 2,948 23.1 1,601 15.0 4,549 

Honduras 2011-12 5.5 3,918 13.3 2,039 8.2 5,957 

Nicaragua 2001 3.0 2,440 9.2 1,071 4.9 3,511 

Peru 2010 5.9 3,799 22.0 1,929 11.3 5,728 

Regional average 8.1 29,382 21.8 15,387 12.8 44,770 
92 

Table 17. Trends in the percentage sexually active among unmarried women age 15-24, by fiveyear age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Total age 15-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 11.3 2,400 23.0 963 14.7 3,363 

Benin 2001 13.3 946 28.1 348 17.2 1,293 

Benin 1996 12.8 767 22.5 234 15.1 1,001 

Burkina Faso 2010 6.6 2,270 20.1 625 9.5 2,895 

Burkina Faso 2003 8.3 1,899 19.7 413 10.4 2,311 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 11.8 955 26.0 136 13.5 1,091 

Cameroon 2011 10.9 2,721 29.1 1,192 16.4 3,913 

Cameroon 2004 10.2 1,856 25.6 689 14.3 2,545 

Cameroon 1998 20.3 851 42.2 382 27.1 1,233 

Chad 2004 3.6 789 6.3 165 4.1 954 

Chad 1996-97 7.0 915 19.2 178 8.9 1,093 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 26.4 1,785 42.8 946 32.1 2,732 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 26.1 1,309 48.3 657 33.5 1,967 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 23.7 1,605 46.1 859 31.5 2,464 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 24.0 590 45.7 229 30.1 819 

Gabon 2012 28.5 1,543 49.4 925 36.3 2,468 

Gabon 2000 24.6 1,300 46.8 597 31.6 1,897 

Ghana 2008 9.3 940 19.1 463 12.5 1,403 

Ghana 2003 9.1 1,011 14.7 482 10.9 1,493 

Ghana 1998 9.6 788 18.1 347 12.2 1,135 

Guinea 2005 14.0 1,061 26.5 264 16.5 1,326 

Guinea 1999 11.5 742 28.3 207 15.1 949 

Mali 2006 3.2 1,538 7.7 276 3.9 1,814 

Mali 2001 12.0 1,387 27.2 352 15.1 1,739 

Mali 1995-96 13.8 968 26.5 231 16.2 1,200 

Nigeria 2008 9.7 4,630 23.7 2,474 14.6 7,104 

Nigeria 2003 9.9 1,171 22.1 583 14.0 1,754 

Nigeria 1999 7.9 1,303 23.1 587 12.6 1,889 

(Continued...)
93 

Table 17. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Total age 15-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 1.1 3,244 5.7 1,169 2.3 4,413 

Ethiopia 2000 1.5 2,848 4.2 1,053 2.2 3,901 

Kenya 2008-09 4.6 1,549 8.7 757 6.0 2,305 

Kenya 2003 4.4 1,523 10.3 727 6.3 2,250 

Kenya 1998 9.5 1,566 16.3 599 11.4 2,165 

Lesotho 2009 4.5 1,493 14.0 693 7.5 2,186 

Lesotho 2004 4.1 1,417 10.8 684 6.2 2,101 

Madagascar 2008-09 10.7 2,624 26.8 762 14.3 3,386 

Madagascar 2003-04 13.3 1,112 23.0 516 16.4 1,629 

Madagascar 1997 15.6 1,119 29.9 503 20.0 1,623 

Malawi 2010 4.7 3,834 11.3 1,086 6.1 4,920 

Malawi 2004 5.4 1,604 12.9 586 7.4 2,190 

Malawi 2000 7.6 1,933 12.0 634 8.7 2,567 

Mozambique 2011 20.3 1,924 40.9 650 25.5 2,575 

Mozambique 2003 26.5 1,517 36.5 709 29.7 2,227 

Mozambique 1997 20.0 1,010 32.5 326 23.1 1,336 

Namibia 2006-07 11.7 2,128 28.5 1,457 18.5 3,584 

Namibia 2000 12.4 1,425 20.0 1,013 15.6 2,438 

Namibia 1992 20.7 1,172 33.0 811 25.7 1,984 

Tanzania 2010 9.6 1,773 26.6 699 14.4 2,472 

Tanzania 2004-05 10.0 1,655 25.1 607 14.0 2,262 

Tanzania 1999 16.5 682 37.3 261 22.3 943 

Uganda 2011 4.9 1,639 15.1 532 7.4 2,171 

Uganda 2006 5.1 1,556 17.4 562 8.4 2,118 

Uganda 2000-01 8.1 1,149 16.6 354 10.1 1,503 

Zambia 2007 7.6 1,294 16.8 481 10.1 1,775 

Zambia 2001-02 9.3 1,374 14.3 578 10.8 1,952 

Zambia 1996 12.6 1,506 17.7 623 14.1 2,129 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 1.9 1,493 9.6 631 4.2 2,124 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 2.0 1,704 5.9 752 3.2 2,456 

Zimbabwe 1999 2.4 1,133 10.4 474 4.8 1,606 

(Continued...)
94 

Table 17. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 Total age 15-24 

% 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n % 

Weighted 

n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 4.3 3,046 13.9 1,474 7.4 4,521 

Bolivia 2003 3.7 3,448 12.4 1,508 6.4 4,956 

Bolivia 1998 1.7 2,234 6.1 995 3.0 3,229 

Colombia 2010 17.0 7,851 39.2 4,553 25.2 12,404 

Colombia 2005 13.8 5,969 34.1 3,611 21.5 9,579 

Colombia 2000 10.1 1,939 27.7 1,174 16.7 3,113 

Dominican Republic 2007 9.7 4,530 24.5 2,351 14.8 6,881 

Dominican Republic 2002 5.3 3,533 18.0 1,990 9.9 5,523 

Haiti 2012 10.5 2,948 23.1 1,601 15.0 4,549 

Haiti 2005-06 6.8 2,252 17.9 928 10.0 3,180 

Haiti 2000 5.1 1,966 14.1 962 8.1 2,927 

Honduras 2011-12 5.5 3,918 13.3 2,039 8.2 5,957 

Honduras 2005-06 2.9 3,596 9.2 1,699 4.9 5,295 

Nicaragua 2001 3.0 2,440 9.2 1,071 4.9 3,511 

Nicaragua 1998 1.5 2,459 3.7 990 2.2 3,450 

Peru 2010 5.9 3,799 22.0 1,929 11.3 5,728 

Peru 2005 5.2 6,742 17.1 3,851 9.5 10,593 

Peru 2000 3.8 5,063 10.8 2,769 6.3 7,833 

9.2.1 West and Central Africa 

In West and Central Africa an average of 18.8 percent of unmarried women age 15-24 report 

being sexually active; this is the highest level of all the regions (Table 16). Senegal, Mali, and Chad are at 

the low end of the range, with proportions ranging from 2.0 percent in Senegal to 4.1 percent in Chad; the 

proportion exceeds 30 percent in Congo Brazzaville (32.1%), Côte d’Ivoire (31.5%), and Gabon (36.3%), 

and reaches a high of 42.6 percent in Liberia. On average, the proportion of unmarried women age 20-24 

who are sexually active (27.9%) is nearly twice that of unmarried women age 15-19 (14.7%). Table 17 

shows that the proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who report being sexually active has decreased 

in six of the 11 countries with multiple DHS surveys and increased in the remaining five countries. 

9.2.2 East and Southern Africa

The proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 in East and Southern Africa who report being 

sexually active averages 9.7 percent, the lowest level of all the regions (Table 16). The proportion ranges 

from 1.5 percent in Burundi to 25.5 percent in Mozambique. In contrast to West and Central Africa, the 

majority of countries (eight out of 14) in East and Southern Africa have proportions of sexually active, 

unmarried women age 15-24 below 10 percent. Comparing unmarried women age 15-19 with those age 

20-24, the proportion who are sexually active is substantially higher in the older age group—more than 

twice as high among unmarried women age 20-24 (17.0%) as among those age 15-19 (6.6%) on average. 

Table 17 shows that the majority of countries in the region—eight of 11 with multiple DHS surveys—

experienced a decline over time in the proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who report being 

sexually active. Increases occur in three countries: Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Mozambique. 
95 

9.2.3 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Only three countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia—Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine—have 

data on sexual activity among unmarried women age 15-24. The proportion of unmarried women who 

report being sexually active ranges from 4.5 percent in Albania to 22.0 percent in Ukraine; the average for 

the three countries is 12.3 percent (Table 16). Comparing the two age groups—unmarried women age 15-

19 and age 20-24—the percentage who are sexually active is more than four times higher among 

unmarried women age 20-24 (24.3%) than among those age 15-19 (5.3%). 

9.2.4 Latin America and Caribbean 

On average, 12.8 percent of unmarried women age 15-24 in Latin America and the Caribbean are 

sexually active (Table 16). The range is from 4.9 percent in Nicaragua to 25.2 percent in Colombia. 

Comparing the two age groups—unmarried women age 15-19 and unmarried women age 20-24—the 

proportion sexually active is nearly three times higher among those age 20-24 (21.8%) than among those 

age 15-19 (8.1%). Table 17 shows that in all seven countries that have multiple DHS surveys there is a 

distinctive pattern of increase over time in the proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who are 

sexually active. These changes are sizable in most countries; for example, in Bolivia the proportion of 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 more than doubles over the 10-year period from 3.0 percent 

to 7.8 percent. In Peru, the increase over a decade is from 6.3 percent to 11.3 percent. 

9.3 Fertility Preferences: Ideal Number of Children 

Table 18 presents the distribution of ideal number of children desired among currently married 

women age 15-24. The data are from the most recent DHS survey in each of the 61 countries included in 

the study. Table 19 presents trends in ideal number of children desired in the countries with multiple DHS 

surveys. Tables 23 and 24 present the same information for all unmarried women age 15-24, regardless of 

whether or not they are sexually active. Detailed disaggregation of the data displayed in tables 21-24 by 

five-year age group (15-19 and 20-24) can be found in Appendix Table A8 to A11. These tables provide 

both the percent distribution and, in the last column of each panel, the mean number of ideal children for 

those providing a numeric response. 
96 

Table 18. Ideal number of children among married women age 15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 

2000-2012 

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 0.2 0.1 4.5 6.7 36.7 13.5 28.6 9.8 5.02 2,886 

Burkina Faso 2010 0.1 0.0 2.2 8.8 24.5 28.4 33.0 2.9 5.20 3,728 

Cameroon 2011 0.1 0.6 2.4 13.7 20.9 22.8 32.3 7.2 5.53 2,803 

Chad 2004 0.0 0.1 1.0 1.5 5.5 9.3 71.9 10.6 8.40 1,478 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 0.2 0.6 3.4 20.8 29.1 22.6 20.6 2.7 4.56 1,495 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 0.8 0.4 2.7 6.2 11.4 19.5 49.8 9.2 6.30 1,941 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 0.2 0.3 1.1 8.3 25.0 25.2 30.3 9.5 5.26 1,512 

Gabon 2012 0.4 2.1 7.6 15.9 38.5 14.2 17.6 3.8 4.30 953 

Ghana 2008 0.6 0.8 11.8 26.4 30.3 14.7 14.7 0.7 4.12 499 

Guinea 2005 0.6 0.2 2.7 6.8 22.5 20.5 35.9 10.9 5.29 1,474 

Liberia 2007 0.9 0.5 6.3 13.6 31.3 18.1 25.3 4.0 4.65 991 

Mali 2006 0.4 0.4 1.9 5.0 20.8 17.3 41.1 13.3 5.82 3,968 

Mauritania 2000-02 0.1 1.1 6.3 7.5 15.4 11.2 39.3 19.0 5.99 1,155 

Niger 2006 0.1 0.2 0.9 1.4 4.7 7.6 72.7 12.3 8.39 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 1.7 0.2 1.2 4.0 15.4 13.8 47.4 16.3 6.75 5,523 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 1.5 4.2 25.9 21.8 34.0 7.4 4.0 1.3 3.23 395 

Senegal 2010-11 1.0 0.4 1.0 6.3 19.5 19.6 32.9 19.2 5.45 2,764 

Sierra Leone 2008 1.0 0.5 3.9 9.9 34.4 15.1 31.8 3.5 4.98 1,171 

Regional average 0.6 0.7 4.8 10.3 23.3 16.7 35.0 8.7 5.51 37,176 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 0.2 0.3 3.2 20.3 35.7 23.6 12.5 4.0 4.34 1,307 

Eritrea 2002 0.2 0.1 1.7 5.0 21.5 20.8 40.2 10.5 5.63 1,530 

Ethiopia 2011 4.3 1.0 11.1 12.0 38.1 10.0 14.7 9.0 4.07 2,527 

Kenya 2008-09 0.1 1.6 23.3 20.1 31.7 10.1 10.0 3.1 3.77 1,170 

Lesotho 2009 1.1 8.1 39.8 28.1 15.4 5.0 2.4 0.1 2.76 1,151 

Madagascar 2008-09 0.2 0.6 12.3 17.6 33.4 8.0 24.7 3.2 4.57 3,390 

Malawi 2010 0.2 1.2 16.1 25.0 42.1 9.7 5.0 0.8 3.61 4,639 

Mozambique 2011 1.2 1.2 11.7 13.5 34.3 14.4 22.5 1.0 4.37 2,940 

Namibia 2006-07 3.2 12.2 32.9 22.4 16.3 8.3 3.8 0.9 2.87 516 

Rwanda 2010 0.0 1.8 30.4 47.2 16.9 2.5 0.8 0.3 2.91 1,087 

Swaziland 2006-07 5.3 11.1 40.0 24.9 13.3 3.1 1.8 0.5 2.48 431 

Tanzania 2010 0.2 0.1 5.2 16.8 29.1 20.4 27.2 1.1 4.79 1,610 

Uganda 2011 0.4 0.0 6.7 9.6 47.9 12.8 21.5 1.0 4.49 1,505 

Zambia 2007 0.1 0.9 7.8 15.4 31.5 20.6 17.7 6.0 4.41 1,169 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 0.9 2.4 20.1 26.0 31.0 11.3 7.7 0.6 3.58 1,662 

Regional average 1.3 2.8 17.5 20.3 29.2 12.0 14.2 2.8 3.91 26,634 

Middle East and North 

Africa 

Egypt 2008 0.1 1.5 51.7 29.1 11.0 2.1 0.9 3.6 2.63 3,133 

Jordan 2009 0.0 0.8 17.9 12.8 43.6 9.1 9.8 5.9 3.90 1,320 

Morocco 2003-04 0.0 2.9 46.5 22.1 22.9 1.8 2.3 1.5 2.83 1,441 

Regional average 0.1 1.7 38.7 21.3 25.8 4.3 4.3 3.7 3.12 5,894 

(Continued...)
97 

Table 18. – Continued

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia2

Albania 2008-09 0.9 4.0 53.3 31.2 6.8 0.9 0.5 2.4 2.45 467 

Armenia 2010 0.0 1.7 55.5 33.7 6.5 0.6 0.4 1.5 2.50 518 

Azerbaijan 2006 0.4 3.9 69.2 16.8 8.2 0.6 0.1 0.8 2.31 848 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 0.0 0.9 22.2 13.9 50.8 5.6 2.2 4.4 3.92 551 

Turkey 2003 0.2 4.4 60.0 21.4 12.0 1.3 0.3 0.3 2.47 664 

Ukraine 2007 1.2 14.7 69.0 9.4 1.0 0.6 NA 4.1 1.96 517 

Regional average 0.7 4.9 54.9 21.1 14.2 1.6 0.7 2.3 2.60 3,565 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 0.0 7.2 83.2 7.1 1.9 0.1 0.1 0.4 2.04 5,322 

Cambodia 2010 0.1 1.7 44.7 32.5 16.8 2.8 0.8 0.5 2.76 2,061 

India 2005-06 0.6 6.6 64.8 20.6 5.2 0.7 0.2 1.4 2.26 23,508 

Indonesia 2012 0.1 3.7 63.0 16.9 9.4 1.5 0.8 4.6 2.42 4,644 

Maldives 2009 0.1 4.1 48.1 28.3 13.1 1.7 0.3 4.3 2.59 1,300 

Nepal 2011 0.5 16.9 66.2 14.0 2.1 0.2 0.0 0.1 2.01 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 0.8 0.5 16.5 16.0 39.2 8.9 11.8 6.4 3.91 2,022 

Philippines 2008 0.1 7.1 50.6 27.4 9.6 2.9 1.9 0.4 2.57 1,283 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 0.1 0.2 4.4 5.2 39.0 12.9 36.2 1.9 4.91 1,343 

Vietnam 2002 0.0 5.0 82.7 8.0 3.7 0.2 0.1 0.3 2.11 603 

Regional average 0.3 5.3 52.4 17.6 14.0 3.2 5.2 2.0 2.76 44,639 

Latin America and 

Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 7.2 15.1 49.1 17.7 7.4 1.8 0.6 1.0 2.11 1,735 

Colombia 2010 3.0 15.9 60.8 16.0 3.2 0.7 0.2 0.1 2.03 4,456 

Dominican Republic 2007 1.2 5.8 34.0 44.4 10.6 2.1 1.4 0.5 2.72 3,209 

Guyana 2009 1.2 5.3 45.4 28.1 14.3 2.9 1.0 1.7 2.64 564 

Haiti 2012 0.4 5.2 48.9 26.8 14.4 2.3 1.1 0.8 2.63 1,654 

Honduras 2011-12 2.2 7.6 40.8 34.2 10.0 3.2 1.5 0.5 2.60 3,235 

Nicaragua 2001 0.9 11.5 45.7 26.5 8.4 2.6 2.5 1.8 2.54 2,035 

Peru 2010 0.8 13.5 57.8 20.1 5.6 1.2 0.8 0.2 2.25 1,950 

Regional average 2.1 10.0 47.8 26.7 9.2 2.1 1.1 0.8 2.44 18,838 

Note: 1

Among those providing a numeric response 2

Data on this variable were not collected in Moldova 
98 

Table 19. Trends in the ideal number of children among married women age 15-24 

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 0.2 0.1 4.5 6.7 36.7 13.5 28.6 9.8 5.02 2,886 

Benin 2001 0.2 0.1 5.1 5.4 35.8 13.5 29.0 10.9 5.09 1,155 

Benin 1996 0.1 0.1 4.3 4.8 30.2 14.0 42.4 4.1 5.64 1,094 

Burkina Faso 2010 0.1 0.0 2.2 8.8 24.5 28.4 33.0 2.9 5.20 3,728 

Burkina Faso 2003 0.0 0.1 2.2 9.6 19.8 26.0 39.6 2.6 5.51 2,739 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 0.0 0.1 2.3 7.8 17.5 21.6 34.2 16.6 5.58 1,511 

Cameroon 2011 0.1 0.6 2.4 13.7 20.9 22.8 32.3 7.2 5.53 2,803 

Cameroon 2004 0.2 0.4 2.4 11.2 19.8 23.1 29.6 13.2 5.52 2,391 

Cameroon 1998 0.0 0.4 2.0 7.7 14.7 23.6 36.1 15.5 5.91 1,176 

Chad 2004 0.0 0.1 1.0 1.5 5.5 9.3 71.9 10.6 8.40 1,478 

Chad 1996-97 0.0 0.2 0.7 1.9 8.3 11.2 59.3 18.5 7.77 1,991 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 0.2 0.6 3.4 20.8 29.1 22.6 20.6 2.7 4.56 1,495 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 0.0 0.3 3.3 13.4 26.5 24.6 20.6 11.2 4.73 1,093 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 0.2 0.3 1.1 8.3 25.0 25.2 30.3 9.5 5.26 1,512 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 0.2 0.6 3.3 12.9 30.8 23.1 28.3 0.9 4.98 534 

Côte d'Ivoire 1994 0.0 0.5 4.7 11.2 25.1 23.6 32.8 2.2 5.23 1,526 

Gabon 2012 0.4 2.1 7.6 15.9 38.5 14.2 17.6 3.8 4.30 953 

Gabon 2000 0.4 0.9 6.8 11.9 34.3 17.4 18.9 9.3 4.56 950 

Ghana 2008 0.6 0.8 11.8 26.4 30.3 14.7 14.7 0.7 4.12 499 

Ghana 2003 0.2 1.1 8.5 22.6 39.3 12.5 14.0 1.8 4.19 667 

Ghana 1998 0.2 0.4 10.8 27.4 35.1 11.7 9.5 4.9 3.86 674 

Guinea 2005 0.6 0.2 2.7 6.8 22.5 20.5 35.9 10.9 5.29 1,474 

Guinea 1999 0.1 0.2 1.2 7.9 28.3 24.2 34.5 3.6 5.28 1,459 

Mali 2006 0.4 0.4 1.9 5.0 20.8 17.3 41.1 13.3 5.82 3,968 

Mali 2001 0.5 0.3 1.5 3.9 16.8 17.4 36.3 23.3 5.92 3,165 

Mali 1995-96 0.3 0.3 1.5 5.3 17.8 17.7 48.5 8.7 6.31 2,278 

Niger 2006 0.1 0.2 0.9 1.4 4.7 7.6 72.7 12.3 8.39 2,440 

Niger 1998 0.0 0.2 1.1 1.7 4.6 9.5 61.2 21.7 8.00 2,188 

Niger 1992 0.0 0.1 1.3 2.5 7.2 12.2 62.9 13.7 7.76 1,837 

Nigeria 2008 1.7 0.2 1.2 4.0 15.4 13.8 47.4 16.3 6.75 5,523 

Nigeria 2003 0.0 0.1 1.3 4.1 11.7 13.8 56.7 12.3 7.16 1,456 

Nigeria 1999 0.4 0.5 1.2 3.3 14.8 12.5 45.9 21.5 6.70 1,406 

Senegal 2010-11 1.0 0.4 1.0 6.3 19.5 19.6 32.9 19.2 5.45 2,764 

Senegal 2005 0.1 0.3 2.2 5.8 16.9 19.3 35.4 19.9 5.69 2,849 

(Continued...)
99 

Table 19. – Continued

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 0.2 0.1 1.7 5.0 21.5 20.8 40.2 10.5 5.63 1,530 

Eritrea 1995 0.8 0.3 2.6 4.4 18.3 20.2 38.9 14.5 5.66 937 

Ethiopia 2011 4.3 1.0 11.1 12.0 38.1 10.0 14.7 9.0 4.07 2,527 

Ethiopia 2005 7.8 0.9 9.6 8.1 29.6 11.5 22.5 10.0 4.40 2,284 

Ethiopia 2000 1.6 0.3 6.0 6.0 26.1 13.0 32.0 14.9 5.27 2,669 

Kenya 2008-09 0.1 1.6 23.3 20.1 31.7 10.1 10.0 3.1 3.77 1,170 

Kenya 2003 0.4 2.7 20.9 21.8 26.9 9.0 13.5 4.9 3.95 1,297 

Kenya 1998 0.2 2.4 18.5 24.0 34.2 10.6 8.0 2.1 3.65 1,234 

Lesotho 2009 1.1 8.1 39.8 28.1 15.4 5.0 2.4 0.1 2.76 1,151 

Lesotho 2004 0.8 7.4 33.1 26.3 21.7 6.8 3.9 0.1 3.02 1,072 

Madagascar 2008-09 0.2 0.6 12.3 17.6 33.4 8.0 24.7 3.2 4.57 3,390 

Madagascar 2003-04 0.0 0.3 11.2 17.0 29.2 10.4 25.9 5.9 4.77 1,291 

Madagascar 1997 0.0 0.8 6.1 10.9 28.8 11.5 39.4 2.5 9.10 1,256 

Malawi 2010 0.2 1.2 16.1 25.0 42.1 9.7 5.0 0.8 3.61 4,639 

Malawi 2004 0.4 1.6 16.1 21.6 41.4 11.9 5.3 1.7 3.64 3,071 

Malawi 2000 0.0 2.1 16.4 22.2 37.6 12.9 7.5 1.3 3.69 3,257 

Mozambique 2011 1.2 1.2 11.7 13.5 34.3 14.4 22.5 1.0 4.37 2,940 

Mozambique 2003 0.1 1.2 7.8 12.2 29.1 19.6 28.6 1.6 4.86 2,683 

Mozambique 1997 0.3 0.6 5.7 6.8 22.5 15.9 33.5 14.7 5.26 2,163 

Namibia 2006-07 3.2 12.2 32.9 22.4 16.3 8.3 3.8 0.9 2.87 516 

Namibia 2000 1.6 14.2 31.9 24.2 15.8 4.5 4.3 3.5 2.75 400 

Namibia 1992 1.8 6.3 15.9 14.8 16.6 16.2 23.6 4.8 4.44 394 

Rwanda 2010 0.0 1.8 30.4 47.2 16.9 2.5 0.8 0.3 2.91 1,087 

Rwanda 2005 0.0 0.8 8.8 15.9 41.2 17.5 13.7 2.1 4.23 1,045 

Rwanda 2000 0.0 0.1 4.7 9.5 32.1 23.8 27.3 2.4 4.94 1,135 

Tanzania 2010 0.2 0.1 5.2 16.8 29.1 20.4 27.2 1.1 4.79 1,610 

Tanzania 2004-05 0.1 0.3 5.8 16.4 29.1 19.7 27.5 1.1 4.90 1,990 

Tanzania 1999 0.0 0.1 5.8 13.6 28.5 22.5 27.2 2.3 5.03 777 

Uganda 2011 0.4 0.0 6.7 9.6 47.9 12.8 21.5 1.0 4.49 1,505 

Uganda 2006 0.1 0.5 7.4 9.2 44.5 13.6 22.4 2.3 4.51 1,528 

Uganda 2000-01 0.1 0.4 8.6 10.1 42.6 15.4 19.4 3.4 4.45 1,616 

Zambia 2007 0.1 0.9 7.8 15.4 31.5 20.6 17.7 6.0 4.41 1,169 

Zambia 2001-02 0.0 1.0 9.7 16.4 29.6 19.3 19.0 5.0 4.39 1,524 

Zambia 1996 0.1 0.6 4.9 9.8 29.1 21.3 30.0 4.2 4.90 1,705 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 0.9 2.4 20.1 26.0 31.0 11.3 7.7 0.6 3.58 1,662 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 0.4 4.4 26.6 23.2 26.5 10.7 7.1 1.1 3.41 1,648 

Zimbabwe 1999 0.3 2.4 25.8 19.5 32.5 10.1 8.5 1.0 3.52 1,134 

(Continued...)
100 

Table 19. – Continued

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 0.1 1.5 51.7 29.1 11.0 2.1 0.9 3.6 2.63 3,133 

Egypt 2005 0.0 2.0 52.1 28.7 10.3 1.2 1.0 4.6 2.59 3,690 

Egypt 2000 0.0 2.1 45.4 27.4 9.5 1.5 0.8 13.4 2.61 2,785 

Jordan 2009 0.0 0.8 17.9 12.8 43.6 9.1 9.8 5.9 3.90 1,320 

Jordan 2007 1.1 1.4 17.3 12.1 41.5 7.3 6.5 12.7 3.68 1,466 

Jordan 2002 0.1 1.3 14.8 16.2 46.1 8.4 11.2 1.8 3.93 864 

Jordan 1997 0.1 1.3 13.3 11.7 44.8 9.3 15.6 3.9 4.12 980 

Morocco 2003-04 0.0 2.9 46.5 22.1 22.9 1.8 2.3 1.5 2.83 1,441 

Morocco 1992 0.3 1.8 29.0 25.9 29.7 7.2 4.9 1.1 3.33 930 

Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia 

Armenia 2010 0.0 1.7 55.5 33.7 6.5 0.6 0.4 1.5 2.50 518 

Armenia 2005 0.7 2.7 64.0 23.7 7.6 0.3 0.1 1.1 2.36 582 

Armenia 2000 0.2 2.3 64.2 24.7 7.6 0.7 NA 0.3 2.39 610 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 0.0 0.9 22.2 13.9 50.8 5.6 2.2 4.4 3.92 551 

Kyrgyz Republic 1997 0.0 0.6 10.3 17.2 52.3 9.3 8.8 1.6 3.47 1,053 

Turkey 2003 0.2 4.4 60.0 21.4 12.0 1.3 0.3 0.3 2.47 664 

Turkey 1998 0.0 6.7 61.3 20.4 7.4 0.9 0.6 2.7 2.35 1,186 

Turkey 1993 0.6 7.7 66.4 17.3 6.1 0.4 0.5 1.0 2.25 1,355 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 0.0 7.2 83.2 7.1 1.9 0.1 0.1 0.4 2.04 5,322 

Bangladesh 2007 0.0 6.1 77.3 11.9 3.6 0.1 0.0 0.1 2.83 3,470 

Bangladesh 2004 0.0 3.0 70.4 18.4 6.1 0.4 0.2 1.5 2.30 3,657 

Cambodia 2010 0.1 1.7 44.7 32.5 16.8 2.8 0.8 0.5 2.76 2,061 

Cambodia 2005 0.1 1.7 37.6 29.9 22.0 6.5 1.0 1.2 2.98 2,034 

Cambodia 2000 0.0 2.7 31.0 26.4 26.4 8.9 2.3 2.3 3.17 1,447 

India 2005-06 0.6 6.6 64.8 20.6 5.2 0.7 0.2 1.4 2.26 23,508 

India 1998-99 0.1 4.1 54.6 25.5 9.3 1.6 0.8 4.0 2.51 24,229 

India 1992-93 0.0 2.5 43.0 31.6 12.0 2.3 0.9 7.8 2.69 26,388 

Indonesia 2012 0.1 3.7 63.0 16.9 9.4 1.5 0.8 4.6 2.42 4,644 

Indonesia 2007 0.0 2.7 58.6 17.7 9.8 2.7 1.6 6.9 2.55 4,766 

Indonesia 2002-03 0.0 1.9 56.6 17.9 12.5 2.3 0.9 7.8 2.56 4,672 

Nepal 2011 0.5 16.9 66.2 14.0 2.1 0.2 0.0 0.1 2.01 2,553 

Nepal 2006 0.3 9.9 68.2 17.5 3.2 0.6 0.2 0.1 2.16 2,389 

Nepal 2001 0.0 6.4 58.5 27.4 5.7 0.8 0.1 1.1 2.36 2,573 

Pakistan 2006-07 0.8 0.5 16.5 16.0 39.2 8.9 11.8 6.4 3.91 2,022 

Pakistan 1990-91 0.0 0.2 6.5 8.6 19.1 3.9 4.4 57.3 3.85 1,459 

Philippines 2008 0.1 7.1 50.6 27.4 9.6 2.9 1.9 0.4 2.57 1,283 

Philippines 2003 0.1 6.2 45.7 30.0 12.6 3.1 2.1 0.2 2.68 1,334 

Philippines 1998 0.0 3.7 35.5 33.6 18.8 4.6 3.0 0.7 2.98 1,212 

Vietnam 2002 0.0 5.0 82.7 8.0 3.7 0.2 0.1 0.3 2.11 603 

Vietnam 1997 0.0 4.4 84.5 6.4 4.4 0.1 NA 0.3 2.11 845 

(Continued...)
101 

Table 19. – Continued

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 7.2 15.1 49.1 17.7 7.4 1.8 0.6 1.0 2.11 1,735 

Bolivia 2003 3.7 13.0 53.8 18.1 7.7 1.4 0.7 1.5 2.21 2,051 

Bolivia 1998 2.9 12.4 50.6 20.2 9.1 2.0 1.2 1.5 2.33 1,224 

Colombia 2010 3.0 15.9 60.8 16.0 3.2 0.7 0.2 0.1 2.03 4,456 

Colombia 2005 1.9 16.9 60.1 16.5 3.4 0.5 0.3 0.3 2.06 3,668 

Colombia 2000 2.2 17.0 60.0 16.3 3.6 0.4 0.4 0.2 2.06 1,140 

Dominican Republic 2007 1.2 5.8 34.0 44.4 10.6 2.1 1.4 0.5 2.72 3,209 

Dominican Republic 2002 1.5 4.9 34.4 44.2 10.3 2.5 1.5 0.6 2.72 3,175 

Dominican Republic 1999 1.5 8.0 30.1 46.2 9.5 2.4 2.3 NA 2.76 165 

Haiti 2012 0.4 5.2 48.9 26.8 14.4 2.3 1.1 0.8 2.63 1,654 

Haiti 2005-06 0.0 3.8 47.8 26.8 16.6 2.5 2.4 NA 2.76 1,524 

Haiti 2000 0.0 5.0 34.5 28.8 26.9 1.8 1.9 1.0 2.93 1,333 

Honduras 2011-12 2.2 7.6 40.8 34.2 10.0 3.2 1.5 0.5 2.60 3,235 

Honduras 2005-06 2.3 7.6 35.3 35.8 12.5 3.1 2.3 1.0 2.72 2,944 

Nicaragua 2001 0.9 11.5 45.7 26.5 8.4 2.6 2.5 1.8 2.54 2,035 

Nicaragua 1998 1.5 11.2 45.5 26.8 9.4 1.9 2.0 1.7 2.48 2,280 

Peru 2010 0.8 13.5 57.8 20.1 5.6 1.2 0.8 0.2 2.25 1,950 

Peru 2005 1.9 11.7 61.4 16.5 6.6 1.1 0.6 0.3 2.17 3,322 

Peru 2000 1.3 14.0 60.9 15.8 5.3 1.0 0.9 0.7 2.17 2,551 

Note: 1

Among those providing a numeric response 

9.3.1 West and Central Africa 

The mean ideal number of children reported by married women age 15-24 is highest (5.5), on 

average, in West and Central Africa (Table 18). The mean ranges from 4.1 children in Ghana to 8.4 in 

Chad and Nigeria. Among married women age 15-24 the number of children desired has declined in 

seven of the 13 countries with multiple DHS surveys (Table 19). At the same time, ideal number of 

children increased in five countries, and there was almost no change in Guinea. 

The most common response (mode) to the question on ideal number of children among married 

women age 15-24 in West and Central Africa is six or more children (35.0 percent) followed by four

children (23.3 percent). Comparing the responses of married women age 15-19 with those of married 

women age 20-24 indicates only a slight difference in the mean ideal number of children (5.6 versus 5.5, 

respectively) (see Appendix Table A6). West and Central Africa is also the region with the highest level 

of non-numeric responses, averaging 8.7 percent among married women age 15-24. 

The proportion of women giving a non-numeric responses has declined over time in most of the 

countries in this region (Table 19), in some cases quite precipitously—e.g., from 16.6 percent to 2.9 

percent in Burkina Faso. Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali are exceptions to this trend; in these countries 

non-numeric responses have increased over time—e.g., from 8.7 percent to 13.3 percent in Mali. Overall, 

there has been an increase in the proportion of young married women reporting that their ideal number of 

children is four and there has been a decrease in the proportion of young married women reporting that 

their ideal number of children is six or more. 
102 

Table 20. Ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 

2000-2012 

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 0.8 0.5 15.2 15.9 42.8 8.1 12.3 4.5 3.94 3,363 

Burkina Faso 2010 0.8 0.3 6.8 19.0 33.5 19.5 18.1 2.1 4.38 2,895 

Cameroon 2011 0.5 0.6 5.7 21.7 30.8 20.0 17.8 2.9 4.48 3,913 

Chad 2004 0.2 0.4 0.8 2.0 10.9 8.9 65.4 11.3 7.48 954 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 0.5 0.8 7.4 23.2 30.7 20.5 13.3 3.6 4.15 2,732 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 4.1 0.2 3.8 9.9 17.5 21.5 37.1 5.7 5.39 2,363 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 1.2 0.6 6.2 19.5 32.0 20.7 15.8 4.1 4.31 2,464 

Gabon 2012 2.6 2.5 12.8 21.8 32.6 13.4 11.1 3.2 3.85 2,468 

Ghana 2008 0.3 0.5 12.0 33.2 36.8 9.5 7.0 0.7 3.70 1,403 

Guinea 2005 2.7 0.6 4.8 14.6 31.6 21.4 18.1 6.3 4.39 1,326 

Liberia 2007 1.9 0.6 13.0 17.4 39.6 10.6 12.1 4.8 3.94 1,685 

Mali 2006 0.9 0.1 2.5 7.7 26.8 16.1 31.5 14.4 5.40 1,814 

Nigeria 2008 1.5 0.1 2.4 11.3 35.5 19.5 21.7 8.1 4.75 7,104 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 3.2 4.6 38.6 20.7 28.0 1.9 1.3 1.6 2.78 619 

Senegal 2010-11 0.7 0.4 2.9 12.6 30.0 19.2 20.5 13.8 4.73 3,885 

Sierra Leone 2008 4.0 0.5 15.2 21.8 39.5 7.3 8.7 3.0 3.62 1,214 

Regional average 1.6 0.8 9.4 17.0 31.2 14.9 19.5 5.6 4.46 40,202 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 1.8 0.3 5.8 28.4 26.7 21.9 9.9 5.1 4.07 2,884 

Ethiopia 2011 8.7 1.9 26.4 12.3 33.4 6.1 7.4 3.8 3.21 4,413 

Kenya 2008-09 1.7 3.2 25.7 28.3 25.4 7.9 5.3 2.6 3.28 2,305 

Lesotho 2009 10.8 12.2 51.3 17.8 5.7 1.3 0.8 0.2 2.04 2,186 

Madagascar 2008-09 0.9 1.3 21.8 23.1 29.2 6.7 13.3 3.7 3.75 3,386 

Malawi 2010 2.9 1.7 29.6 24.6 30.8 6.7 2.6 1.1 3.11 4,920 

Mozambique 2011 3.0 3.6 27.8 16.7 27.4 8.8 12.0 0.7 3.46 2,575 

Namibia 2006-07 8.9 11.2 42.2 21.5 11.4 2.8 1.6 0.6 2.32 3,584 

Rwanda 2010 0.9 2.0 38.6 43.0 12.2 1.9 0.6 0.7 2.73 4,541 

Swaziland 2006-07 5.5 8.9 51.0 21.5 10.7 1.4 0.7 0.3 2.30 1,889 

Tanzania 2010 0.4 1.6 15.7 29.2 25.8 14.2 11.2 1.8 3.85 2,472 

Uganda 2011 2.0 1.1 13.0 13.4 46.3 10.2 12.6 1.3 3.94 2,171 

Zambia 2007 1.9 1.8 19.2 21.1 30.4 13.1 7.0 5.6 3.58 1,775 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 3.2 4.1 34.4 23.8 23.6 6.7 3.3 0.9 2.96 2,124 

Regional average 3.8 3.9 28.8 23.2 24.2 7.8 6.3 2.0 3.19 41,225 

Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia2

Albania 2008-09 2.5 3.5 62.9 23.0 6.5 0.5 0.1 0.9 2.30 1,987 

Ukraine 2007 1.0 19.7 59.4 12.0 1.6 0.4 0.3 5.6 1.99 1,272 

Regional average 1.8 11.6 61.2 17.5 4.1 0.5 0.2 3.3 2.14 3,259 

(Continued...)
103 

Table 20. – Continued

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

Latin America and 

Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 8.8 13.2 53.0 16.3 5.9 0.8 0.7 1.3 2.03 4,521 

Colombia 2010 5.8 17.5 62.4 11.7 1.7 0.4 0.2 0.3 1.88 12,404 

Dominican Republic 2007 1.9 5.1 46.4 35.8 7.1 2.0 1.4 0.3 2.54 6,881 

Guyana 2009 2.8 5.7 50.8 25.0 9.0 2.7 1.8 2.1 2.50 1,219 

Haiti 2012 1.0 5.3 54.3 23.5 13.0 1.5 1.0 0.4 2.52 4,549 

Honduras 2011-12 3.2 9.9 50.2 28.0 5.9 1.7 0.7 0.5 2.32 5,957 

Nicaragua 2001 1.9 12.1 53.3 20.6 5.6 1.4 0.9 4.2 2.26 3,511 

Peru 2010 2.6 15.2 61.0 15.9 4.1 0.7 0.3 0.2 2.07 5,728 

Regional average 3.5 10.5 53.9 22.1 6.5 1.4 0.9 1.2 2.27 44,770 

Note: 1

Among those providing a numeric response 2

Data on this variable were not collected in Moldova 

On average, the mean ideal number of children reported by unmarried women age 15-24 in West 

and Central Africa is substantially lower than that reported by married women of the same age: 4.5 

children as compared to 5.5 children (Table 20). Among unmarried women age 15-24 the mean ranges 

from 2.8 children in São Tomé and Príncipe to 7.5 children in Chad. As with married women, the mean 

ideal number of children desired by unmarried women age 15-24 has been declining over time in the 

majority of countries in the region (Table 21). However, the mean for unmarried women (4.5 children) is 

still the highest for this population among all the regions in this study. Unlike married women, the most 

common response (mode) to the question about ideal number of children among unmarried women is four

children (31.2%), not six or more children (19.5%). 
104 

Table 21. Trends in the ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24 

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 0.8 0.5 15.2 15.9 42.8 8.1 12.3 4.5 3.94 3,363 

Benin 2001 0.7 0.5 14.3 13.3 38.4 9.1 13.7 10.1 4.10 1,293 

Benin 1996 0.1 0.6 14.1 9.1 38.7 9.5 20.6 7.2 4.50 1,001 

Burkina Faso 2010 0.8 0.3 6.8 19.0 33.5 19.5 18.1 2.1 4.38 2,895 

Burkina Faso 2003 0.4 0.1 6.5 20.9 24.9 20.2 22.6 4.4 4.66 2,311 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 0.1 0.5 5.7 14.0 20.8 15.2 28.8 14.9 5.19 1,091 

Cameroon 2011 0.5 0.6 5.7 21.7 30.8 20.0 17.8 2.9 4.48 3,913 

Cameroon 2004 0.6 0.5 6.5 18.2 27.8 21.6 16.6 8.2 4.54 2,545 

Cameroon 1998 0.2 0.5 4.6 16.3 23.0 26.0 21.2 8.2 4.85 1,233 

Chad 2004 0.2 0.4 0.8 2.0 10.9 8.9 65.4 11.3 7.48 954 

Chad 1996-97 0.2 0.2 1.6 2.9 10.6 10.5 55.9 18.1 7.43 1,093 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 0.5 0.8 7.4 23.2 30.7 20.5 13.3 3.6 4.15 2,732 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 0.5 0.4 6.1 20.1 25.1 20.6 16.3 10.9 4.35 1,967 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 1.2 0.6 6.2 19.5 32.0 20.7 15.8 4.1 4.31 2,464 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 0.1 0.5 10.0 20.9 33.6 18.9 15.0 0.9 4.26 819 

Gabon 2012 2.6 2.5 12.8 21.8 32.6 13.4 11.1 3.2 3.85 2,468 

Gabon 2000 0.4 2.1 14.5 17.3 34.2 14.1 12.5 5.0 3.99 1,897 

Ghana 2008 0.3 0.5 12.0 33.2 36.8 9.5 7.0 0.7 3.70 1,403 

Ghana 2003 1.0 0.7 13.6 33.1 33.4 9.6 6.9 1.8 3.64 1,493 

Ghana 1998 0.2 1.2 19.1 28.9 31.1 7.8 5.9 5.8 3.53 1,135 

Guinea 2005 2.7 0.6 4.8 14.6 31.6 21.4 18.1 6.3 4.39 1,326 

Guinea 1999 0.5 0.1 4.5 19.4 34.6 22.6 15.4 2.8 4.44 949 

Mali 2006 0.9 0.1 2.5 7.7 26.8 16.1 31.5 14.4 5.40 1,814 

Mali 2001 0.6 0.5 4.1 7.5 25.5 18.8 28.5 14.4 5.28 1,739 

Mali 1995-96 0.8 0.3 3.4 8.7 27.0 20.4 33.2 6.1 5.42 1,200 

Nigeria 2008 1.5 0.1 2.4 11.3 35.5 19.5 21.7 8.1 4.75 7,104 

Nigeria 2003 0.0 0.2 2.5 7.7 32.2 20.4 31.5 5.4 5.16 1,754 

Nigeria 1999 1.5 NA 2.7 9.3 30.3 18.8 26.1 11.3 4.97 1,889 

(Continued...)
105 

Table 21. – Continued

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 8.7 1.9 26.4 12.3 33.4 6.1 7.4 3.8 3.21 4,413 

Ethiopia 2000 6.8 1.2 16.4 9.0 25.9 9.3 17.5 14.0 3.97 3,901 

Kenya 2008-09 1.7 3.2 25.7 28.3 25.4 7.9 5.3 2.6 3.28 2,305 

Kenya 2003 2.4 3.5 26.9 24.5 26.1 7.5 6.0 3.1 3.31 2,250 

Kenya 1998 0.5 3.7 28.4 20.4 30.9 7.0 5.7 3.4 3.32 2,165 

Lesotho 2009 10.8 12.2 51.3 17.8 5.7 1.3 0.8 0.2 2.04 2,186 

Lesotho 2004 6.9 13.6 48.9 19.5 8.1 2.0 0.7 0.3 2.18 2,101 

Madagascar 2008-09 0.9 1.3 21.8 23.1 29.2 6.7 13.3 3.7 3.75 3,386 

Madagascar 2003-04 0.5 2.4 19.4 17.2 29.8 6.3 15.6 8.8 4.01 1,629 

Madagascar 1997 0.1 2.1 16.7 15.6 28.3 7.1 25.7 4.3 7.06 1,623 

Malawi 2010 2.9 1.7 29.6 24.6 30.8 6.7 2.6 1.1 3.11 4,920 

Malawi 2004 2.5 3.5 29.4 21.1 30.6 6.5 3.2 3.0 3.12 2,190 

Malawi 2000 0.5 3.8 28.8 20.8 30.1 9.2 4.3 2.5 3.29 2,567 

Mozambique 2011 3.0 3.6 27.8 16.7 27.4 8.8 12.0 0.7 3.46 2,575 

Mozambique 2003 1.0 2.3 22.9 19.4 29.2 12.2 12.0 1.1 3.74 2,227 

Mozambique 1997 0.6 3.3 13.2 11.8 22.4 7.7 19.5 21.6 4.28 1,336 

Namibia 2006-07 8.9 11.2 42.2 21.5 11.4 2.8 1.6 0.6 2.32 3,584 

Namibia 2000 5.0 14.7 37.5 19.5 13.8 3.0 2.4 4.1 2.46 2,438 

Namibia 1992 1.2 5.6 20.8 13.0 19.3 14.8 18.9 6.3 4.11 1,984 

Tanzania 2010 0.4 1.6 15.7 29.2 25.8 14.2 11.2 1.8 3.85 2,472 

Tanzania 2004-05 0.9 1.2 16.4 24.9 26.0 14.4 13.9 2.3 3.99 2,262 

Tanzania 1999 0.0 0.9 12.7 22.8 27.2 15.5 15.8 4.9 4.17 943 

Uganda 2011 2.0 1.1 13.0 13.4 46.3 10.2 12.6 1.3 3.94 2,171 

Uganda 2006 1.0 1.2 14.1 14.9 43.4 9.3 14.0 2.1 3.99 2,118 

Uganda 2000-01 0.5 1.7 15.7 12.0 44.6 9.2 12.0 4.3 3.92 1,503 

Zambia 2007 1.9 1.8 19.2 21.1 30.4 13.1 7.0 5.6 3.58 1,775 

Zambia 2001-02 0.9 2.3 19.0 18.1 29.4 13.7 10.9 5.8 3.80 1,952 

Zambia 1996 0.4 1.7 12.9 13.7 26.7 18.8 21.1 4.6 4.39 2,129 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 3.2 4.1 34.4 23.8 23.6 6.7 3.3 0.9 2.96 2,124 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 1.8 4.5 35.3 26.2 19.4 8.6 3.5 0.7 3.01 2,456 

Zimbabwe 1999 1.3 4.5 32.8 23.0 24.4 7.9 4.3 1.8 3.12 1,606 

(Continued...)
106 

Table 21. – Continued

Region and country Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted 

n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 8.8 13.2 53.0 16.3 5.9 0.8 0.7 1.3 2.03 4,521 

Bolivia 2003 9.3 12.6 52.7 17.3 5.4 0.8 0.8 1.2 2.03 4,956 

Bolivia 1998 4.7 10.9 55.6 17.0 6.8 1.4 0.8 2.8 2.19 3,229 

Colombia 2010 5.8 17.5 62.4 11.7 1.7 0.4 0.2 0.3 1.88 12,404 

Colombia 2005 4.3 18.5 62.9 11.7 1.8 0.4 0.2 0.2 1.90 9,579 

Colombia 2000 3.9 18.2 61.0 12.9 2.5 0.8 0.5 0.2 1.97 3,113 

Dominican Republic 2007 1.9 5.1 46.4 35.8 7.1 2.0 1.4 0.3 2.54 6,881 

Dominican Republic 2002 1.5 5.8 47.3 35.7 7.3 1.1 0.9 0.5 2.51 5,523 

Haiti 2012 1.0 5.3 54.3 23.5 13.0 1.5 1.0 0.4 2.52 4,549 

Haiti 2005-06 0.7 4.2 46.3 27.4 16.6 2.8 2.0 0.0 2.73 3,180 

Haiti 2000 0.2 4.7 43.0 26.4 18.7 2.0 1.4 3.6 2.73 2,927 

Honduras 2011-12 3.2 9.9 50.2 28.0 5.9 1.7 0.7 0.5 2.32 5,957 

Honduras 2005-06 3.4 7.6 47.5 30.6 7.0 1.9 0.8 1.2 2.40 5,295 

Nicaragua 2001 1.9 12.1 53.3 20.6 5.6 1.4 0.9 4.2 2.26 3,511 

Nicaragua 1998 4.1 13.9 53.8 19.2 4.7 0.9 0.9 2.6 2.14 3,450 

Peru 2010 2.6 15.2 61.0 15.9 4.1 0.7 0.3 0.2 2.07 5,728 

Peru 2005 2.2 13.2 62.6 16.3 4.3 0.6 0.3 0.4 2.10 10,593 

Peru 2000 2.6 13.6 64.8 12.9 3.9 0.8 0.2 1.2 2.06 7,833 

Note: 1

Among those providing a numeric response 

9.3.2 East and Southern Africa 

In East and Southern Africa, the mean ideal number of children reported by married women age 

15-24 averages 3.9, which is substantially lower than the mean reported by this population in West and 

Central Africa (5.5) but higher than the means of the other four regions (Table 18). The mean for married 

women age 15-24 in East and Southern Africa ranges from 2.5 children in Swaziland to 5.6 in Eritrea. 

The most common response is four children (29.2 percent), followed by three children (20.3 percent). 

Like the other regions, there are virtually no differences between the two age groups (15-19 and 20-24) 

(see Appendix Table A6). 

The trend toward desiring fewer children is more evident in East and Southern Africa than in 

West and Central Africa (Table 19). The mean ideal number of children has declined among married 

women age 15-24 in 10 of 13 countries with data from multiple DHS surveys, as has the proportion of 

women providing non-numeric responses. The proportion of married women age 15-24 who report their 

ideal number of children as three has increased in nearly every country in the region; the trend is more 

mixed for women who report their ideal number of children as four. 

The mean ideal number of children is lower for unmarried women age 15-24 than for married 

women by a difference of 0.7—3.2 children compared with 3.9 children (Table 20). The means for 

unmarried women age 15-24 range from 2.0 in Lesotho to 4.1 in Burundi. The mean ideal number of 

children has declined over time throughout the region, although the pace of the decline has varied (Table 

21). In Madagascar, the mean ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24 fell from 7.1 

to 3.8 children in just over a decade; the decline is more modest in Malawi, from 3.3 to 3.1 children over 
107 

a decade. The most common response (mode) of unmarried women age 15-24 to the question about 

desired number of children is two children (28.8%)—and this proportion has generally increased over 

time—followed closely by four children (24.2%) and three children (23.2%), each cited by about onequarter of unmarried women. This distribution suggests that young unmarried women have a smaller ideal 

family size compared with their married counterparts. 

9.3.3 Middle East and North Africa 

The mean ideal number of children among married women age 15-24 in the Middle East and 

North Africa averages 3.1 and ranges from 2.6 in Egypt to 3.9 in Jordan (Table 18). The most common 

response to the question about desired number of children (mode) is two children (38.7 percent), followed 

by four children (25.8 percent). Table 19 indicates that the mean ideal number of children among married 

women age 15-24 has declined in Jordan and Morocco, while remaining about the same in Egypt. The 

proportion reporting their ideal number to be three children has increased in all three countries. 

9.3.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

In Eastern Europe and Central Asia the mean ideal number of children among married women 

age 15-24 averages 2.6 (Table 18). The mean ranges from 2.0 in Ukraine to 3.9 in Kyrgyz Republic. The 

most common response to the question about desired number of children (mode) is two children (54.9 

percent), followed by three children (21.1 percent). As with the other regions, there is no discernable 

difference between the responses of married women age 15-19 and those age 20-24 (Appendix Table A6). 

In contrast to the other regions, the mean ideal number of children among married women age 15-

24 has increased among the three Eastern European countries—Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkey—

with trends data (Table 19). The largest increase is in the Kyrgyz Republic where the mean ideal number 

of children increased from 3.5 to 3.9 children. Unlike the other two countries in the region, the most 

commonly reported ideal number of children among young married women in Kyrgyz Republic remains 

four children. In Armenia and Turkey, the proportion responding that two children is their ideal number of 

children has declined and the proportion stating that three children is their ideal has increased over time, 

although these responses continue to be the first and second most common responses, respectively. 

In the two countries supplying data on unmarried women age 15-24, Albania and Ukraine, there 

is little difference in the mean ideal number of children among unmarried women and married women 

age 15-24 (Table 20). In Albania, the mean ideal number of children is 2.3 among unmarried women as 

compared to 2.5 among married women; in Ukraine, the difference is indistinguishable. As is the case 

with their married counterparts, the most common response (mode) is that two children is the ideal 

number of children in both countries. 

9.3.5 South and Southeast Asia 

In South and Southeast Asia the mean ideal number of children among married women age 15-24 

averages 2.8 children (Table 18) and ranges from 2.0 children in Bangladesh and Nepal to 4.9 children in 

Timor-Leste. The most common response given by young married women to the question about ideal 

number of children (mode) is two children (52.4%), similar to married women in Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia. 

Table 19 exhibits a clear trend toward smaller ideal family size over time in the countries in 

South and Southeast Asia. The mean ideal number of children among married women age 15-24 declined 

in six of the eight countries with multiple DHS surveys. In contrast, in Vietnam the mean ideal number of 

children remained steady between 1997 and 2002 at 2.1 children (about replacement level fertility) and in 
108 

Pakistan, after 15 years, the mean ideal number of children remains about 3.9 children. The biggest 

change in this country is the drastic decline in the proportion of women providing non-numeric responses. 

Over time, the proportion of young married women reporting two children as their ideal number of 

children has increased in seven of the eight countries providing data. The increase is seen even in 

Pakistan, the only country in the region where two children is not the most common response—four

children (39.2%) is the most common response in Pakistan. The only country with a decline in the 

proportion of married women age 15-24 reporting two children as the ideal number is Vietnam, from 85 

percent to 83 percent. 

9.3.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

The lowest mean ideal number of children reported by married women age 15-24 is in the Latin 

America and the Caribbean region, averaging 2.4 children. The region also has the lowest proportion of 

women providing a non-numeric response (0.8 percent) (Table 18). The mean ranges from 2.0 children in 

Colombia to 2.7 in Dominican Republic. The most common response to the question about ideal number 

of children (mode) is two children (47.8 percent), followed by three children (26.7 percent), with no 

apparent differences between the two age groups (15-19 and 20-24) (Appendix Table A6). 

Table 19 reveals that the mean ideal number of children among married women age 15-24 in 

Latin America and the Caribbean has declined in most countries with multiple DHS surveys. However, it 

has increased slightly over time in Nicaragua and Peru. In all countries except Peru, the proportion of 

married women age 15-24 reporting three children as their ideal number of children has declined; at the 

same time, the proportions reporting that their ideal is two children or one child have increased. 

Table 20 shows that there is little difference in the mean ideal number of children reported by 

married women age 15-24 (2.4 children) and unmarried women age 15-24 (2.3 children) in Latin America 

and the Caribbean. Among unmarried women, the mean ranges from 1.9 in Colombia to 2.5 in the 

Dominican Republic. Table 21 shows that, in general, there has been a decrease over time in the mean 

ideal number of children, except in Nicaragua, where it increased from 2.1 children to 2.3 children. 

Among unmarried women age 15-24, the most common response (mode) to the question about ideal 

number of children is two children (53.9 percent), followed by three children (22.1 percent); the pattern is 

similar to that of married women age 15-24. 

9.4 Fertility Preferences: Desired Timing of Next Birth 

Table 22 indicates the proportion of married women age 15-24 in three categories of desired 

timing of next birth, women who: 1) want a child (or another child) within two years, 2) after two or more 

years, or 3) want no (more) children. These categories correspond roughly, assuming fecundability, to 1) 

women with no need for family planning, 2) women with need for spacing, and 3) women with need for 

limiting. Table 23 presents trends in desired timing of next birth for countries with multiple DHS surveys. 

Data on desired timing of next birth in this population are disaggregated by five-year age group (15-19 

and 20-24) in Appendix Table A12 (current levels) and Appendix Table A13 (trends). 

Together, Tables 22 and 23 indicate that, on average, most married women age 15-24 in all 

regions want to postpone a(another) birth for at least two years and that this preference has existed for 

some time. This finding indicates that the greatest need—met or unmet—among young married women is 

need for spacing and that this proportion exceeds the proportion with no need for family planning. Having 

no need for family planning is the second most common need category, on average, in all regions except 

in Latin America and the Caribbean. Comparing the two age groups of young married women (15-19 and 

20-24), very similar proportions in each age group want to postpone a birth for at least years in all regions 

except South and Southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean (Appendix Table A12). In all 
109 

regions except West and central Africa, a higher proportion of married women age 15-19 want a birth 

within two years and a higher proportion of married women age 20-24 want no (more) births. These 

proportions are similar across both age groups in West and Central Africa. 

Table 22. Desire for a(nother) child among married women age 15-24, most recent DHS surveys, 

2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 24.2 73.1 2.2 2,886 

Burkina Faso 2010 24.5 74.1 1.1 3,728 

Cameroon 2011 28.6 65.7 5.1 2,803 

Chad 2004 34.4 63.6 1.2 1,478 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 10.6 85.1 4.1 1,495 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 23.7 68.1 5.6 1,939 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 25.4 71.4 2.8 1,512 

Gabon 2012 16.4 71.6 10.9 953 

Ghana 2008 14.6 77.3 8.1 499 

Guinea 2005 40.3 55.8 2.9 1,470 

Liberia 2007 21.8 70.1 6.3 991 

Mali 2006 30.4 66.2 2.6 3,968 

Mauritania 2000-02 32.2 56.7 7.9 1,152 

Niger 2006 37.1 62.3 0.2 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 35.6 61.9 1.4 5,523 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 6.4 69.0 22.9 395 

Senegal 2010-11 36.1 62.1 1.7 2,764 

Sierra Leone 2008 36.5 55.2 4.6 1,171 

Regional average 26.6 67.2 5.1 37,167 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 15.3 81.1 3.3 1,307 

Eritrea 2002 37.7 58.9 3.4 1,527 

Ethiopia 2011 19.1 68.5 12.4 2,527 

Kenya 2008-09 18.4 60.3 21.2 1,170 

Lesotho 2009 20.1 44.4 35.3 1,130 

Madagascar 2008-09 19.3 71.9 8.6 3,390 

Malawi 2010 17.4 66.9 14.9 4,639 

Mozambique 2011 40.8 48.3 10.0 2,940 

Namibia 2006-07 17.0 40.1 41.4 515 

Rwanda 2010 11.0 74.4 14.3 1,087 

Swaziland 2006-07 13.2 40.4 45.4 431 

Tanzania 2010 23.7 71.9 4.3 1,610 

Uganda 2011 19.9 70.0 9.8 1,505 

Zambia 2007 19.0 72.2 8.5 1,169 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 20.6 67.7 11.6 1,662 

Regional average 20.8 62.5 16.3 26,609 

(Continued...)
110 

Table 22. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 27.3 53.6 19.1 3,133 

Jordan 2009 29.1 63.0 7.5 1,320 

Morocco 2003-04 27.0 59.2 13.6 1,441 

Regional average 27.8 58.6 13.4 5,894 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 23.5 64.1 10.9 467 

Armenia 2010 25.5 63.8 8.1 518 

Azerbaijan 2006 29.1 35.8 29.7 848 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 26.3 70.9 1.4 1,053 

Moldova 2005 20.7 56.3 21.2 765 

Turkey 2003 18.9 52.8 27.6 666 

Ukraine 2007 21.8 66.6 8.0 517 

Regional average 23.7 58.6 15.3 4,834 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 17.7 52.8 28.5 5,322 

Cambodia 2010 15.3 68.9 15.5 2,061 

India 2005-06 28.1 39.7 21.5 23,508 

Indonesia 2012 18.3 73.4 8.0 4,644 

Maldives 2009 27.5 61.2 10.9 1,300 

Nepal 2011 16.5 47.7 32.7 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 38.4 49.6 10.8 2,021 

Philippines 2008 13.6 57.8 27.9 1,332 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 12.3 83.0 3.3 1,343 

Vietnam 2002 10.4 64.4 25.0 603 

Regional average 19.8 59.9 18.4 44,687 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 7.8 43.1 48.5 1,735 

Colombia 2010 11.3 52.0 29.0 4,490 

Dominican Republic 2007 17.6 57.9 18.3 3,209 

Guyana 2009 19.5 52.4 26.1 564 

Haiti 2012 7.1 66.2 26.3 1,654 

Honduras 2011-12 13.8 64.4 19.5 3,235 

Nicaragua 2001 12.7 52.1 31.8 2,033 

Peru 2010 7.4 57.8 34.1 1,950 

Regional average 12.2 55.7 29.2 18,870 

Note: Columns may not sum to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing 

data 
111 

Table 23. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among married women age 15-24 

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 24.2 73.1 2.2 2,886 

Benin 2001 26.9 70.5 2.5 1,153 

Benin 1996 25.6 73.4 1.0 1,093 

Burkina Faso 2010 24.5 74.1 1.1 3,728 

Burkina Faso 2003 26.0 72.7 1.4 2,739 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 24.9 73.2 1.9 1,511 

Cameroon 2011 28.6 65.7 5.1 2,803 

Cameroon 2004 31.2 64.9 3.6 2,390 

Cameroon 1998 38.2 59.4 2.3 1,176 

Chad 2004 34.4 63.6 1.2 1,478 

Chad 1996-97 36.4 62.3 1.2 1,991 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 10.6 85.1 4.1 1,495 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 13.7 79.7 4.7 1,093 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 25.4 71.4 2.8 1,512 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 31.8 63.6 4.2 534 

Côte d'Ivoire 1994 33.1 63.3 3.4 1,525 

Gabon 2012 16.4 71.6 10.9 953 

Gabon 2000 22.4 68.0 9.1 950 

Ghana 2008 14.6 77.3 8.1 499 

Ghana 2003 13.9 76.2 9.3 667 

Ghana 1998 15.0 77.4 7.4 674 

Guinea 2005 40.3 55.8 2.9 1,470 

Guinea 1999 40.9 54.5 3.8 1,451 

Mali 2006 30.4 66.2 2.6 3,968 

Mali 2001 28.2 68.5 2.6 3,163 

Mali 1995-96 27.4 71.4 1.1 2,276 

Niger 2006 37.1 62.3 0.2 2,440 

Niger 1998 35.7 63.8 0.5 2,187 

Niger 1992 38.7 60.0 1.0 1,837 

Nigeria 2008 35.6 61.9 1.4 5,523 

Nigeria 2003 47.4 51.2 1.4 1,450 

Nigeria 1999 40.2 57.7 1.1 1,384 

Senegal 2010-11 36.1 62.1 1.7 2,764 

Senegal 2005 30.6 67.8 1.4 2,841 

(Continued...)
112 

Table 23. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 37.7 58.9 3.4 1,527 

Eritrea 1995 20.9 74.6 3.8 934 

Ethiopia 2011 19.1 68.5 12.4 2,527 

Ethiopia 2005 19.3 61.6 18.8 2,284 

Ethiopia 2000 25.3 63.4 11.1 2,669 

Kenya 2008-09 18.4 60.3 21.2 1,170 

Kenya 2003 21.2 59.3 19.2 1,297 

Kenya 1998 21.6 58.6 19.6 1,232 

Lesotho 2009 20.1 44.4 35.3 1,130 

Lesotho 2004 21.6 50.1 27.7 1,071 

Madagascar 2008-09 19.3 71.9 8.6 3,390 

Madagascar 2003-04 23.9 64.9 11.1 1,291 

Madagascar 1997 25.2 61.3 12.9 1,256 

Malawi 2010 17.4 66.9 14.9 4,639 

Malawi 2004 17.4 67.1 15.1 3,071 

Malawi 2000 19.9 60.4 18.2 3,256 

Mozambique 2011 40.8 48.3 10.0 2,940 

Mozambique 2003 37.3 55.1 6.2 2,682 

Mozambique 1997 38.0 58.2 2.5 2,147 

Namibia 2006-07 17.0 40.1 41.4 515 

Namibia 2000 18.8 39.4 41.1 400 

Namibia 1992 30.3 49.8 18.3 388 

Rwanda 2010 11.0 74.4 14.3 1,087 

Rwanda 2005 16.5 69.7 13.6 1,045 

Rwanda 2000 20.0 75.0 5.0 1,135 

Tanzania 2010 23.7 71.9 4.3 1,610 

Tanzania 2004-05 26.4 67.4 6.2 1,990 

Tanzania 1999 31.0 61.5 7.1 777 

Uganda 2011 19.9 70.0 9.8 1,505 

Uganda 2006 24.9 64.8 10.0 1,528 

Uganda 2000-01 23.2 64.6 11.6 1,612 

Zambia 2007 19.0 72.2 8.5 1,169 

Zambia 2001-02 25.1 66.8 7.8 1,521 

Zambia 1996 30.4 62.9 6.3 1,705 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 20.6 67.7 11.6 1,662 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 20.1 61.9 17.5 1,648 

Zimbabwe 1999 24.7 61.2 14.1 1,134 

(Continued...)
113 

Table 23. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 27.3 53.6 19.1 3,133 

Egypt 2005 25.8 53.0 21.2 3,690 

Egypt 2000 26.8 51.1 21.9 2,785 

Jordan 2009 29.1 63.0 7.5 1,320 

Jordan 2007 24.1 64.3 11.2 1,466 

Jordan 2002 27.6 66.8 5.6 864 

Jordan 1997 27.5 57.7 14.4 980 

Morocco 2003-04 27.0 59.2 13.6 1,441 

Morocco 1992 29.4 57.9 12.1 929 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Armenia 2010 25.5 63.8 8.1 518 

Armenia 2005 22.0 54.3 23.1 582 

Armenia 2000 22.9 45.4 31.0 610 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 26.3 70.9 1.4 1,053 

Kyrgyz Republic 1997 20.5 69.6 8.0 551 

Turkey 2003 18.9 52.8 27.6 666 

Turkey 1998 21.7 49.6 28.3 1,186 

Turkey 1993 21.8 48.0 29.7 1,355 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 17.7 52.8 28.5 5,322 

Bangladesh 2007 19.7 52.5 27.1 3,470 

Bangladesh 2004 20.8 52.8 26.1 3,802 

Cambodia 2010 15.3 68.9 15.5 2,061 

Cambodia 2005 13.8 65.9 19.4 2,034 

Cambodia 2000 16.5 69.9 11.1 1,443 

India 2005-06 28.1 39.7 21.5 23,508 

India 1998-99 31.0 40.3 16.8 24,220 

India 1992-93 26.7 51.4 13.2 25,512 

Indonesia 2012 18.3 73.4 8.0 4,644 

Indonesia 2007 18.4 67.8 13.6 4,766 

Indonesia 2002-03 18.3 70.4 10.6 4,672 

Nepal 2011 16.5 47.7 32.7 2,553 

Nepal 2006 19.8 44.8 31.5 2,389 

Nepal 2001 23.2 46.8 26.2 2,573 

Pakistan 2006-07 38.4 49.6 10.8 2,021 

Pakistan 1990-91 36.8 51.8 9.3 1,458 

Philippines 2008 13.4 60.2 25.8 1,283 

Philippines 2003 13.6 57.8 27.9 1,332 

Philippines 1998 14.5 56.3 28.6 1,211 

Vietnam 2002 10.4 64.4 25.0 603 

Vietnam 1997 11.9 61.7 26.4 845 

(Continued...)
114 

Table 23. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 7.8 43.1 48.5 1,735 

Bolivia 2003 8.2 40.4 51.0 2,050 

Bolivia 1998 10.4 37.6 51.1 1,219 

Colombia 2010 11.3 52.0 29.0 4,490 

Colombia 2005 10.5 48.8 34.7 3,706 

Colombia 2000 13.1 45.9 37.9 1,140 

Dominican Republic 2007 17.6 57.9 18.3 3,209 

Dominican Republic 2002 18.3 52.2 22.3 3,174 

Dominican Republic 1999 20.3 53.3 21.1 164 

Haiti 2012 7.1 66.2 26.3 1,654 

Haiti 2005-06 10.7 67.6 21.1 1,524 

Haiti 2000 12.7 64.0 23.1 1,333 

Honduras 2011-12 13.8 64.4 19.5 3,235 

Honduras 2005-06 12.4 60.5 24.6 2,944 

Nicaragua 2001 12.7 52.1 31.8 2,033 

Nicaragua 1998 14.4 43.7 36.4 2,280 

Peru 2010 7.4 57.8 34.1 1,950 

Peru 2005 7.1 60.2 32.5 3,322 

Peru 2000 7.3 53.6 38.2 2,550 

Note: Columns may not sum to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing 

data 

Data on the current state of desired timing of a subsequent birth for sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24 are presented in Table 24 and trends for this population are presented in Table 25. 

Appendix Table A14 to A15 provide these data by five-year age group (15-19 and 20-24). These data 

indicate that a much larger proportion of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 want to delay a 

birth for two or more years, compared with married women the same age. A smaller proportion of 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 wants a child within two years or wants no (more) children, 

compared with married women. This pattern is evident in all regions for which data are available on 

sexually active, unmarried women. Comparing the two age groups, the proportion of women of both age 

groups who want to delay a birth for two or more years is very similar in West and Central Africa and in 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia, while a slightly higher percentage of sexually active, unmarried women 

age 15-19 want a birth within two years and a slightly higher proportion of those age 20-24 want no 

(more) births (Appendix Table A14). In East and Southern Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, a 

higher proportion of those age 15-19 want to delay a birth by two or more years, while both the 

proportion wanting a birth within two years and the proportion wanting no (more) births are higher 

among those age 20-24. 
115 

Table 24. Desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, most 

recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 12.1 85.2 0.6 494 

Burkina Faso 2010 10.0 89.6 0.0 276 

Cameroon 2011 12.8 85.3 1.6 643 

Chad 2004 20.2 78.9 0.7 39 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 11.2 87.0 1.0 876 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 5.6 85.9 4.1 442 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 9.7 87.7 1.3 776 

Gabon 2012 14.9 77.4 6.0 897 

Ghana 2008 4.1 92.4 3.4 175 

Guinea 2005 7.2 90.4 1.8 218 

Liberia 2007 12.6 84.1 2.6 717 

Mali 2006 6.8 83.1 6.8 70 

Nigeria 2008 5.1 92.6 0.7 1,034 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 20.7 69.9 7.4 105 

Senegal 2010-11 0.7 94.8 4.5 77 

Sierra Leone 2008 10.3 79.9 3.3 344 

Regional average 10.3 85.3 2.9 7,183 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 10.5 80.8 2.2 44 

Ethiopia 2011 17.5 55.8 24.3 101 

Kenya 2008-09 11.8 81.5 6.3 138 

Lesotho 2009 10.0 56.6 33.4 164 

Madagascar 2008-09 16.2 79.2 4.6 485 

Malawi 2010 14.8 74.4 9.5 302 

Mozambique 2011 23.6 69.4 6.5 656 

Namibia 2006-07 9.4 60.3 28.4 665 

Rwanda 2010 8.2 82.8 9.0 96 

Swaziland 2006-07 5.9 44.3 49.4 291 

Tanzania 2010 18.2 71.8 10.0 356 

Uganda 2011 19.9 74.4 5.1 160 

Zambia 2007 8.5 78.5 13.0 179 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 24.3 57.1 17.3 89 

Regional average 14.2 69.1 15.6 3,726 

(Continued...)
116 

Table 24. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 12.0 87.3 0.7 90 

Moldova 2005 4.7 89.2 5.4 182 

Ukraine 2007 4.0 92.3 2.7 280 

Regional average 6.9 89.6 2.9 552 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 8.4 78.5 13.1 337 

Colombia 2010 4.7 77.5 15.5 3,120 

Dominican Republic 2007 21.6 66.2 10.3 1,017 

Guyana 2009 7.9 81.8 9.1 185 

Haiti 2012 5.8 87.7 5.9 681 

Honduras 2011-12 12.9 73.4 13.3 486 

Nicaragua 2001 15.7 58.8 25.2 173 

Peru 2010 5.8 86.5 6.7 648 

Regional average 10.4 76.3 12.4 6,647 

Note: Columns may not sum to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing 

data 
117 

Table 25. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 12.1 85.2 0.6 494 

Benin 2001 14.0 85.2 0.5 223 

Benin 1996 15.1 83.2 1.7 151 

Burkina Faso 2010 10.0 89.6 0.0 276 

Burkina Faso 2003 7.4 92.4 0.2 239 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 10.9 88.3 0.8 148 

Cameroon 2011 12.8 85.3 1.6 643 

Cameroon 2004 12.4 86.1 1.3 365 

Cameroon 1998 23.8 73.6 2.6 334 

Chad 2004 20.2 78.9 0.7 39 

Chad 1996-97 27.9 69.6 2.0 98 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 11.2 87.0 1.0 876 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 10.1 83.4 3.4 660 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 9.7 87.7 1.3 776 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 17.7 79.5 2.6 246 

Gabon 2012 14.9 77.4 6.0 897 

Gabon 2000 15.1 77.6 6.7 599 

Ghana 2008 4.1 92.4 3.4 175 

Ghana 2003 5.2 94.8 0.0 162 

Ghana 1998 14.7 84.4 0.8 138 

Guinea 2005 7.2 90.4 1.8 218 

Guinea 1999 9.9 81.7 6.2 144 

Mali 2006 6.8 83.1 6.8 70 

Mali 2001 8.0 82.9 7.6 262 

Mali 1995-96 7.4 89.9 1.6 195 

Nigeria 2008 5.1 92.6 0.7 1,034 

Nigeria 2003 4.5 93.2 0.8 245 

Nigeria 1999 5.4 93.1 1.0 239 

(Continued...)
118 

Table 25. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 17.5 55.8 24.3 101 

Ethiopia 2000 20.1 51.5 28.2 87 

Kenya 2008-09 11.8 81.5 6.3 138 

Kenya 2003 12.1 73.3 14.1 142 

Kenya 1998 12.7 72.0 15.3 246 

Lesotho 2009 10.0 56.6 33.4 164 

Lesotho 2004 13.5 50.3 33.3 131 

Madagascar 2008-09 16.2 79.2 4.6 485 

Madagascar 2003-04 15.7 64.2 17.0 267 

Madagascar 1997 28.3 60.1 11.6 325 

Malawi 2010 14.8 74.4 9.5 302 

Malawi 2004 13.2 64.4 19.7 163 

Malawi 2000 17.5 68.9 11.6 222 

Mozambique 2011 23.6 69.4 6.5 656 

Mozambique 2003 24.0 68.2 5.4 661 

Mozambique 1997 30.0 59.7 6.2 308 

Namibia 2006-07 9.4 60.3 28.4 665 

Namibia 2000 11.9 61.7 24.5 380 

Tanzania 2010 18.2 71.8 10.0 356 

Tanzania 2004-05 18.8 71.4 9.9 318 

Tanzania 1999 22.6 65.7 10.8 210 

Uganda 2011 19.9 74.4 5.1 160 

Uganda 2006 23.1 67.8 9.1 178 

Uganda 2000-01 24.7 66.7 8.6 152 

Zambia 2007 8.5 78.5 13.0 179 

Zambia 2001-02 24.5 68.4 6.1 211 

Zambia 1996 30.0 64.4 5.4 301 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 24.3 57.1 17.3 89 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 21.1 67.1 11.8 78 

Zimbabwe 1999 26.9 57.4 15.7 77 

(Continued...)
119 

Table 25. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Wants within 

2 years 

Wants after 

2+ years 

Wants no 

more Weighted n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 8.4 78.5 13.1 337 

Bolivia 2003 12.8 70.2 17.1 316 

Bolivia 1998 14.8 54.7 27.8 98 

Colombia 2010 4.7 77.5 15.5 3,120 

Colombia 2005 9.2 74.1 15.7 2,058 

Colombia 2000 11.3 71.4 16.7 520 

Dominican Republic 2007 21.6 66.2 10.3 1,017 

Dominican Republic 2002 22.7 58.0 16.9 544 

Haiti 2012 5.8 87.7 5.9 681 

Haiti 2005-06 7.5 88.6 3.9 319 

Haiti 2000 9.3 88.2 2.5 236 

Honduras 2011-12 12.9 73.4 13.3 486 

Honduras 2005-06 13.6 68.2 17.2 261 

Nicaragua 2001 15.7 58.8 25.2 173 

Nicaragua 1998 8.5 56.3 33.2 74 

Peru 2010 5.8 86.5 6.7 648 

Peru 2005 5.8 88.4 5.8 1,010 

Peru 2000 7.2 84.2 8.3 492 

Note: Columns may not sum to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing 

data 

9.4.1 West and Central Africa 

Countries in West and Central Africa, on average, have the highest proportion of married women 

age 15-24 who want to postpone having a child for two or more years (67.2%) and the lowest proportion 

of married women age 15-24 who want no more children (5.1%) (Table 22). The proportion of women 

who want a child after two or more years ranges from 55.2 percent in Sierra Leone to 85.1 percent in 

Congo (Brazzaville). At the same time, more than one-quarter (26.6%) of young married women would 

like a child within two years; only 5.1 percent want no (more) children. São Tomé and Príncipe stands out 

in the region because of the small proportion of married women age 15-24 who want a child within two 

years (6.4%) and the large proportion who want no (more) children (22.9%). 

Table 23 demonstrates that, over time, the most frequently occurring trend among married 

women age 15-24 in West and Central Africa is an increase the proportion who want to delay a birth by 

two or more years. There has been a decrease in the proportion of married women age 15-24 who want a 

child within two years and a decrease in the proportion who want no (more) children. While the decline 

in the proportion of young married women who want a child soon (within two years) is clear, the trend in 

the proportion wanting no (more) children varies across countries in the region. 

Among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 in West and Central Africa, the vast 

majority—85.3 percent, on average—want to delay having a child for two or more years (Table 24). 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the only region with a higher proportion (89.6%). When young 

unmarried women are compared with young married women in West and Central Africa, there is a 

difference of nearly 20 percentage points in the proportion wanting a child after two or more years—85.3 
120 

percent and 62.2 percent, respectively. The proportion of sexually active, unmarried women who want a 

child within two years averages 10.3 percent and ranges from less than one percent in Senegal to more 

than 20 percent in Cameroon and São Tomé and Príncipe. It is rare for sexually active, unmarried women 

in this age group to want to have no (more) children. In West and Central Africa the proportion of young 

unmarried women age who want no (more) children ranges from zero percent in Burkina Faso to 7.4 

percent in São Tomé and Príncipe. Among the regions, West and Central Africa and Eastern Europe and 

Central Asia have the lowest proportions of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 who want no 

(more) children—both regions averaging 2.9 percent. 

Trends in desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 show an 

even greater concentration, compared to married women of the same age, of desires over time to 

postpone having a child for two or more years, rather than either wanting a child within two years or 

wanting no (more) children, both proportions that decrease over time (Table 25). Exceptions include 

Ghana, where there is an increase in the proportion wanting no more children, and Mali, where there is a 

decrease in both the proportion wanting a child soon (within two years) and the proportion wanting a 

child later (after two or more years), along with an increase in the proportion wanting no (more) children. 

The desire to have a child within two years declined almost universally among sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24, with the exception of Congo (Brazzaville) where there was a slight increase (from 

10.1% to 11.2%). 

9.4.2 East and Southern Africa 

Compared with young married women in West and Central Africa, a smaller proportion of 

married women age 15-24 in East and Southern Africa want to have a child either within two years 

(20.8%) or after two or more years (62.5%) (Table 22). Although still the least common response to the 

question about desire for a(nother) child, a larger proportion of young married women in East and 

Southern Africa than in West and Central Africa want no (more) children (16.3% and 5.1%, respectively). 

The proportion of married women age 15-24 who want to postpone having a child for two or more years 

ranges from 40 percent in Namibia (40.1%) and Swaziland (40.4%) to more than 80 percent in Burundi 

(81.1%). Eritrea and Mozambique contrast with the general pattern, with a high proportion of young 

married women wanting a child within two years—37.7 percent in Eritrea and 40.8 percent in 

Mozambique—and, for Eritrea, a small proportion wanting no (more) children (3.4%). In contrast, 

Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland have high proportions of young married women who want no (more) 

children (35.3%, 41.4%, and 45.4%, respectively). 

As in West and Central Africa, Table 23 shows that the general trend over time has been a 

decrease in the proportion of married women age 15-24 who want a child within two years and an 

increase in either or both the proportion wanting to space or limit births; the two exceptions are Eritrea 

and Mozambique. In Eritrea, an increase in the proportion wanting a birth within two years was 

accompanied by a decrease in the proportion wanting to have a child after two or more years and a 

decrease in the proportion wanting no (more) children. In Mozambique, there was an increase in the 

proportion wanting a birth within two years, accompanied by a decrease in the proportion wanting to 

delay the next birth two or more years, and an increase in the proportion wanting no (more) children. 

Desired timing of next birth among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 in East and 

Southern Africa is similar to that among married women the same age. Typically, they want a child after 

two or more years rather than either wanting a child soon (within two years) or not wanting any (more) 

children (Table 24). As in the other regions, a greater proportion of young unmarried women want to 

delay the next birth while smaller proportions want a child soon or want no (more) children. However, 

compared with other regions, East and Southern Africa has, on average, the lowest proportion of sexually 

active, unmarried women who want to space the next birth by two or more years and the highest 
121 

proportions who want a child within two years or want no (more) children. The shift over time away from 

wanting a child within two years to wanting (especially) to postpone the next birth is more evident among 

young sexually active, unmarried women than it is among their married counterparts (Table 25). 

9.4.3 Middle East and North Africa 

The Middle East and North Africa region, on average, has the highest proportion of married 

women age 15-24 who want a child within the next two years (27.8%) (Table 22). This proportion ranges 

from 27.0 percent in Morocco to 29.1 percent in Jordan. Nonetheless, the majority (58.6%) of young, 

married women in the region want to delay a subsequent birth for two or more years. This proportion 

ranges from 53.6 percent in Egypt to 63.0 percent in Jordan. Smaller proportions of young married 

women report that they want no (more) children, ranging from 7.5 percent in Jordan to 19.1 percent in 

Egypt. Table 23 shows that both Egypt and Morocco have seen an increase in the proportion of married 

women age 15-24 who want to postpone having a child for two or more years; trends in the other two 

categories vary. In Jordan, the proportion of young married women who want to postpone having a child 

for two or more years and the proportion who want to limit childbearing have both fluctuated over time; 

however, there has been an increase in the proportion who want a child within two years, from 27.5 

percent to 29.1 percent. 

9.4.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

The proportion of married women age 15-24 in Eastern Europe and Central Asia who want to 

postpone having a child after two or more years averages 58.6 percent and ranges from 35.8 percent in 

Azerbaijan to 70.9 percent in the Kyrgyz Republic (Table 22). Nearly one-quarter of married women this 

age (23.7%) want a child within two years on average, ranging from 18.9 percent in Turkey to 29.1 

percent in Azerbaijan. The proportion wanting no (more) children ranges from 1.4 percent in the Kyrgyz 

Republic to 29.7 in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan stands out from the other countries in the region because of 

the relatively smaller proportion of young married women wanting to space the next birth (35.8%) and the 

larger proportions wanting the next birth soon (29.1%) or not at all (29.7%). 

Table 23 shows that for the three countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia for which multiple 

DHS surveys are available—Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkey—there has been an increase in the 

proportion of married women age 15-24 who want to delay having a child for two or more years and a 

decrease in the proportion who want to have no (more) children. The proportion wanting a child within 

two years has decreased in Turkey and increased in Armenia and the Kyrgyz Republic. 

Among the three countries in the region—Albania, Moldova, and the Ukraine—with data on both 

married and sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, Table 24 indicates that, on average, the 

proportion of young women who want to delay the next birth two or more years is at least 30 percentage 

points higher among sexually active, unmarried women than among their married counterparts—89.6% 

and 58.6%, respectively. Among the four regions with data on sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24, Eastern Europe and Central Asia has the highest proportion of these women who want a child after 

two or more years. The proportions wanting a child within two years or wanting no (more) children are 

small, a fraction of those of young married women. In particular, among the four regions with data 

available, Eastern Europe and Central Asia has the lowest proportion of sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24 who want a child within two years (6.9%). 

9.4.5 South and Southeast Asia 

Although the majority of married women age 15-24 in South and Southeast Asia want to 

postpone a (next) birth two or more years (59.9%), on average, the region has the second highest
122 

proportion of married women wanting no more children (18.4%) and the second lowest proportion 

wanting a child within two years (19.8%) (Table 22). The proportion who want a (next) birth after two or 

more years ranges from 39.7 percent in India to 83.0 percent in Timor-Leste. The proportion who want to 

limit childbearing (i.e., have no (more) children) ranges from 3.3 percent in Timor-Leste to 32.7 percent 

in Nepal. The proportion who want a child within two years ranges from 10.4 percent in Vietnam to 38.4 

percent in Pakistan. India is notable for having relatively similar proportions of women in all three 

categories. While Nepal and Pakistan have similar proportions of married women age 15-24 who want to 

delay a (next) birth two or more years (47.7% and 49.6%, respectively), they differ in the large proportion 

of women in Pakistan who want a birth soon (38.4%) and the large proportion of women in Nepal who 

want no (more) children (32.7%), and these proportions have increased over time (Table 23). Trends in 

desired timing of next birth in the other countries in South and Southeast Asia are more diverse, with the 

majority of countries experiencing an increase in the proportion of married women age 15-24 who want to 

limit or space births, although these trends have moved in opposite directions in some countries. 

9.4.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

 The Latin America and the Caribbean region has the highest proportion of married women age 

15-24 who want no (more) children and the lowest proportion who want a child soon or after two or more 

years (Table 22). On average, 55.7 percent of young, married women want a child after two or more 

years, ranging from 43.1 percent in Bolivia to 66.2 percent in Haiti. Bolivia is notable in the region for 

having one of the lowest proportions of young married women who want a child soon (7.8%) along with 

the highest proportion (48.5%) who want no (more) children. 

In five of the seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with multiple DHS surveys, the 

proportion of married women age 15-24 who want a child within two years has decreased and the 

proportion wanting a child after two or more years has increased (Table 23). In Nicaragua and Peru, the 

proportion of young married women wanting to space a (next) birth increased but there is a concurrent 

increase in the proportion of young married women wanting a child soon (within two years). In Haiti and 

Peru, the proportion of married women age 15-24 wanting to limit (stop) childbearing has increased over 

time. Elsewhere in the region, the desire to limit childbearing has decreased. 

Desired timing of next birth among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 in Latin 

American and Caribbean is similar to that of their married counterparts: most sexually active, unmarried 

women want to space a (next) birth by two or more years (Table 24). However, there is a 20 percentage 

point difference between the two groups in the desire to space births. On average, 76.3 percent of sexually 

active unmarried women age 15-24 want to have a (next) birth after two or more years compared with 

55.7 percent of young married women the same age. Smaller proportions of sexually active, unmarried 

women want to have a child soon (within two years) or to have no (more) children. There is a more than 

16 percentage point difference in the opposite direction between the two groups in desire to limit 

childbearing. On average, 12.4 percent of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 want no (more) 

children compared with 29.2 percent of their married counterparts. Table 25 shows that, in general, there 

has been an increase over time in the proportion of sexually active, unmarried women who want to have a 

child after two or more years, with smaller proportions wanting a child within two years or wanting no 

(more) children. It is notable that in Haiti there has been a shift away from wanting a(nother) child—

either within two years or after two or more years—toward wanting no (more) children. In Nicaragua, the 

opposite pattern is seen: there has been an increase in the proportion of sexually active, unmarried women 

age 15-24 who want a child within two years or after two or more years, and a decrease in the proportion 

wanting no (more) children. 
123 

9.5 Use of Contraception 

Table 26 describes current use of contraception among married women age 15-24. Data on 

current use of contraception among the same population disaggregated by five-year age group (15-19 and 

20-24) can be found in Appendix Table A16. These tables present 1) the proportion of women not using 

any contraceptive method (nonusers), 2) the proportion using a traditional method, and 3) the proportion 

using a modern method. Although the DHS algorithm for unmet need for family planning considers 

women using any method of contraception to have a met need for family planning and not unmet need 

(Bradley et al. 2012), service providers concerned with the efficacy of contraceptive methods may be 

interested in the distinction between modern method and traditional method use among young women. 

Table 26. Current use of contraception among married women age 15-24, by method type, most 

recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 86.9 8.7 4.3 2,886 

Burkina Faso 2010 86.7 0.8 12.5 3,728 

Cameroon 2011 79.7 5.4 14.9 2,803 

Chad 2004 89.5 9.0 1.6 1,478 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 56.8 19.3 23.9 1,495 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 82.4 12.4 5.1 1,941 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 84.7 5.0 10.2 1,512 

Gabon 2012 68.4 10.2 21.4 953 

Ghana 2008 79.1 5.2 15.6 499 

Guinea 2005 90.1 4.2 5.7 1,474 

Liberia 2007 93.4 1.3 5.3 991 

Mali 2006 91.5 1.8 6.8 3,968 

Mauritania 2000-02 93.7 2.5 3.8 1,155 

Niger 2006 90.8 5.5 3.6 2,440 

Nigeria 2008 92.3 2.2 5.5 5,523 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 65.8 1.8 32.4 395 

Senegal 2010-11 91.9 0.7 7.4 2,764 

Sierra Leone 2008 95.8 0.5 3.7 1,171 

Regional average 84.4 5.4 10.2 37,176 

(Continued...)
124 

Table 26. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 79.6 4.2 16.3 1,307 

Eritrea 2002 95.5 0.7 3.8 1,530 

Ethiopia 2011 68.5 1.2 30.2 2,527 

Kenya 2008-09 66.7 4.8 28.5 1,170 

Lesotho 2009 60.1 1.0 38.9 1,151 

Madagascar 2008-09 67.9 8.8 23.2 3,390 

Malawi 2010 61.5 3.5 35.1 4,639 

Mozambique 2011 90.5 0.2 9.3 2,940 

Namibia 2006-07 48.7 2.7 48.6 516 

Rwanda 2010 56.4 2.4 41.2 1,087 

Swaziland 2006-07 54.1 1.7 44.2 431 

Tanzania 2010 74.0 5.0 20.9 1,610 

Uganda 2011 79.6 2.1 18.4 1,505 

Zambia 2007 61.5 7.4 31.2 1,169 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 46.3 1.0 52.6 1,662 

Regional average 67.4 3.1 29.5 26,634 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 59.5 3.7 36.8 3,133 

Jordan 2009 60.3 11.9 27.8 1,320 

Morocco 2003-04 46.8 4.5 48.6 1,441 

Regional average 55.5 6.7 37.7 5,894 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

Albania 2008-09 46.7 43.8 9.4 467 

Armenia 2010 62.9 20.9 16.2 518 

Azerbaijan 2006 67.7 24.1 8.2 848 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 80.7 1.9 17.4 1,053 

Moldova 2005 37.7 22.2 40.1 765 

Turkey 2003 43.5 27.9 28.6 664 

Ukraine 2007 38.6 16.7 44.8 517 

Regional average 54.0 22.5 23.5 4,832 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 46.0 4.6 49.4 5,322 

Cambodia 2010 59.8 11.2 29.0 2,061 

India 2005-06 72.5 6.9 20.6 23,508 

Indonesia 2012 41.8 1.1 57.0 4,644 

Maldives 2009 77.5 6.3 16.2 1,300 

Nepal 2011 74.2 5.0 20.9 2,553 

Pakistan 2006-07 87.0 4.1 8.8 2,022 

Philippines 2008 58.2 13.3 28.5 1,283 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 85.7 1.1 13.2 1,343 

Vietnam 2002 46.2 12.7 41.1 603 

Regional average 64.9 6.6 28.5 44,639 

(Continued...)
125 

Table 26. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 47.3 19.7 33.0 1,735 

Colombia 2010 31.8 5.6 62.6 4,490 

Dominican Republic 2007 44.4 3.4 52.2 3,209 

Guyana 2009 64.0 1.7 34.3 564 

Haiti 2012 66.6 1.8 31.6 1,654 

Honduras 2011-12 35.5 7.3 57.2 3,235 

Nicaragua 2001 37.5 2.1 60.4 2,035 

Peru 2010 29.9 19.3 50.8 1,950 

Regional average 44.6 7.6 47.8 18,872 

Table 26 indicates that most married women age 15-24 are not currently using contraception. 

Only in Latin America and the Caribbean does a majority—55.4 percent, on average—use a method of 

contraception. In every other region in this report, the majority of young married women do not use any 

contraceptive method. When contraception is used however, a greater proportion of young married 

women in all regions use a modern method than a traditional method. Use of modern methods by married 

women age 15-24 is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean (averaging 47.8%), followed by the 

Middle East and North Africa (where it averages 37.7%). Eastern Europe and Central Asia is distinctive 

because of the high proportion of young married women using traditional methods (22.5%), almost the 

same proportion of young married women are using modern methods (23.5%). In other regions the 

proportion of young married women using traditional methods is less than 10 percent. In all regions, use 

of contraception is higher among married women age 20-24 than among those age 15-19, but the 

distribution of modern and traditional methods is similar in both age groups (Appendix Table A16). 

Table 27 provides trend data on current use of contraception among married women age 15-24 in 

countries with multiple DHS surveys. These data are presented for the two constituent five-year age 

groups (15-19 and 20-24) in Appendix Table A17. Table 27 demonstrates a strong and nearly universal 

trend toward increased use of modern contraceptive methods. At the same time, however, there is 

variation as to whether the increase in the use of modern methods is accompanied by 1) a decrease in 

nonuse of contraception and an increase in the use of traditional methods, or 2) an increase in nonuse of 

contraception and a decrease in the use of traditional methods, or 3) a decrease in both nonuse of 

contraception and use of traditional methods. Generally, trends in current use of contraception do not 

differ by age group (Appendix Table A17). 
126 

Table 27. Trends in current use of contraception among married women age 15-24, by method 

type 

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 86.9 8.7 4.3 2,886 

Benin 2001 84.3 9.9 5.8 1,155 

Benin 1996 84.0 13.4 2.6 1,094 

Burkina Faso 2010 86.7 0.8 12.5 3,728 

Burkina Faso 2003 87.8 4.3 7.8 2,739 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 88.7 7.0 4.3 1,511 

Cameroon 2011 79.7 5.4 14.9 2,803 

Cameroon 2004 74.5 10.7 14.7 2,391 

Cameroon 1998 83.7 12.0 4.3 1,176 

Chad 2004 89.5 9.0 1.6 1,478 

Chad 1996-97 96.1 2.8 1.0 1,991 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 56.8 19.3 23.9 1,495 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 53.9 32.5 13.7 1,093 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 84.7 5.0 10.2 1,512 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 87.2 6.7 6.0 534 

Côte d'Ivoire 1994 88.0 8.7 3.3 1,526 

Gabon 2012 68.4 10.2 21.4 953 

Gabon 2000 61.8 24.2 14.0 950 

Ghana 2008 79.1 5.2 15.6 499 

Ghana 2003 80.1 5.1 14.8 667 

Ghana 1998 79.6 8.7 11.7 674 

Guinea 2005 90.1 4.2 5.7 1,474 

Guinea 1999 95.0 1.9 3.1 1,459 

Mali 2006 91.5 1.8 6.8 3,968 

Mali 2001 93.7 0.7 5.6 3,165 

Mali 1995-96 94.6 2.4 2.9 2,278 

Niger 2006 90.8 5.5 3.6 2,440 

Niger 1998 91.9 4.4 3.7 2,188 

Niger 1992 96.0 2.4 1.7 1,837 

Nigeria 2008 92.3 2.2 5.5 5,523 

Nigeria 2003 92.5 2.0 5.5 1,456 

Nigeria 1999 93.4 4.5 2.1 1,457 

Senegal 2010-11 91.9 0.7 7.4 2,764 

Senegal 2005 92.8 0.9 6.4 2,849 

(Continued...)
127 

Table 27. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 95.5 0.7 3.8 1,530 

Eritrea 1995 92.9 4.2 2.8 937 

Ethiopia 2011 68.5 1.2 30.2 2,527 

Ethiopia 2000 93.7 1.7 4.7 2,669 

Kenya 2008-09 66.7 4.8 28.5 1,170 

Kenya 2003 75.1 5.0 19.9 1,297 

Kenya 1998 71.9 6.8 21.4 1,234 

Lesotho 2009 60.1 1.0 38.9 1,151 

Lesotho 2004 71.2 1.1 27.7 1,072 

Madagascar 2008-09 67.9 8.8 23.2 3,390 

Madagascar 2003-04 79.1 5.3 15.7 1,291 

Madagascar 1997 87.7 5.5 6.9 1,256 

Malawi 2010 61.5 3.5 35.1 4,639 

Malawi 2004 73.5 3.4 23.2 3,071 

Malawi 2000 76.9 3.2 19.9 3,257 

Mozambique 2011 90.5 0.2 9.3 2,940 

Mozambique 2003 75.5 3.9 20.6 2,683 

Mozambique 1997 97.0 0.5 2.5 2,163 

Namibia 2006-07 48.7 2.7 48.6 516 

Namibia 2000 54.6 1.2 44.2 400 

Namibia 1992 71.6 4.7 23.7 394 

Rwanda 2010 56.4 2.4 41.2 1,087 

Rwanda 2005 87.9 4.7 7.3 1,045 

Rwanda 2000 90.3 5.2 4.5 1,135 

Tanzania 2010 74.0 5.0 20.9 1,610 

Tanzania 2004-05 79.2 5.4 15.4 1,990 

Tanzania 1999 76.8 6.9 16.3 777 

Uganda 2011 79.6 2.1 18.4 1,505 

Uganda 2006 80.9 4.9 14.2 1,528 

Uganda 2000-01 81.6 3.5 14.9 1,616 

Zambia 2007 61.5 7.4 31.2 1,169 

Zambia 2001-02 70.2 8.1 21.7 1,524 

Zambia 1996 77.6 9.4 12.9 1,705 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 46.3 1.0 52.6 1,662 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 45.2 1.1 53.7 1,648 

Zimbabwe 1999 49.5 2.0 48.5 1,134 

(Continued...)
128 

Table 27. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 59.5 3.7 36.8 3,133 

Egypt 2005 59.2 3.2 37.6 3,690 

Egypt 2000 61.5 2.0 36.5 2,785 

Jordan 2009 60.3 11.9 27.8 1,320 

Jordan 2007 58.9 11.0 30.0 1,466 

Jordan 2002 61.5 13.0 25.4 864 

Jordan 1997 67.1 11.6 21.3 980 

Morocco 2003-04 46.8 4.5 48.6 1,441 

Morocco 1992 68.1 2.6 29.4 930 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Armenia 2010 62.9 20.9 16.2 518 

Armenia 2005 60.7 22.6 16.7 582 

Armenia 2000 49.5 29.2 21.3 610 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 80.7 1.9 17.4 1,053 

Kyrgyz Republic 1997 54.5 9.4 36.1 551 

Turkey 2003 43.5 27.9 28.6 664 

Turkey 1998 51.4 21.1 27.5 1,186 

Turkey 1993 55.4 20.9 23.6 1,355 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 46.0 4.6 49.4 5,322 

Bangladesh 2007 51.8 4.7 43.5 3,470 

Bangladesh 2004 52.3 7.0 40.7 3,803 

Cambodia 2010 59.8 11.2 29.0 2,061 

Cambodia 2005 67.9 10.5 21.6 2,034 

Cambodia 2000 86.5 2.7 10.8 1,447 

India 2005-06 72.5 6.9 20.6 23,508 

India 1998-99 80.0 4.3 15.7 24,229 

India 1992-93 83.8 3.5 12.7 26,738 

Indonesia 2012 41.8 1.1 57.0 4,644 

Indonesia 2007 41.0 1.4 57.6 4,766 

Indonesia 2002-03 41.9 1.6 56.5 4,672 

Nepal 2011 74.2 5.0 20.9 2,553 

Nepal 2006 74.2 2.6 23.2 2,389 

Nepal 2001 80.7 2.7 16.6 2,573 

Pakistan 2006-07 87.0 4.1 8.8 2,022 

Pakistan 1990-91 94.8 1.9 3.3 1,459 

Philippines 2008 58.2 13.3 28.5 1,283 

Philippines 2003 60.4 12.6 27.0 1,334 

Philippines 1998 63.8 15.1 21.1 1,212 

Vietnam 2002 46.2 12.7 41.1 603 

Vietnam 1997 50.5 10.5 39.0 845 

(Continued...)
129 

Table 27. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 47.3 19.7 33.0 1,735 

Bolivia 2003 46.8 19.2 34.1 2,051 

Bolivia 1998 59.8 21.9 18.3 1,224 

Colombia 2010 31.8 5.6 62.6 4,490 

Colombia 2005 32.4 10.3 57.3 3,706 

Colombia 2000 34.3 12.3 53.4 1,140 

Dominican Republic 2007 44.4 3.4 52.2 3,209 

Dominican Republic 2002 49.4 5.1 45.4 3,175 

Dominican Republic 1999 57.9 9.2 32.9 165 

Haiti 2012 66.6 1.8 31.6 1,654 

Haiti 2005-06 68.3 7.3 24.4 1,524 

Haiti 2000 72.3 5.8 21.9 1,333 

Honduras 2011-12 35.5 7.3 57.2 3,235 

Honduras 2005-06 45.0 7.2 47.8 2,944 

Nicaragua 2001 37.5 2.1 60.4 2,035 

Nicaragua 1998 51.4 2.1 46.5 2,280 

Peru 2010 29.9 19.3 50.8 1,950 

Peru 2005 32.1 18.5 49.4 3,322 

Peru 2000 37.9 13.2 49.0 2,551 

Table 28 presents current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24, by method type, for countries with DHS data on unmarried women. Appendix Table A18 provides 

corresponding data by five-year age group. Table 28 indicates that, compared with married women age 

15-24 a greater proportion of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, in all regions, are currently 

using a contraceptive method. Still, the majority of young unmarried women in both African regions 

(West and Central Africa and East and Southern Africa) do not use any method of contraception. Use of 

modern methods among this population is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean (56.0%), followed 

closely by Eastern Europe and Central Asia (54.5%). Use of traditional methods is higher among sexually 

active, unmarried women age 15-24, on average, than it is among their married counterparts. Again, use 

of traditional methods is highest in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (25.5%), although more than twice as 

many young unmarried women in this region use modern methods (54.5%). As with young married 

women, a higher proportion of sexually active, unmarried women age 20-24 use a method of 

contraception as compared to their counterparts age 15-19, except in Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

where there are no differences by age (Appendix Table A18). 
130 

Table 28. Current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, by 

method type, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 40.1 28.9 31.0 494 

Burkina Faso 2010 40.8 1.6 57.6 276 

Cameroon 2011 35.8 10.8 53.4 643 

Chad 2004 90.2 0.0 9.8 39 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 24.3 28.7 47.0 876 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 50.1 25.8 24.1 442 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 60.3 9.3 30.4 776 

Gabon 2012 39.3 9.6 51.1 897 

Ghana 2008 51.9 18.1 30.0 175 

Guinea 2005 53.1 11.3 35.6 218 

Liberia 2007 73.4 4.6 22.0 717 

Mali 2006 71.5 6.1 22.4 70 

Nigeria 2008 37.1 18.5 44.5 1,034 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 48.7 0.5 50.8 105 

Senegal 2010-11 75.4 0.8 23.9 77 

Sierra Leone 2008 61.8 11.7 26.5 344 

Regional average 53.4 11.6 35.0 7,183 

East and Southern Africa 

Burundi 2010 83.3 1.2 15.5 44 

Ethiopia 2011 39.4 6.1 54.4 101 

Kenya 2008-09 55.7 4.0 40.3 138 

Lesotho 2009 49.9 1.3 48.8 164 

Madagascar 2008-09 59.8 17.4 22.8 485 

Malawi 2010 61.0 0.6 38.4 302 

Mozambique 2011 68.6 0.1 31.3 656 

Namibia 2006-07 22.8 0.2 77.0 665 

Rwanda 2010 66.6 0.0 33.4 96 

Swaziland 2006-07 40.4 0.8 58.8 291 

Tanzania 2010 51.0 7.5 41.5 356 

Uganda 2011 50.2 8.2 41.6 160 

Zambia 2007 53.4 2.7 43.9 179 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 49.6 0.0 50.4 89 

Regional average 53.7 3.6 42.7 3,726 

Eastern Europe and Central 

Asia 

Albania 2008-09 22.7 48.4 29.0 90 

Moldova 2005 27.7 24.3 48.0 182 

Ukraine 2007 9.6 3.8 86.6 280 

Regional average 20.0 25.5 54.5 552 

(Continued...)
131 

Table 28. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 22.8 31.2 46.0 337 

Colombia 2010 18.2 6.9 74.9 3,188 

Dominican Republic 2007 45.2 5.1 49.7 1,017 

Guyana 2009 33.3 3.4 63.2 185 

Haiti 2012 64.9 2.5 32.7 680 

Honduras 2011-12 26.1 14.4 59.5 486 

Nicaragua 2001 37.0 7.1 55.9 173 

Peru 2010 12.1 21.7 66.2 648 

Regional average 32.5 11.5 56.0 6,714 

Table 29 displays the trends in current use of contraception among unmarried women age 15-24 

for countries with multiple DHS surveys that include this population, with corresponding data by fiveyear age group provided in Appendix Table A19. As with married women age 15-24 there is strong trend 

toward increased use of modern methods of contraception. The concurrent trends in nonuse of 

contraception and use of traditional methods are as varied among young unmarried women as they are 

among young married women. 
132 

Table 29. Trends in current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24, by method type 

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

West and Central Africa 

Benin 2006 40.1 28.9 31.0 494 

Benin 2001 60.2 22.3 17.5 223 

Benin 1996 45.1 42.4 12.6 151 

Burkina Faso 2010 40.8 1.6 57.6 276 

Burkina Faso 2003 41.6 2.9 55.5 239 

Burkina Faso 1998-99 51.0 6.8 42.2 148 

Cameroon 2011 35.8 10.8 53.4 643 

Cameroon 2004 25.8 22.7 51.5 365 

Cameroon 1998 27.2 51.9 20.9 334 

Chad 2004 90.2 0.0 9.8 39 

Chad 1996-97 83.7 7.9 8.4 98 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 24.3 28.7 47.0 876 

Congo Brazzaville 2005 22.3 52.6 25.0 660 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 60.3 9.3 30.4 776 

Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 40.8 31.5 27.8 246 

Gabon 2012 39.3 9.6 51.1 897 

Gabon 2000 35.7 34.0 30.4 599 

Ghana 2008 51.9 18.1 30.0 175 

Ghana 2003 53.1 14.3 32.6 162 

Ghana 1998 57.5 19.5 23.0 138 

Guinea 2005 53.1 11.3 35.6 218 

Guinea 1999 52.2 18.4 29.4 144 

Mali 2006 71.5 6.1 22.4 70 

Mali 2001 71.1 8.8 20.2 262 

Mali 1995-96 63.4 12.7 23.9 195 

Nigeria 2008 37.1 18.5 44.5 1,034 

Nigeria 2003 47.3 12.8 39.9 245 

Nigeria 1999 42.3 25.4 32.3 248 

(Continued...)
133 

Table 29. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 39.4 6.1 54.4 101 

Ethiopia 2000 54.4 7.3 38.4 87 

Kenya 2008-09 55.7 4.0 40.3 138 

Kenya 2003 48.6 11.7 39.7 142 

Kenya 1998 61.6 12.2 26.2 246 

Lesotho 2009 49.9 1.3 48.8 164 

Lesotho 2004 53.9 0.6 45.5 131 

Madagascar 2008-09 59.8 17.4 22.8 485 

Madagascar 2003-04 61.8 17.4 20.8 267 

Madagascar 1997 74.5 17.5 7.9 325 

Malawi 2010 61.0 0.6 38.4 302 

Malawi 2004 73.5 1.4 25.1 163 

Malawi 2000 76.3 0.8 22.9 222 

Mozambique 2011 68.6 0.1 31.3 656 

Mozambique 2003 51.2 3.4 45.4 661 

Mozambique 1997 88.2 2.6 9.2 308 

Namibia 2006-07 22.8 0.2 77.0 665 

Namibia 2000 43.9 0.3 55.7 380 

Tanzania 2010 51.0 7.5 41.5 356 

Tanzania 2004-05 60.8 3.5 35.7 318 

Tanzania 1999 65.7 6.0 28.3 210 

Uganda 2011 50.2 8.2 41.6 160 

Uganda 2006 52.2 7.4 40.4 178 

Uganda 2000-01 47.4 4.1 48.5 152 

Zambia 2007 53.4 2.7 43.9 179 

Zambia 2001-02 71.6 3.1 25.3 211 

Zambia 1996 78.3 4.9 16.8 301 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 49.6 0.0 50.4 89 

Zimbabwe 2005-06 51.7 1.2 47.1 78 

Zimbabwe 1999 58.1 0.0 41.9 77 

(Continued...)
134 

Table 29. – Continued

Region and country Year No method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern 

method Weighted n 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 22.8 31.2 46.0 337 

Bolivia 2003 39.1 26.6 34.3 316 

Bolivia 1998 39.8 30.9 29.3 98 

Colombia 2010 18.2 6.9 74.9 3,188 

Colombia 2005 19.8 14.1 66.1 2,106 

Colombia 2000 16.8 24.0 59.2 520 

Dominican Republic 2007 45.2 5.1 49.7 1,017 

Dominican Republic 2002 46.2 9.4 44.4 544 

Haiti 2012 64.9 2.5 32.7 680 

Haiti 2005-06 63.1 8.3 28.6 319 

Haiti 2000 60.7 9.3 30.0 236 

Honduras 2011-12 26.1 14.4 59.5 486 

Honduras 2005-06 31.8 9.8 58.4 261 

Nicaragua 2001 37.0 7.1 55.9 173 

Nicaragua 1998 55.1 7.4 37.6 74 

Peru 2010 12.1 21.7 66.2 648 

Peru 2005 9.7 27.4 62.9 1,010 

Peru 2000 20.5 36.6 42.9 492 

9.5.1 West and Central Africa 

Among married women age 15-24, West and Central Africa has the lowest level of use of 

contraception—15.6 percent. Conversely, 84.4 percent of young married women are not using any 

method of contraception (Table 26). Nonuse of contraception ranges from 56.8 percent in Congo 

(Brazzaville) to 95.8 percent in Sierra Leone. Use of modern methods (10.2%) is nearly double that of 

traditional methods (5.4%). The differential in use of traditional versus modern methods is perhaps 

greatest in São Tomé and Príncipe where 1.8 percent of young married women use traditional methods 

and 32.4 percent use modern methods. Notably, this level of use of modern methods in São Tomé and 

Príncipe is the highest for the region. The pattern is reversed in Chad and Niger, where a greater 

proportion of young married women use traditional methods than use modern methods. 

In all the countries for which trend data are available use of modern methods among married 

women age 15-24 has increased over time (Table 27). In eight of 13 countries, this increase has been 

accompanied by a decrease in both nonuse of contraception and use of traditional methods. However, in 

Benin, Congo (Brazzaville), and Gabon, nonuse of contraception has increased along with use of modern 

methods, while use of traditional methods has decreased. In Chad and Niger, use of both traditional and 

modern methods has increased while the proportion not using any method has decreased. 

Table 28 shows that, compared with married women age 15-24, a smaller proportion of sexually 

active, unmarried women age 15-24 are not using contraception (84.4% and 53.4%, respectively). The 

proportion of nonusers among young sexually active, unmarried women ranges from 24.3 percent in 

Congo (Brazzaville) to 90.2 percent in Chad. Use of modern methods, which averages 35.0 percent 

among young unmarried women, is more than triple the level among young married women. The 

percentage of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 who use a modern method of contraception 
135 

ranges from 9.8 percent in Chad to 57.6 percent in Burkina Faso. Use of traditional methods in this region 

is higher than in either East and Southern Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean. Use of traditional 

methods averages 11.6 percent among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, ranging from zero 

use in Chad to 28.9 percent in Benin. 

Trends in current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, 

presented in Table 29, indicate that use of modern methods has generally increased in this population just 

as it has among young married women with one exception, Mali. At the same time, use of traditional 

methods has decreased over time in every country in the West and Central Africa region. The proportion 

of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 not using any contraceptive method has increased in 

seven of 11 countries and decreased in the remaining four countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and 

Nigeria. 

9.5.2 East and Southern Africa 

More than two-thirds (67.4%) of married women age 15-24 in East and Southern Africa, on 

average, are not using any method of contraception; only West and Central Africa has a higher proportion 

of nonusers (Table 26). The proportion not using any method in East and Southern Africa ranges from 

46.3 percent in Zimbabwe to 95.5 percent in Eritrea. These two countries, respectively, have the highest

proportion (52.6%) and the lowest proportion (3.8%) of young married women using a modern method. 

At the same time, use of modern methods exceeds use of traditional methods in all of the countries in the 

region. Averaging just 3.1 percent, East and Southern Africa has the lowest proportion of married women 

age 15-24 using traditional methods. 

As in other regions, use of modern methods by married women age 15-24 has generally increased

over time (Table 27). Among the countries in East and Southern Africa with multiple DHS surveys, all 

show an increase over time in the use of modern methods, with the exception of Eritrea. This trend has 

been accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of young married women not using any method of 

contraception. (In Eritrea, the proportion of young married women not using contraception actually 

increased from 92.9 percent in 1995 to 95.5 percent in 2002.) Use of traditional methods among young 

married women has decreased alongside the decrease in the proportion not using any method of 

contraception and the increase in the use of modern methods—with the exception of Malawi, where use 

of traditional methods has increased modestly. 

Among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, East and Southern Africa averages the 

highest levels of nonuse of contraception (53.7%) (Table 28). The proportion not using any method of 

contraception is nonetheless lower among young unmarried women than it is among young married 

women. Nonuse of contraception is lowest in Namibia (22.8%) and highest in Burundi (83.3%). Use of 

modern methods by sexually active, unmarried women in East and Southern Africa averages 42.7 percent. 

Use of traditional methods is generally low—as it is among young married women—averaging 3.6 

percent. Madagascar stands out in the region because 17.4 percent of sexually active, unmarried women 

age 15-24 in that country use traditional methods. Elsewhere in the region the proportion using traditional 

methods is less than 10 percent. 

Over time, the general trend among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 has been an 

increase in the use of modern methods accompanied by a decrease in both nonuse of contraception and 

use of traditional methods (Table 29). The reverse trend occurs in Uganda. In Tanzania, there has been an 

increase in the use of both traditional and modern methods. 
136 

9.5.3 Middle East and North Africa 

In the Middle East and North Africa, the proportion of married women age 15-24 who are not 

using any method of contraception averages 55.5 percent and ranges from 46.8 percent in Morocco to 

60.3 percent in Jordan (Table 26). The level of nonuse in Egypt (59.5%) is similar to that in Morocco. 

Use of modern methods is higher, on average, in the Middle East and North Africa than in any other 

region except Latin America and the Caribbean, ranging from 27.8 percent in Jordan to 48.6 percent in 

Morocco. Only in Jordan does use of traditional methods exceed 10 percent of married women age 15-24. 

This proportion is less than five percent in Egypt and Morocco. 

Table 27 indicates that use of modern methods has increased in this population over time and the 

proportion of women not using any method of contraception has decreased. In Egypt and Morocco these 

changes have been accompanied by an increase in the use of traditional methods—although the 

proportions are still relatively low. In Jordan, use of traditional methods has fluctuated over time. 

9.5.4 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 

After Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia has the lowest 

proportion of married women age 15-24 who are not using contraception (Table 26). On average, 54.0 

percent of young married women in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are not using any contraceptive 

method, ranging from 37.7 percent in Moldova to 80.7 percent in Azerbaijan. At the same time, use of 

modern methods is quite low. Less than one-quarter (23.5%) of young married women use modern 

methods, ranging from 8.2 percent in Azerbaijan to 40.1 percent in Moldova. In contrast, the region has 

the highest level of use of traditional methods. The Kyrgyz Republic is the exception in the region, with 

only 1.9 percent of married women age 15-24 using traditional methods. The average is 22.5 percent, with 

a high of 43.8 percent of young married women use traditional methods in Albania. 

The three countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia for which multiple DHS surveys are 

available—Armenia, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Turkey—displays a different trend in use of contraception 

over time compared to the other regions in this report (Table 27). In Armenia and the Kyrgyz Republic, 

use of contraceptive methods, either traditional or modern, has declined over time while nonuse of 

contraception has increased. Only in Turkey has use of contraception increased. In this country, increases 

are seen in use of both modern and traditional methods, although use of traditional methods outpaces use 

of modern methods. 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia has the lowest proportion of sexually active, unmarried women 

age 15-24 not using any method of contraception (Table 28). This proportion, which averages 20.0 

percent for the three countries in the region with DHS data on this population, is less than half that among 

young married women, and ranges from 9.6 percent in the Ukraine to 27.7 percent in Moldova. 

Correspondingly, use of both modern methods (54.5%) and traditional methods (25.5%) is high relative to 

the other regions and exceeds use among young married women. Use of traditional methods is highest in 

Albania, at 48.4 percent, and relatively low in Ukraine (3.8 percent). 

9.5.5 South and Southeast Asia

On average, nearly 65 percent of married women age 15-24 in South and Southeast Asia are not 

using contraception, while more than 35 percent are using a contraceptive method of some kind. Use of 

modern methods is fourfold that of traditional methods (28.5% and 6.6%, respectively) (Table 26). 

However, there is substantial variation within the region. Nonuse of contraception is lowest in Indonesia 

(41.8 percent) and highest in Pakistan (87 percent). Use of a modern methods averages 28.5 percent, but 

ranges from 8.8 percent in Pakistan to 57 percent in Indonesia. Use of traditional methods is lowest in 
137 

Timor-Leste and Indonesia (both 1.1%), but exceeds 10 percent in Cambodia, Vietnam, and the 

Philippines. 

Throughout the region, use of modern methods has increased and nonuse of contraception has 

decreased among married women age 15-24 over time (Table 27). Use of traditional methods has 

increased in five of the eight countries with trends data but has decreased in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and 

the Philippines. 

9.5.6 Latin America and Caribbean 

Latin America and the Caribbean has, on average, the highest level of use of modern methods and 

the lowest level of nonuse of contraception among married women age 15-24 (Table 26). Use of modern 

methods, which averages 47.7 percent, is highest in Colombia (62.6%) and lowest in Bolivia (33.0%) and 

Haiti (31.6%). The proportion of young married women not using any method of contraception is 44.6 

percent, ranging from 29.9 percent in Peru to 66.6 percent in Haiti. Latin America and the Caribbean has 

relatively high levels of use of traditional methods, with an average of 7.6 percent of young married 

women using these methods. Use of traditional methods is uncharacteristically high in Bolivia and Peru, 

exceeding 19 percent in these countries. 

Trends in use of contraception among married women age 15-24 in Latin America and the 

Caribbean reflect the broader global trends (Table 27). The proportion of young married women using a 

modern method of contraception has increased while the proportion not using any method has decreased. 

The change has been especially large in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, countries in 

which nonuse of contraception has decline by at least 12 percentage points over a period of about 10 

years. In most countries, use of traditional methods has decreased as use of modern methods has 

increased and nonuse of contraception has decreased. However, the proportion using traditional methods 

increased in Honduras and Peru and remains unchanged in Nicaragua. 

Latin America and the Caribbean also has the highest level of use of modern methods among 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 (Table 28). This proportion, which averages 56.0 percent, 

ranges from 32.7 percent in Haiti to 74.9 percent in Colombia. As with other regions, these levels of use 

of modern methods are higher among young unmarried women than they are among young married 

women. The proportion not using any method of contraception averages 32.5 percent among sexually 

active, unmarried women age 15-24 and ranges from 12.1 percent in Peru to 64.9 percent in Haiti. Use of 

traditional methods in Latin America and the Caribbean is low relative to the other regions, averaging 

11.5 percent among young unmarried women; however, there is considerable variation within the region. 

Only 2.5 percent of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 use traditional methods in Haiti—where 

overall use of contraception is low—but this proportion rises to 21.7 percent in Peru and to 31.2 percent 

in Bolivia. 

While use of modern methods has demonstrably increased over time among sexually active 

unmarried women age 15-24 in Latin America and the Caribbean (Table 29), the trends in nonuse of 

contraception and in use of traditional methods are more varied. Nonuse of contraception among young 

unmarried women has declined in five of the seven countries with trend data available, but increased in 

Colombia and Haiti. Use of traditional methods has increased in Bolivia and Honduras—along with an 

increase in the use of modern methods—but decreased elsewhere. Thus, in the Dominican Republic, 

Nicaragua, and Peru there has been a shift away from nonuse of contraception and use of traditional 

methods toward increased use of modern methods. 

139 

10 Limitations 

This study focuses specifically on the youth population in 61 low and middle income countries. It 

covers a wide range of topics related to unmet need in this population and applies a consistent measure by 

which to compare levels of unmet need across countries and over time. Although this study counts these 

attributes among its strengths, it also has several limitations that deserve mention. 

First, the DHS Program does not have global coverage of survey data for all countries. This is 

especially the case for data on never married women. Averages of countries within the regions described 

in this study should not be mistaken for overall regional averages due to this lack of complete coverage. 

Second, the study is descriptive in nature. Although several factors are revealed to be associated with 

levels of unmet need among young married women, no causality can be attributed to these factors. 

Furthermore, these associations are identified through bivariate analyses so a spurious relationship cannot 

be ruled out. Finally, the estimates of unmet need among unmarried women rely on respondents 

accurately and truthfully reporting recent sexual activity. Recall errors regarding the timing of most recent 

sexual intercourse and social desirability bias surrounding sexual activity outside of marriage may yield 

misreporting of “sexually active” status and thus result in an underestimate of unmet need in this 

population. 

141 

11 Conclusions 

Renewed attention is being paid to unmet need for family planning, catalyzed in part by FP2020’s 

initiative to increase investment in family planning services (Carr et al. 2012; FP2020 2013). Young 

people are a core focus of this initiative, as evidenced by the prominent youth contingent at FP2020 

activities (FP2020 2013). This study is the first publication of DHS data specifically focused on young 

women age 15-24 that uses the recently revised algorithm for unmet need for family planning. The 

estimates produced are comparable across countries and over time. The following are among this study’s 

key findings. 

Among the six regions in this study, unmet need for family planning among married women age 

15-24 is highest in the West and Central Africa region (29.3%). Among individual countries, unmet need 

is highest among young married women in Ghana (45.7%) and Haiti (44.8%) and lowest in Indonesia 

(8.0%) and Egypt (8.8%). Unmet need for family planning in this population is predominantly unmet 

need for spacing. 

Total demand for family planning (unmet need plus current use of contraception) among young 

married women is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean (79.9 percent) and lowest in West and 

Central Africa (45 percent). On average, only slightly more than half (53.4 percent) of this demand is 

satisfied among study countries. 

Unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 is highest in the two African 

regions, at around 40 percent—West and Central Africa (41.7%) and East and Southern Africa (39.8%). 

Among individual countries, it is highest in Senegal (69.5%) and lowest in Ukraine (7.3%). 

Total demand for family planning among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 is 

consistently high, about 90 percent in all regions. The vast majority of young sexually active, unmarried 

women simply do not want to become pregnant at the present time. What varies is the proportion of 

demand for family planning that is satisfied, which ranges from 51.9 percent in West and Central Africa 

to 83.8 percent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

Over time, unmet need among married women age 15-24 has declined in the majority of 

countries—51 of the 61 countries included in the study. West and Central Africa is an exception: six of 

the 10 countries in which unmet need has increased are in this region. Increases in current use of 

contraception among married women age 15-24 have kept pace with or exceeded increases in total 

demand for family planning. As a result, the proportion of demand for family planning satisfied has 

generally increased over time. 

Trends in unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 are less consistently 

encouraging than the trends seen among young married women. Unmet need among young unmarried 

women has decreased in about half the countries in the study but increased or fluctuated over time in the 

remaining countries. In particular, unmet need among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 has 

increased in the majority of countries in West and Central Africa. Demand for family planning has 

remained steady, and relatively high, over time. 

It is estimated that nearly 33 million women age 15-24 have an unmet need for family planning in 

the 61 countries included in the study. This figure means that more than one-quarter of FP2020’s goal to 

provide services to 120 million new users by 2020 could be achieved by meeting the needs of these young 

women in these countries (FP2020 2013). Approximately two-thirds of the 33 million young women with 

unmet need live in one of the 10 Asian countries in the study. The remaining one-third are distributed 

throughout the 51 other countries. 
142 

A greater number of married women age 15-24 have an unmet need for family planning than 

sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, both overall and in those countries with data on both 

married and unmarried women. This pattern is seen despite the larger percentage of sexually active, 

unmarried women experiencing unmet need. It reflects the relatively large proportion of women age 15-

24 who are married or in union, compared with women who are unmarried and sexually active. 

Comparing the two age groups (15-19 and 20-24), on average, more women age 20-24 have an unmet 

need for family planning than women age 15-19. 

Among young married women, unmet need is highest at the youngest ages (women age 15-16), 

declining with increasing age in most of the regions in the study: East and Southern Africa, Eastern 

Europe and Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Unmet need 

increases with age in the Middle East and North Africa; and in West and Central Africa, unmet need 

peaks among married women age 19-20. 

Married women age 15-24 have greater unmet need than married women age 25 and older, in all 

regions except the Middle East and North Africa. The biggest gap in unmet need between younger 

women (age 15-24) and older women (age 25+) occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean, where unmet 

need among married women age 15-24 is, on average, more than six percentage points higher than among 

married women age 25-49. However, levels of unmet need are generally similar for younger and older 

women in the Middle East and North Africa, albeit with unmet need being less than two percentage points 

higher among older married women (age 25-49) than younger married women (age 15-24). 

Place of residence (urban or rural) is a significant factor in unmet need among married women 

age 15-24 in 25 of 61 countries and, for sexually active, unmarried women of the same age, in 14 of 41 

countries. Unmet need is usually higher in rural areas for both married and unmarried women. Young 

women in rural areas are most disadvantaged regarding unmet need in Africa and in Latin America and 

the Caribbean. In Eastern Europe, urban unmarried women age 15-24 are relatively disadvantaged. 

Unmet need among young married women varies significantly by household wealth quintile in 23 

of the 61 countries. Generally, unmet need decreases with increasing wealth quintile. In West and Central 

Africa, however, unmet need is also high among women in the highest (richest) wealth quintile. 

Educational attainment is associated with unmet need for family planning among married women 

age 15-24 in most regions and, significantly, in 32 of the 61 countries. The patterns are diverse: unmet 

need decreases with increasing level of education in the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe 

and Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. In Africa, however, 

unmet need increases with educational attainment in many countries. 

Unmet need among married women age 15-24 varies significantly with parity in 39 of the 61 

countries, making it the factor most frequently associated with unmet need of those included in this study. 

Unmet need increases demonstrably with parity. Differences in unmet need are largest between young 

married women with no children and those with one child. In two Latin American countries, Colombia 

and Peru, nulliparous women have significantly higher unmet need than women with children. 

The proportion of women who are married by age 15 or by age 18 is highest in West and Central 

Africa and lowest in the Middle East and North Africa and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The general 

trend is toward delaying marriage, with the proportion marrying by age 15 or by age 18 declining over 

time. Possible exceptions to this trend exist in Latin America and the Caribbean and East and Southern 

Africa. 

The proportion of unmarried women age 15-24 who report that they are sexually active is highest 

in West and Central Africa (18.8%) and lowest in East and Southern Africa (9.7%). The data do not 
143 

indicate a consistent trend over time; rather, the proportion of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-

24 declines in nearly as many countries as it increases (14 and 15 countries, respectively). It does 

increases, however, in all seven Latin America and Caribbean countries that provided data on this 

population. 

The mean ideal number of children among married women age 15-24 is highest in West and 

Central Africa (5.5 children) and lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean (2.4 children). It has 

increased in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (and in selected countries in West and Central Africa) but 

decreased elsewhere, most notably in South and Southeast Asia. Mean ideal number of children has 

declined over time among unmarried young women age 15-24. The mean ideal number of children is 

smaller among unmarried women age 15-24 in Africa and in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as 

compared to married women of the same age. At the same time, there is almost no difference between 

young unmarried women and married women in the ideal number of children in Latin America and the 

Caribbean (unmarried women: 2.3 children; married women: 2.4 children). 

Most married women age 15-24 want to postpone a (next) birth for two or more years; the range 

is from 55.7 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean to 67.2 percent in West and Central Africa. This 

preference has existed for some time and has become even more normative over time. A much larger 

proportion of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 want to postpone a (next) birth for two or 

more years than do married women the same age, in just about every country. The range is from 69.1 

percent in East and Southern Africa to 89.6 percent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. As with young 

married women, the preference to wait two or more years for a (next) birth has become stronger over time 

among young unmarried women. 

Most married women age 15-24 do not use any contraceptive method. In all regions, less than 50 

percent of married women are currently using contraception, except in Latin America and the Caribbean, 

where use of contraception is 55.4 percent among married women age 15-24. Use of modern methods of 

contraception exceeds use of traditional methods, although use of traditional methods is relatively high in 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A higher proportion of sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 use 

contraception compared with their married counterparts. However, the majority of women age 15-24 in 

both Africa regions do not use any method of contraception. Use of modern methods has increased over 

time among both married women age 15-24 and sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24. 

Overall, unmet need for family planning has declined over time among young women age 15-24 

in many countries—especially among young married women. However, levels of unmet need remain 

substantial in West and Central Africa. In general, sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24 want to 

avoid a pregnancy to a greater degree than do married women. Unmet need is generally higher among 

unmarried women than married women, and higher among younger women (age 15-19) than older 

women (age 20-24). 

145 

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Appendix 

Appendix Table A1. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family planning among currently married women age 15-

24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 26.6 7.9 34.5 22.9 667 28.8 14.6 43.4 33.6 2,219 

Burkina Faso 2010 21.7 6.6 28.3 23.3 1,043 23.9 15.9 39.8 39.9 2,686 

Cameroon 2011 25.7 16.1 41.8 38.5 868 24.9 22.1 47.0 47.0 1,935 

Chad 2004 19.0 7.4 26.4 28.0 571 22.1 12.5 34.6 36.1 907 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 34.8 36.2 71.0 51.0 413 23.2 45.9 69.1 66.4 1,083 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 28.9 14.5 43.4 33.4 457 32.5 18.5 51.0 36.3 1,484 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 26.5 11.0 37.5 29.3 418 32.6 16.9 49.5 34.1 1,094 

Gabon 2012 41.4 24.9 66.3 37.6 241 29.8 33.9 63.7 53.2 711 Ghana 2008 61.7 13.6 75.3 18.1 85 42.4 22.4 64.8 34.6 414 

Guinea 2005 19.5 8.8 28.3 31.1 587 21.6 10.7 32.3 33.1 888 

Liberia 2007 40.7 5.2 45.9 11.3 251 42.2 7.1 49.3 14.4 739 

Mali 2006 34.8 7.7 42.5 18.1 1,566 26.9 9.1 36.0 25.3 2,402 

Mauritania 2000-02 35.5 5.3 40.8 13.0 408 34.7 6.9 41.6 16.6 747 

Niger 2006 11.2 4.3 15.5 27.7 1,014 17.2 12.7 29.9 42.5 1,426 

Nigeria 2008 18.0 3.0 21.0 14.3 1,863 20.7 10.1 30.8 32.8 3,659 São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 48.3 22.2 70.5 31.5 110 41.4 38.9 80.3 48.4 285 

Senegal 2010-11 31.4 5.8 37.2 15.6 832 30.2 9.1 39.3 23.2 1,932 Sierra Leone 2008 23.0 1.2 24.2 5.0 359 28.3 5.5 33.8 16.3 812 Regional average 30.5 11.2 41.7 26.9 11,753 29.1 17.4 46.5 37.4 25,423 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 18.8 10.1 28.9 34.9 201 29.7 22.3 52.0 42.9 1,106 

Eritrea 2002 43.6 2.4 46.0 5.2 580 29.5 5.9 35.4 16.7 950 Ethiopia 2011 32.8 23.8 56.6 42.0 765 22.4 34.8 57.2 60.8 1,762 

(Continued...)

147 
Appendix Table A1. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Kenya 2008-09 29.7 22.5 52.2 43.1 212 30.4 35.7 66.1 54.0 958 Lesotho 2009 29.6 28.2 57.8 48.8 292 27.9 43.9 71.8 61.1 860 

Madagascar 2008-09 26.8 24.6 51.4 47.9 1,332 17.5 36.9 54.4 67.8 2,058 

Malawi 2010 25.2 28.8 54.0 53.3 1,171 26.6 41.8 68.4 61.1 3,469 

Mozambique 2011 23.2 5.9 29.1 20.3 1,136 23.0 11.7 34.7 33.7 1,804 Namibia 2006-07 34.3 40.9 75.2 54.4 118 20.2 54.4 74.6 72.9 398 Rwanda 2010 6.4 32.9 39.3 83.7 89 16.8 44.5 61.3 72.6 998 Swaziland 2006-07 24.6 42.8 67.4 63.5 88 29.4 46.7 76.1 61.4 343 

Tanzania 2010 16.3 14.9 31.2 47.8 399 24.8 29.6 54.4 54.4 1,210 

Uganda 2011 31.3 13.9 45.2 30.8 409 35.4 22.9 58.3 39.3 1,097 

Zambia 2007 22.6 28.1 50.7 55.4 280 24.9 41.8 66.7 62.7 889 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 18.5 36.2 54.7 66.2 452 14.3 60.2 74.5 80.8 1,210 

Regional average 25.6 23.7 49.3 48.1 7,524 24.9 35.5 60.4 58.8 19,112 

Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 7.0 23.4 30.4 77.0 605 9.2 44.6 53.8 82.9 2,527 

Jordan 2009 8.4 27.0 35.4 76.3 242 14.7 42.6 57.3 74.3 1,078 

Morocco 2003-04 10.3 38.4 48.7 78.9 346 10.0 57.8 67.8 85.3 1,095 

Regional average 8.6 29.6 38.2 77.6 1,193 11.3 48.3 59.6 81.1 4,700 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Albania 2008-09 16.6 54.7 71.3 76.7 110 17.7 52.8 70.5 74.9 358 

Armenia 2010 27.0 19.1 46.1 41.4 68 16.7 39.8 56.5 70.4 450 

Azerbaijan 2006 16.4 6.4 22.8 28.1 151 15.8 37.9 53.7 70.6 697 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 9.7 5.2 14.9 34.9 158 22.9 21.8 44.7 48.8 896 Moldova 2005 14.2 58.4 72.6 80.4 136 12.8 63.1 75.9 83.1 629 

Turkey 2003 20.9 48.0 68.9 69.7 120 15.1 60.8 75.9 80.1 543 

Ukraine 2007 30.6 48.3 78.9 61.2 45 10.3 62.7 73.0 85.9 472 

Regional average 19.3 34.3 53.6 63.9 788 15.9 48.4 64.3 75.3 4,045 

(Continued...)

148 
Appendix Table A1. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 17.0 47.1 64.1 73.5 1,925 15.3 57.9 73.2 79.1 3,396 

Cambodia 2010 16.0 27.1 43.1 62.9 382 17.5 43.2 60.7 71.2 1,679 

India 2005-06 27.1 13.0 40.1 32.4 6,726 21.5 33.4 54.9 60.8 16,782 

Indonesia 2012 6.7 48.1 54.8 87.8 890 8.3 60.5 68.8 87.9 3,754 Maldives 2009 36.9 15.0 51.9 28.9 111 32.0 23.2 55.2 42.0 1,188 

Nepal 2011 41.6 17.6 59.2 29.7 792 38.3 29.5 67.8 43.5 1,761 

Pakistan 2006-07 20.2 6.7 26.9 24.9 559 27.1 15.4 42.5 36.2 1,463 

Philippines 2008 33.7 25.9 59.6 43.5 283 24.6 46.3 70.9 65.3 1,000 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 27.4 7.9 35.3 22.4 243 35.2 15.7 50.9 30.8 1,100 

Vietnam 2002 14.9 22.8 37.7 60.5 67 10.3 57.7 68.0 84.9 536 

Regional average 24.2 23.1 47.3 48.9 11,978 23.0 38.3 61.3 62.5 32,659 Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 37.9 40.9 78.8 51.9 472 27.2 57.1 84.3 67.7 1,263 

Colombia 2010 23.7 60.5 84.2 71.9 1,249 14.1 71.7 85.8 83.6 3,207 

Dominican Republic 2007 27.2 45.8 73.0 62.7 1,050 18.7 60.4 79.1 76.4 2,159 Guyana 2009 34.9 29.8 64.7 46.1 166 30.1 38.7 68.8 56.3 398 

Haiti 2012 56.6 25.6 82.2 31.1 404 41.1 36.0 77.1 46.7 1,250 

Honduras 2011-12 17.7 55.7 73.4 75.9 1,144 13.1 69.4 82.5 84.1 2,091 

Nicaragua 2001 19.9 55.2 75.1 73.5 701 17.2 66.3 83.5 79.4 1,334 

Peru 2010 23.1 63.6 86.7 73.4 480 17.1 72.2 89.3 80.9 1,470 

Regional average 30.1 47.1 77.3 61.0 5,666 22.3 59.0 81.3 72.5 13,172 

149 
Appendix Table A2. Unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most 

recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 26.2 0.4 26.6 667 27.8 1.0 28.8 2,219 

Burkina Faso 2010 21.7 0.0 21.7 1,043 23.6 0.3 23.9 2,686 Cameroon 2011 24.2 1.5 25.7 868 22.9 2.0 24.9 1,935 Chad 2004 18.8 0.2 19.0 571 21.9 0.3 22.1 907 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 33.9 0.8 34.8 413 22.2 0.9 23.2 1,083 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 24.9 4.0 28.9 457 29.1 3.4 32.5 1,484 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 26.3 0.2 26.5 418 30.4 2.2 32.6 1,094 

Gabon 2012 38.8 2.5 41.4 241 26.0 3.8 29.8 711 

Ghana 2008 49.0 12.7 61.7 85 34.4 8.1 42.4 414 

Guinea 2005 18.4 1.2 19.5 587 20.6 0.9 21.6 888 

Liberia 2007 38.8 1.9 40.7 251 39.4 2.7 42.2 739 

Mali 2006 33.3 1.5 34.8 1,566 25.7 1.3 26.9 2,402 Mauritania 2000-02 31.6 3.9 35.5 408 30.2 4.5 34.7 747 

Niger 2006 11.1 0.1 11.2 1,014 17.0 0.2 17.2 1,426 

Nigeria 2008 16.2 1.8 18.0 1,863 18.8 1.9 20.7 3,659 São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 38.2 10.1 48.3 110 31.7 9.7 41.4 285 

Senegal 2010-11 31.0 0.4 31.4 832 29.4 0.8 30.2 1,932 Sierra Leone 2008 19.9 3.2 23.0 359 23.9 4.4 28.3 812 

Regional average 27.9 2.6 30.5 11,753 26.4 2.7 29.1 25,423 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 18.5 0.3 18.8 201 29.3 0.3 29.7 1,106 Eritrea 2002 41.4 2.1 43.6 580 27.9 1.6 29.5 950 

Ethiopia 2011 30.3 2.4 32.8 765 20.3 2.1 22.4 1,762 

Kenya 2008-09 25.2 4.5 29.7 212 23.4 6.9 30.4 958 Lesotho 2009 26.3 3.3 29.6 292 18.5 9.4 27.9 860 

(Continued...)

150 
Appendix Table A2. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Madagascar 2008-09 24.9 1.9 26.8 1,332 15.8 1.7 17.5 2,058 Malawi 2010 17.2 8.1 25.2 1,171 18.4 8.2 26.6 3,469 Mozambique 2011 21.7 1.6 23.2 1,136 19.5 3.5 23.0 1,804 Namibia 2006-07 24.8 9.5 34.3 118 12.1 8.1 20.2 398 

Rwanda 2010 5.1 1.3 6.4 89 15.9 0.9 16.8 998 

Swaziland 2006-07 13.6 10.9 24.6 88 16.8 12.6 29.4 343 

Tanzania 2010 15.3 1.0 16.3 399 23.8 1.0 24.8 1,210 Uganda 2011 30.7 0.6 31.3 409 32.5 2.9 35.4 1,097 

Zambia 2007 15.9 6.7 22.6 280 21.6 3.3 24.9 889 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 18.1 0.5 18.5 452 12.9 1.4 14.3 1,210 

Regional average 21.9 3.6 25.6 7,524 20.6 4.3 24.9 19,112 

Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 6.0 1.0 7.0 605 6.9 2.3 9.2 2,527 Jordan 2009 8.1 0.3 8.4 242 11.5 3.2 14.7 1,078 

Morocco 2003-04 10.1 0.2 10.3 346 8.7 1.3 10.0 1,095 Regional average 8.1 0.5 8.6 1,193 9.0 2.3 11.3 4,700 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Albania 2008-09 16.6 0.0 16.6 110 14.9 2.9 17.7 358 Armenia 2010 26.8 0.2 27.0 68 14.8 1.9 16.7 450 

Azerbaijan 2006 11.4 5.0 16.4 151 9.2 6.6 15.8 697 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 9.7 0.0 9.7 158 22.3 0.6 22.9 896 Moldova 2005 12.7 1.5 14.2 136 9.1 3.7 12.8 629 

Turkey 2003 16.1 4.7 20.9 120 11.0 4.1 15.1 543 Ukraine 2007 29.2 1.4 30.6 45 8.9 1.3 10.3 472 Regional average 17.5 1.8 19.3 788 12.9 3.0 15.9 4,045 

(Continued...)

151 
Appendix Table A2. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 15.7 1.3 17.0 1,925 10.9 4.4 15.3 3,396 Cambodia 2010 14.1 1.9 16.0 382 13.3 4.2 17.5 1,679 India 2005-06 24.7 2.4 27.1 6,726 14.7 6.8 21.5 16,782 Indonesia 2012 6.3 0.4 6.7 890 7.7 0.6 8.3 3,754 Maldives 2009 33.6 3.3 36.9 111 26.3 5.8 32.0 1,188 Nepal 2011 37.6 4.0 41.6 792 24.4 13.9 38.3 1,761 Pakistan 2006-07 18.8 1.4 20.2 559 21.9 5.3 27.1 1,463 Philippines 2008 27.8 6.0 33.7 283 19.1 5.5 24.6 1,000 Timor-Leste 2009-10 27.2 0.2 27.4 243 34.0 1.3 35.2 1,100 Vietnam 2002 13.6 1.3 14.9 67 8.7 1.6 10.3 536 Regional average 21.9 2.2 24.2 11,978 18.1 4.9 23.0 32,659 Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 26.6 11.3 37.9 472 14.3 12.9 27.2 1,263 Colombia 2010 19.2 4.5 23.7 1,249 9.9 4.3 14.1 3,207 Dominican Republic 2007 25.0 2.2 27.2 1,050 15.7 3.0 18.7 2,159 

Guyana 2009 23.0 11.9 34.9 166 21.6 8.5 30.1 398 Haiti 2012 50.6 6.0 56.6 404 32.0 9.1 41.1 1,250 Honduras 2011-12 15.7 2.0 17.7 1,144 10.3 2.8 13.1 2,091 Nicaragua 2001 13.4 6.5 19.9 701 10.7 6.5 17.2 1,334 

Peru 2010 18.8 4.3 23.1 480 12.0 5.1 17.1 1,470 Regional average 24.0 6.1 30.1 5,666 15.8 6.5 22.3 13,172 

152 
Appendix Table A3. Trends in unmet need for family planning, current use of contraception, and demand for family planning among

currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 26.6 7.9 34.5 22.9 667 28.8 14.6 43.4 33.6 2,219 Benin 2001 27.9 7.9 35.8 22.1 287 25.4 18.3 43.7 41.9 867 Benin 1996 28.6 9.4 38.0 24.7 308 24.9 18.6 43.5 42.8 786 

Burkina Faso 2010 21.7 6.6 28.3 23.3 1,043 23.9 15.9 39.8 39.9 2,686 Burkina Faso 2003 19.9 6.8 26.7 25.5 878 30.7 14.7 45.4 32.4 1,861 Burkina Faso 1998-99 23.0 7.8 30.8 25.3 488 26.6 12.9 39.5 32.7 1,023 

Cameroon 2011 25.7 16.1 41.8 38.5 868 24.9 22.1 47.0 47.0 1,935 Cameroon 2004 18.5 23.6 42.1 56.1 828 21.4 26.4 47.8 55.2 1,563 Cameroon 1998 17.0 19.4 36.4 53.3 430 20.4 19.1 39.5 48.4 746 

Chad 2004 19.0 7.4 26.4 28.0 571 22.1 12.5 34.6 36.1 907 Chad 1996-97 14.0 4.4 18.4 23.9 801 17.5 4.5 22.0 20.5 1,190 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 34.8 36.2 71.0 51.0 413 23.2 45.9 69.1 66.4 1,083 Congo Brazzaville 2005 30.3 37.2 67.5 55.1 257 21.7 48.9 70.6 69.3 836 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 26.5 11.0 37.5 29.3 418 32.6 16.9 49.5 34.1 1,094 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 24.0 10.7 34.7 30.8 186 35.2 13.9 49.1 28.3 349 Côte d'Ivoire 1994 27.4 8.7 36.1 24.1 517 27.9 13.7 41.6 32.9 1,008 

Gabon 2012 41.4 24.9 66.3 37.6 241 29.8 33.9 63.7 53.2 711 Gabon 2000 29.1 40.1 69.2 57.9 287 30.1 37.4 67.5 55.4 663 

Ghana 2008 61.7 13.6 75.3 18.1 85 42.4 22.4 64.8 34.6 414 Ghana 2003 56.8 8.4 65.2 12.9 137 41.5 22.8 64.3 35.5 530 Ghana 1998 50.7 19.2 69.9 27.5 122 44.2 20.7 64.9 31.9 552 

Guinea 2005 19.5 8.8 28.3 31.1 587 21.6 10.7 32.3 33.1 888 Guinea 1999 19.2 3.4 22.6 15.0 580 23.0 6.1 29.1 21.0 879 

Mali 2006 34.8 7.7 42.5 18.1 1,566 26.9 9.1 36.0 25.3 2,402 Mali 2001 30.2 7.1 37.3 19.0 1,178 30.1 7.8 37.9 20.6 1,987 Mali 1995-96 29.2 4.5 33.7 13.4 915 27.8 6.0 33.8 17.8 1,363 

(Continued...)

153 
Appendix Table A3. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Niger 2006 11.2 4.3 15.5 27.7 1,014 17.2 12.7 29.9 42.5 1,426 Niger 1998 18.2 6.1 24.3 25.1 1,027 16.4 9.8 26.2 37.4 1,160 Niger 1992 17.9 3.1 21.0 14.8 779 15.5 4.7 20.2 23.3 1,059 

Nigeria 2008 18.0 3.0 21.0 14.3 1,863 20.7 10.1 30.8 32.8 3,659 Nigeria 2003 14.8 4.3 19.1 22.5 545 17.0 9.4 26.4 35.6 911 Nigeria 1999 17.3 4.2 21.5 19.5 472 24.1 8.2 32.3 25.4 934 

Senegal 2010-11 31.4 5.8 37.2 15.6 832 30.2 9.1 39.3 23.2 1,932 Senegal 2005 33.3 5.0 38.3 13.1 1,014 32.7 8.4 41.1 20.4 1,836 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 43.6 2.4 46.0 5.2 580 29.5 5.9 35.4 16.7 950 Eritrea 1995 35.9 3.3 39.2 8.4 366 31.8 9.5 41.3 23.0 571 

Ethiopia 2011 32.8 23.8 56.6 42.0 765 22.4 34.8 57.2 60.8 1,762 Ethiopia 2005 37.8 8.9 46.7 19.1 711 36.2 16.7 52.9 31.6 1,574 Ethiopia 2000 37.5 3.9 41.4 9.4 862 38.5 7.5 46.0 16.3 1,807 

Kenya 2008-09 29.7 22.5 52.2 43.1 212 30.4 35.7 66.1 54.0 958 Kenya 2003 30.2 16.4 46.6 35.2 333 35.2 27.8 63.0 44.1 965 Kenya 1998 30.0 18.0 48.0 37.5 285 32.3 31.2 63.5 49.1 948 

Lesotho 2009 29.6 28.2 57.8 48.8 292 27.9 43.9 71.8 61.1 860 Lesotho 2004 34.7 14.7 49.4 29.8 293 31.4 34.1 65.5 52.1 779 

Madagascar 2008-09 26.8 24.6 51.4 47.9 1,332 17.5 36.9 54.4 67.8 2,058 Madagascar 2003-04 20.5 12.7 33.2 38.3 416 22.1 24.8 46.9 52.9 875 Madagascar 1997 24.5 5.5 30.0 18.3 434 28.7 15.9 44.6 35.7 822 

Malawi 2010 25.2 28.8 54.0 53.3 1,171 26.6 41.8 68.4 61.1 3,469 Malawi 2004 27.0 18.9 45.9 41.2 788 31.8 29.2 61.0 47.9 2,283 Malawi 2000 29.3 15.2 44.5 34.2 934 31.7 26.3 58.0 45.3 2,324 

Mozambique 2011 23.2 5.9 29.1 20.3 1,136 23.0 11.7 34.7 33.7 1,804 Mozambique 2003 16.9 20.0 36.9 54.2 936 17.1 26.9 44.0 61.1 1,747 Mozambique 1997 24.0 0.6 24.6 2.4 825 25.3 4.5 29.8 15.1 1,337 

(Continued...)

154 
Appendix Table A3. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Namibia 2006-07 34.3 40.9 75.2 54.4 118 20.2 54.4 74.6 72.9 398 Namibia 2000 30.8 45.2 76.0 59.5 74 29.2 45.4 74.6 60.9 326 

Namibia 1992 33.3 20.5 53.8 38.1 86 22.9 30.6 53.5 57.2 307 

Rwanda 2010 6.4 32.9 39.3 83.7 89 16.8 44.5 61.3 72.6 998 Rwanda 2005 21.9 3.2 25.1 12.7 65 35.2 12.7 47.9 26.5 980 Rwanda 2000 22.4 5.0 27.4 18.2 172 31.0 10.5 41.5 25.3 963 

Tanzania 2010 16.3 14.9 31.2 47.8 399 24.8 29.6 54.4 54.4 1,210 Tanzania 2004-05 19.0 9.6 28.6 33.6 590 25.2 25.5 50.7 50.3 1,400 Tanzania 1999 15.1 10.6 25.7 41.2 227 24.1 28.4 52.5 54.1 550 

Uganda 2011 31.3 13.9 45.2 30.8 409 35.4 22.9 58.3 39.3 1,097 Uganda 2006 34.4 11.4 45.8 24.9 380 35.5 21.7 57.2 37.9 1,148 Uganda 2000-01 25.7 12.0 37.7 31.8 466 36.0 21.0 57.0 36.8 1,150 

Zambia 2007 22.6 28.1 50.7 55.4 280 24.9 41.8 66.7 62.7 889 Zambia 2001-02 23.0 25.5 48.5 52.6 438 27.6 31.6 59.2 53.4 1,086 Zambia 1996 22.2 16.9 39.1 43.2 498 25.6 24.6 50.2 49.0 1,207 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 18.5 36.2 54.7 66.2 452 14.3 60.2 74.5 80.8 1,210 Zimbabwe 2005-06 18.8 36.7 55.5 66.1 448 13.7 61.6 75.3 81.8 1,200 Zimbabwe 1999 13.0 42.1 55.1 76.4 314 13.7 53.7 67.4 79.7 820 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 7.0 23.4 30.4 77.0 605 9.2 44.6 53.8 82.9 2,527 Egypt 2005 7.2 26.3 33.5 78.5 792 10.6 44.7 55.3 80.8 2,898 Egypt 2000 10.3 23.4 33.7 69.4 599 10.8 42.7 53.5 79.8 2,187 

Jordan 2009 8.4 27.0 35.4 76.3 242 14.7 42.6 57.3 74.3 1,078 Jordan 2007 9.7 24.4 34.1 71.6 233 15.3 44.2 59.5 74.3 1,233 Jordan 2002 20.4 21.3 41.7 51.1 154 19.1 42.2 61.3 68.8 710 Jordan 1997 20.6 19.0 39.6 48.0 203 21.5 36.6 58.1 63.0 777 

Morocco 2003-04 10.3 38.4 48.7 78.9 346 10.0 57.8 67.8 85.3 1,095 Morocco 1992 19.8 23.3 43.1 54.1 253 22.3 35.2 57.5 61.2 677 

(Continued...)

155 
Appendix Table A3. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Eastern Europe and Central AsiaArmenia 2010 27.0 19.1 46.1 41.4 68 16.7 39.8 56.5 70.4 450 Armenia 2005 15.7 16.5 32.2 51.2 78 19.4 42.9 62.3 68.9 504 Armenia 2000 23.7 25.5 49.2 51.8 99 18.1 55.3 73.4 75.3 511 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 9.7 5.2 14.9 34.9 158 22.9 21.8 44.7 48.8 896 Kyrgyz Republic 1997 11.1 29.3 40.4 72.5 91 12.5 48.7 61.2 79.6 460 

Turkey 2003 20.9 48.0 68.9 69.7 120 15.1 60.8 75.9 80.1 543 Turkey 1998 25.7 33.6 59.3 56.7 262 19.9 52.9 72.8 72.7 924 Turkey 1993 22.1 24.1 46.2 52.2 329 19.2 51.1 70.3 72.7 1,026 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 17.0 47.1 64.1 73.5 1,925 15.3 57.9 73.2 79.1 3,396 Bangladesh 2007 19.5 41.8 61.3 68.2 1,376 17.1 52.4 69.5 75.4 2,094 Bangladesh 2004 19.3 42.2 61.5 68.6 1,536 16.7 52.9 69.6 76.0 2,121 

Cambodia 2010 16.0 27.1 43.1 62.9 382 17.5 43.2 60.7 71.2 1,679 Cambodia 2005 25.7 20.8 46.5 44.7 363 23.8 34.6 58.4 59.2 1,671 Cambodia 2000 37.2 8.9 46.1 19.3 438 36.7 15.5 52.2 29.7 1,009 

India 2005-06 27.1 13.0 40.1 32.4 6,726 21.5 33.4 54.9 60.8 16,782 India 1998-99 26.3 12.7 39.0 32.6 8,088 23.5 29.4 52.9 55.6 16,067 India 1992-93 33.8 7.1 40.9 17.4 8,897 29.7 21.0 50.7 41.4 17,491 

Indonesia 2012 6.7 48.1 54.8 87.8 890 8.3 60.5 68.8 87.9 3,754 Indonesia 2007 9.3 46.8 56.1 83.4 814 10.0 61.5 71.5 86.0 3,952 Indonesia 2002-03 6.9 47.3 54.2 87.3 912 9.4 60.7 70.1 86.6 3,761 

Nepal 2011 41.6 17.6 59.2 29.7 792 38.3 29.5 67.8 43.5 1,761 Nepal 2006 37.8 16.0 53.8 29.7 784 33.2 30.6 63.8 48.0 1,606 Nepal 2001 35.1 12.0 47.1 25.5 930 33.0 23.4 56.4 41.5 1,643 

Pakistan 2006-07 20.2 6.7 26.9 24.9 559 27.1 15.4 42.5 36.2 1,463 Pakistan 1990-91 28.3 2.6 30.9 8.4 418 29.3 6.3 35.6 17.7 1,041 

(Continued...)

156 
Appendix Table A3. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Philippines 2008 33.7 25.9 59.6 43.5 283 24.6 46.3 70.9 65.3 1,000 Philippines 2003 31.9 25.6 57.5 44.5 239 27.8 42.7 70.5 60.6 1,095 Philippines 1998 31.4 21.8 53.2 41.0 244 31.7 39.8 71.5 55.7 967 

Vietnam 2002 14.9 22.8 37.7 60.5 67 10.3 57.7 68.0 84.9 536 Vietnam 1997 9.7 18.1 27.8 65.1 129 14.4 55.1 69.5 79.3 716 Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 37.9 40.9 78.8 51.9 472 27.2 57.1 84.3 67.7 1,263 Bolivia 2003 33.2 45.6 78.8 57.9 427 30.1 55.2 85.3 64.7 1,624 Bolivia 1998 34.0 30.7 64.7 47.4 263 33.7 42.8 76.5 55.9 961 

Colombia 2010 23.7 60.5 84.2 71.9 1,249 14.1 71.7 85.8 83.6 3,207 Colombia 2005 21.0 57.2 78.2 73.1 934 14.8 71.7 86.5 82.9 2,735 Colombia 2000 24.2 57.2 81.4 70.3 325 16.4 69.1 85.5 80.8 814 

Dominican Republic 2007 27.2 45.8 73.0 62.7 1,050 18.7 60.4 79.1 76.4 2,159 Dominican Republic 2002 30.5 41.5 72.0 57.6 1,017 21.8 54.8 76.6 71.5 2,158 Dominican Republic 1999 35.8 32.5 68.3 47.6 46 25.8 45.9 71.7 64.0 119 

Haiti 2012 56.6 25.6 82.2 31.1 404 41.1 36.0 77.1 46.7 1,250 Haiti 2005-06 52.1 28.5 80.6 35.4 448 40.5 33.1 73.6 45.0 1,076 Haiti 2000 58.2 16.4 74.6 22.0 376 41.7 32.1 73.8 43.5 957 

Honduras 2011-12 17.7 55.7 73.4 75.9 1,144 13.1 69.4 82.5 84.1 2,091 Honduras 2005-06 25.6 46.4 72.0 64.4 914 22.3 59.2 81.5 72.6 2,030 

Nicaragua 2001 19.9 55.2 75.1 73.5 701 17.2 66.3 83.5 79.4 1,334 Nicaragua 1998 28.4 39.8 68.2 58.4 848 22.2 53.8 76.0 70.8 1,432 

Peru 2010 23.1 63.6 86.7 73.4 480 17.1 72.2 89.3 80.9 1,470 Peru 2005 25.3 59.5 84.8 70.2 812 18.0 70.6 88.6 79.7 2,510 Peru 2000 28.3 51.6 79.9 64.6 582 20.1 65.2 85.3 76.4 1,969 

157 
Appendix Table A4. Trends in unmet need for spacing and for limiting among currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age 

group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 26.2 0.4 26.6 667 27.8 1.0 28.8 2,219 Benin 2001 27.2 0.6 27.9 287 24.6 0.8 25.4 867 Benin 1996 28.6 0.0 28.6 308 24.3 0.5 24.9 786 

Burkina Faso 2010 21.7 0.0 21.7 1,043 23.6 0.3 23.9 2,686 Burkina Faso 2003 19.4 0.5 19.9 878 30.2 0.4 30.7 1,861 Burkina Faso 1998-99 23.0 0.0 23.0 488 25.6 1.0 26.6 1,023 

Cameroon 2011 24.2 1.5 25.7 868 22.9 2.0 24.9 1,935 Cameroon 2004 17.6 0.9 18.5 828 19.9 1.5 21.4 1,563 Cameroon 1998 12.8 4.2 17.0 430 17.2 3.2 20.4 746 

Chad 2004 18.8 0.2 19.0 571 21.9 0.3 22.1 907 Chad 1996-97 12.5 1.5 14.0 801 14.6 2.9 17.5 1,190 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 33.9 0.8 34.8 413 22.2 0.9 23.2 1,083 Congo Brazzaville 2005 28.3 2.0 30.3 257 20.4 1.3 21.7 836 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 26.3 0.2 26.5 418 30.4 2.2 32.6 1,094 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 23.8 0.2 24.0 186 32.9 2.3 35.2 349 Côte d'Ivoire 1994 26.8 0.6 27.4 517 26.4 1.6 27.9 1,008 

Gabon 2012 38.8 2.5 41.4 241 26.0 3.8 29.8 711 Gabon 2000 27.8 1.3 29.1 287 27.5 2.6 30.1 663 

Ghana 2008 49.0 12.7 61.7 85 34.4 8.1 42.4 414 Ghana 2003 50.6 6.2 56.8 137 36.6 4.8 41.5 530 Ghana 1998 47.4 3.3 50.7 122 41.3 2.9 44.2 552 

Guinea 2005 18.4 1.2 19.5 587 20.6 0.9 21.6 888 Guinea 1999 17.4 1.8 19.2 580 21.6 1.4 23.0 879 

Mali 2006 33.3 1.5 34.8 1,566 25.7 1.3 26.9 2,402 Mali 2001 26.6 3.6 30.2 1,178 24.6 5.4 30.1 1,987 Mali 1995-96 28.1 1.1 29.2 915 26.5 1.3 27.8 1,363 

(Continued...)

158 
Appendix Table A4. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Niger 2006 11.1 0.1 11.2 1,014 17.0 0.2 17.2 1,426 Niger 1998 18.1 0.1 18.2 1,027 16.0 0.4 16.4 1,160 Niger 1992 15.6 2.2 17.9 779 13.4 2.0 15.5 1,059 

Nigeria 2008 16.2 1.8 18.0 1,863 18.8 1.9 20.7 3,659 Nigeria 2003 13.6 1.2 14.8 545 15.8 1.2 17.0 911 Nigeria 1999 16.4 0.9 17.3 472 23.6 0.5 24.1 934 

Senegal 2010-11 31.0 0.4 31.4 832 29.4 0.8 30.2 1,932 Senegal 2005 32.3 1.0 33.3 1,014 32.3 0.4 32.7 1,836 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 41.4 2.1 43.6 580 27.9 1.6 29.5 950 Eritrea 1995 33.2 2.7 35.9 366 29.5 2.3 31.8 571 

Ethiopia 2011 30.3 2.4 32.8 765 20.3 2.1 22.4 1,762 Ethiopia 2005 27.7 10.1 37.8 711 27.4 8.9 36.2 1,574 Ethiopia 2000 32.1 5.4 37.5 862 30.7 7.8 38.5 1,807 

Kenya 2008-09 25.2 4.5 29.7 212 23.4 6.9 30.4 958 Kenya 2003 27.5 2.8 30.2 333 28.6 6.5 35.2 965 Kenya 1998 26.7 3.3 30.0 285 27.3 4.9 32.3 948 

Lesotho 2009 26.3 3.3 29.6 292 18.5 9.4 27.9 860 Lesotho 2004 18.3 16.4 34.7 293 18.5 12.9 31.4 779 

Madagascar 2008-09 24.9 1.9 26.8 1,332 15.8 1.7 17.5 2,058 Madagascar 2003-04 17.2 3.3 20.5 416 19.2 2.9 22.1 875 Madagascar 1997 21.3 3.3 24.5 434 20.9 7.9 28.7 822 

Malawi 2010 17.2 8.1 25.2 1,171 18.4 8.2 26.6 3,469 Malawi 2004 18.9 8.0 27.0 788 23.2 8.6 31.8 2,283 Malawi 2000 19.7 9.6 29.3 934 21.7 10.0 31.7 2,324 

Mozambique 2011 21.7 1.6 23.2 1,136 19.5 3.5 23.0 1,804 Mozambique 2003 16.1 0.8 16.9 936 15.1 2.0 17.1 1,747 Mozambique 1997 21.1 3.0 24.0 825 24.2 1.1 25.3 1,337 

(Continued...)

159 
Appendix Table A4. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Namibia 2006-07 24.8 9.5 34.3 118 12.1 8.1 20.2 398 Namibia 2000 14.9 16.0 30.8 74 15.0 14.2 29.2 326 

Namibia 1992 25.6 7.7 33.3 86 18.0 4.9 22.9 307 

Rwanda 2010 5.1 1.3 6.4 89 15.9 0.9 16.8 998 Rwanda 2005 17.9 4.0 21.9 65 30.6 4.7 35.2 980 Rwanda 2000 20.6 1.8 22.4 172 27.5 3.6 31.0 963 

Tanzania 2010 15.3 1.0 16.3 399 23.8 1.0 24.8 1,210 Tanzania 2004-05 17.0 2.0 19.0 590 23.6 1.7 25.2 1,400 Tanzania 1999 13.5 1.6 15.1 227 19.9 4.2 24.1 550 

Uganda 2011 30.7 0.6 31.3 409 32.5 2.9 35.4 1,097 Uganda 2006 32.7 1.7 34.4 380 32.6 2.9 35.5 1,148 Uganda 2000-01 23.7 2.1 25.7 466 30.5 5.5 36.0 1,150 

Zambia 2007 15.9 6.7 22.6 280 21.6 3.3 24.9 889 Zambia 2001-02 17.8 5.2 23.0 438 22.0 5.6 27.6 1,086 Zambia 1996 20.9 1.3 22.2 498 23.7 1.9 25.6 1,207 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 18.1 0.5 18.5 452 12.9 1.4 14.3 1,210 Zimbabwe 2005-06 13.1 5.6 18.8 448 10.3 3.4 13.7 1,200 Zimbabwe 1999 11.4 1.6 13.0 314 10.4 3.2 13.7 820 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 6.0 1.0 7.0 605 6.9 2.3 9.2 2,527 Egypt 2005 6.2 0.9 7.2 792 7.9 2.7 10.6 2,898 Egypt 2000 9.5 0.7 10.3 599 8.4 2.5 10.8 2,187 

Jordan 2009 8.1 0.3 8.4 242 11.5 3.2 14.7 1,078 Jordan 2007 9.6 0.1 9.7 233 13.1 2.2 15.3 1,233 Jordan 2002 18.6 1.8 20.4 154 15.7 3.4 19.1 710 Jordan 1997 19.7 0.9 20.6 203 19.4 2.2 21.5 777 

Morocco 2003-04 10.1 0.2 10.3 346 8.7 1.3 10.0 1,095 Morocco 1992 19.4 0.4 19.8 253 17.7 4.6 22.3 677 

(Continued...)

160 
Appendix Table A4. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Eastern Europe and Central AsiaArmenia 2010 26.8 0.2 27.0 68 14.8 1.9 16.7 450 Armenia 2005 15.7 14.6 15.7 78 13.2 6.1 19.4 504 Armenia 2000 19.2 0.0 23.7 99 10.9 7.2 18.1 511 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 11.1 0.0 9.7 91 10.3 2.2 22.9 460 Kyrgyz Republic 1997 9.7 0.0 11.1 158 22.3 0.6 12.5 896 

Turkey 2003 16.1 4.7 20.9 120 11.0 4.1 15.1 543 Turkey 1998 21.8 3.9 25.7 262 13.0 6.9 19.9 924 Turkey 1993 19.0 3.1 22.1 329 11.7 7.5 19.2 1,026 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 15.7 1.3 17.0 1,925 10.9 4.4 15.3 3,396 Bangladesh 2007 19.0 0.5 19.5 1,376 12.2 4.9 17.1 2,094 Bangladesh 2004 18.3 1.0 19.3 1,536 12.0 4.7 16.7 2,121 

Cambodia 2010 14.1 1.9 16.0 382 13.3 4.2 17.5 1,679 Cambodia 2005 23.1 2.6 25.7 363 16.6 7.2 23.8 1,671 Cambodia 2000 33.4 3.8 37.2 438 28.3 8.4 36.7 1,009 

India 2005-06 24.7 2.4 27.1 6,726 14.7 6.8 21.5 16,782 India 1998-99 23.5 2.7 26.3 8,088 17.1 6.4 23.5 16,067 India 1992-93 32.1 1.7 33.8 8,897 24.6 5.1 29.7 17,491 

Indonesia 2012 6.3 0.4 6.7 890 7.7 0.6 8.3 3,754 Indonesia 2007 6.4 2.9 9.3 814 7.9 2.1 10.0 3,952 Indonesia 2002-03 6.4 0.5 6.9 912 7.8 1.6 9.4 3,761 

Nepal 2011 37.6 4.0 41.6 792 24.4 13.9 38.3 1,761 Nepal 2006 34.7 3.2 37.8 784 20.5 12.7 33.2 1,606 Nepal 2001 32.9 2.2 35.1 930 23.5 9.5 33.0 1,643 

Pakistan 2006-07 18.8 1.4 20.2 559 21.9 5.3 27.1 1,463 Pakistan 1990-91 26.8 1.5 28.3 418 24.1 5.2 29.3 1,041 

(Continued...)

161 
Appendix Table A4. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need for 

spacing 

Unmet 

need for 

limiting 

Total 

unmet 

need 

Weighted 

number 

Philippines 2008 27.8 6.0 33.7 283 19.1 5.5 24.6 1,000 Philippines 2003 25.2 6.7 31.9 239 21.4 6.4 27.8 1,095 Philippines 1998 26.5 4.9 31.4 244 23.2 8.4 31.7 967 

Vietnam 2002 13.6 1.3 14.9 67 8.7 1.6 10.3 536 Vietnam 1997 9.0 0.7 9.7 129 11.7 2.8 14.4 716 Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 26.6 11.3 37.9 472 14.3 12.9 27.2 1,263 Bolivia 2003 21.3 11.9 33.2 427 15.0 15.1 30.1 1,624 Bolivia 1998 20.8 13.3 34.0 263 16.7 17.0 33.7 961 

Colombia 2010 19.2 4.5 23.7 1,249 9.9 4.3 14.1 3,207 Colombia 2005 16.2 4.9 21.0 934 10.7 4.2 14.8 2,735 Colombia 2000 20.9 3.3 24.2 325 11.7 4.6 16.4 814 

Dominican Republic 2007 25.0 2.2 27.2 1,050 15.7 3.0 18.7 2,159 Dominican Republic 2002 27.2 3.2 30.5 1,017 16.4 5.4 21.8 2,158 Dominican Republic 1999 27.5 8.3 35.8 46 18.6 7.2 25.8 119 

Haiti 2012 50.6 6.0 56.6 404 32.0 9.1 41.1 1,250 Haiti 2005-06 49.4 2.8 52.1 448 34.0 6.5 40.5 1,076 Haiti 2000 50.1 8.1 58.2 376 33.2 8.5 41.7 957 

Honduras 2011-12 15.7 2.0 17.7 1,144 10.3 2.8 13.1 2,091 Honduras 2005-06 20.1 5.5 25.6 914 15.4 6.9 22.3 2,030 

Nicaragua 2001 13.4 6.5 19.9 701 10.7 6.5 17.2 1,334 Nicaragua 1998 22.5 5.9 28.4 848 13.0 9.2 22.2 1,432 

Peru 2010 18.8 4.3 23.1 480 12.0 5.1 17.1 1,470 Peru 2005 22.0 3.3 25.3 812 13.4 4.6 18.0 2,510 Peru 2000 21.9 6.4 28.3 582 12.6 7.5 20.1 1,969 

162 
Appendix Table A5. Unmet need, current use of contraception, and demand for family planning among sexually active, unmarried 

women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 37.5 53.9 91.4 59.0 272 20.0 67.3 87.3 77.1 222 

Burkina Faso 2010 46.3 50.1 96.4 52.0 151 21.0 70.1 91.1 76.9 126 

Cameroon 2011 32.8 60.7 93.5 64.9 296 19.4 67.2 86.6 77.6 347 

Chad 2004 (59.1) (4.8) (63.9) (7.5) 29 * * * * 10 Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 19.8 73.3 93.1 78.7 471 13.9 78.4 92.3 84.9 405 Congo Democratic Republic 2007 41.6 46.3 87.9 52.7 242 32.6 54.3 86.9 62.5 200 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 57.7 35.1 92.8 37.8 380 43.8 44.2 88.0 50.2 396 

Gabon 2012 32.0 61.8 93.8 65.9 439 25.2 59.7 84.9 70.3 458 

Ghana 2008 42.9 52.6 95.5 55.1 87 54.4 43.7 98.1 44.5 88 

Guinea 2005 47.8 42.6 90.4 47.1 148 36.4 56.0 92.4 60.6 70 Liberia 2007 63.4 23.1 86.5 26.7 384 52.0 30.6 82.6 37.0 333 

Mali 2006 (52.9) (26.9) (79.8) (33.7) 49 (43.6) (32.2) (75.8) 42.5 21 Nigeria 2008 41.7 56.1 97.8 57.4 448 26.8 68.2 95.0 71.8 586 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 (39.3) (43.9) (83.2) (52.8) 54 (32.4) (59.2) (91.6) 64.6 51 

Senegal 2010-11 70.3 25.1 95.4 26.3 36 (68.8) (24.2) (93.0) 26.0 41 Sierra Leone 2008 56.4 31.4 87.8 35.8 186 36.8 46.3 83.1 55.7 157 

Regional average 46.3 43.0 89.3 48.1 3,672 35.1 53.4 88.6 60.3 3,511 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 (77.7) (4.5) (82.2) (5.5) 24 * * * * 19 Ethiopia 2011 22.0 52.0 74.0 70.3 34 28.7 64.9 93.6 69.3 67 

Kenya 2008-09 67.5 26.8 94.3 28.4 72 25.0 63.2 88.2 71.7 66 

Lesotho 2009 45.1 44.6 89.7 49.7 67 34.0 53.9 87.9 61.3 97 

Madagascar 2008-09 50.6 31.9 82.5 38.7 281 29.1 51.6 80.7 63.9 204 

Malawi 2010 55.6 31.1 86.7 35.9 180 32.4 50.7 83.1 61.0 122 

Mozambique 2011 56.3 26.9 83.2 32.3 391 33.8 38.0 71.8 52.9 266 

 (Continued...)

163 
Appendix Table A5. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Namibia 2006-07 19.9 76.5 96.4 79.4 250 13.8 77.7 91.5 84.9 415 Rwanda 2010 59.1 27.3 86.4 31.6 42 50.6 38.3 88.9 43.1 53 

Swaziland 2006-07 39.9 55.7 95.6 58.3 98 31.5 61.6 93.1 66.2 193 

Tanzania 2010 46.8 39.7 86.5 45.9 170 20.6 57.6 78.2 73.7 186 

Uganda 2011 38.6 45.1 83.7 53.9 80 29.0 54.3 83.3 65.2 81 

Zambia 2007 49.9 40.5 90.4 44.8 98 38.2 54.0 92.2 58.6 81 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 (53.0) (35.1) (88.1) (39.8) 29 21.9 57.7 79.6 72.5 61 

Regional average 48.7 38.4 87.1 44.1 1,816 29.9 55.7 85.5 65.1 1,911 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Albania 2008-09 (13.6) (76.1) (89.7) (84.8) 32 16.8 78.0 94.8 82.3 58 

Moldova 2005 19.5 76.5 96.0 79.7 73 25.9 69.4 95.3 72.8 109 Ukraine 2007 14.1 85.9 100.0 85.9 59 5.5 91.6 97.1 94.3 221 

Regional average 15.7 79.5 95.2 83.5 164 16.1 79.7 95.7 83.2 388 Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 27.9 68.8 96.7 71.1 132 15.8 82.6 98.4 83.9 205 

Colombia 2010 18.4 79.2 97.6 81.1 1,334 11.3 84.5 95.8 88.2 1,786 

Dominican Republic 2007 37.2 49.3 86.5 57.0 441 23.3 59.1 82.4 71.7 576 Guyana 2009 37.0 60.9 97.9 62.2 76 21.6 70.7 92.3 76.6 109 

Haiti 2012 63.6 31.3 94.9 33.0 311 54.7 38.4 93.1 41.2 370 

Honduras 2011-12 19.5 71.0 90.5 78.5 214 15.2 76.2 91.4 83.4 272 

Nicaragua 2001 32.3 53.4 85.7 62.3 74 14.7 70.2 84.9 82.7 99 

Peru 2010 10.1 87.7 97.8 89.7 225 8.2 88.0 96.2 91.5 424 

Regional average 30.8 62.7 93.5 67.1 2,807 20.6 71.2 91.8 77.6 3,841 

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. 

164 
Appendix Table A6.Trends in unmet need for family planning among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age 

group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 37.5 53.9 91.4 59.0 272 20.0 67.3 87.3 77.1 222 Benin 2001 58.3 31.9 90.2 35.4 125 33.3 49.8 83.1 59.9 98 Benin 1996 39.7 47.8 87.5 54.6 98 (15.7) (68.2) (83.9) (81.3) 53 

Burkina Faso 2010 46.3 50.1 96.4 52.0 151 21.0 70.1 91.1 76.9 126 Burkina Faso 2003 39.8 51.1 90.9 56.2 158 19.7 72.6 92.3 78.7 81 Burkina Faso 1998-99 41.9 42.2 84.1 50.2 112 24.7 70.5 95.2 74.1 35 

Cameroon 2011 32.8 60.7 93.5 64.9 296 19.4 67.2 86.6 77.6 347 Cameroon 2004 20.9 73.9 94.8 78.0 189 15.2 74.6 89.8 83.1 176 Cameroon 1998 16.6 57.5 74.1 77.6 173 10.9 52.4 63.3 82.8 161 

Chad 2004 (59.1) (4.8) (63.9) (7.5) 29 * * * * 10 Chad 1996-97 25.5 12.0 37.5 32.0 64 (27.8) (6.6) (34.4) (19.2) 34 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 19.8 73.3 93.1 78.7 471 13.9 78.4 92.3 84.9 405 Congo Brazzaville 2005 17.2 76.1 93.3 81.6 342 13.0 79.3 92.3 85.9 317 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 57.7 35.1 92.8 37.8 380 43.8 44.2 88.0 50.2 396 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 35.2 54.1 89.3 60.6 142 20.0 66.2 86.2 76.8 105 

Gabon 2012 32.0 61.8 93.8 65.9 439 25.2 59.7 84.9 70.3 458 Gabon 2000 26.4 64.5 90.9 71.0 320 22.8 64.1 86.9 73.8 279 

Ghana 2008 42.9 52.6 95.5 55.1 87 54.4 43.7 98.1 44.5 88 Ghana 2003 49.8 46.2 96.0 48.1 92 42.4 47.7 90.1 52.9 71 Ghana 1998 43.9 45.0 88.9 50.6 75 44.2 39.4 83.6 47.1 63 

Guinea 2005 47.8 42.6 90.4 47.1 148 36.4 56.0 92.4 60.6 70 Guinea 1999 49.4 42.4 91.8 46.2 85 32.7 55.5 88.2 62.9 59 

Mali 2006 (52.9) (26.9) (79.8) (33.7) 49 (43.6) (32.2) (75.8) (42.5) 21 Mali 2001 49.7 19.5 69.2 28.2 166 34.8 29.6 64.4 46.0 96 Mali 1995-96 52.7 28.9 81.6 35.4 133 32.0 53.2 85.2 62.4 61 

(Continued...)

165 
Appendix Table A6. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Nigeria 2008 41.7 56.1 97.8 57.4 448 26.8 68.2 95.0 71.8 586 Nigeria 2003 48.4 45.0 93.4 48.2 116 34.5 59.6 94.1 63.3 129 Nigeria 1999 44.5 46.6 91.1 51.2 103 27.7 68.5 96.2 71.2 136 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 22.0 52.0 74.0 70.3 34 28.7 64.9 93.6 69.3 67 Ethiopia 2000 37.7 45.7 83.4 54.8 43 30.9 45.6 76.5 59.6 45 

Kenya 2008-09 67.5 26.8 94.3 28.4 72 25.0 63.2 88.2 71.7 66 Kenya 2003 40.7 49.4 90.1 54.8 68 39.7 53.1 92.8 57.2 75 Kenya 1998 53.2 30.4 83.6 36.4 148 38.9 50.7 89.6 56.6 98 

Lesotho 2009 45.1 44.6 89.7 49.7 67 34.0 53.9 87.9 61.3 97 Lesotho 2004 53.5 37.8 91.3 41.4 57 30.2 52.6 82.8 63.5 74 

Madagascar 2008-09 50.6 31.9 82.5 38.7 281 29.1 51.6 80.7 63.9 204 Madagascar 2003-04 44.1 30.8 74.9 41.1 148 27.5 47.4 74.9 63.3 118 Madagascar 1997 42.6 17.8 60.4 29.5 174 31.7 34.4 66.1 52.0 150 

Malawi 2010 55.6 31.1 86.7 35.9 180 32.4 50.7 83.1 61.0 122 Malawi 2004 56.1 25.0 81.1 30.8 87 48.6 28.2 76.8 36.7 76 Malawi 2000 62.0 17.6 79.6 22.1 146 44.6 35.4 80.0 44.3 76 

Mozambique 2011 56.3 26.9 83.2 32.3 391 33.8 38.0 71.8 52.9 266 Mozambique 2003 34.0 43.0 77.0 55.8 403 18.9 57.9 76.8 75.4 259 Mozambique 1997 64.5 7.0 71.5 9.8 202 29.4 20.8 50.2 41.4 106 

Namibia 2006-07 19.9 76.5 96.4 79.4 250 13.8 77.7 91.5 84.9 415 Namibia 2000 36.1 50.7 86.8 58.4 177 23.5 60.8 84.3 72.1 202 Namibia 1992 6.7 29.1 35.8 81.3 243 9.9 40.7 50.6 80.4 268 

Tanzania 2010 46.8 39.7 86.5 45.9 170 20.6 57.6 78.2 73.7 186 Tanzania 2004-05 51.8 31.8 83.6 38.0 166 29.1 47.3 76.4 61.9 152 Tanzania 1999 55.3 26.0 81.3 32.0 113 26.0 43.8 69.8 62.8 97 

Uganda 2011 38.6 45.1 83.7 53.9 80 29.0 54.3 83.3 65.2 81 Uganda 2006 45.0 37.2 82.2 45.3 80 23.8 56.6 80.4 70.4 98 Uganda 2000-01 32.7 51.6 84.3 61.2 93 33.9 54.2 88.1 61.5 59 

(Continued...)

166 
Appendix Table A6. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Unmet 

need 

Current 

use 

Total 

demand 

% 

demand 

satisfied 

Weighted 

number 

Zambia 2007 49.9 40.5 90.4 44.8 98 38.2 54.0 92.2 58.6 81 Zambia 2001-02 50.4 22.6 73.0 31.0 128 29.7 37.4 67.1 55.7 82 Zambia 1996 55.8 16.3 72.1 22.6 190 31.4 31.0 62.4 49.7 110 Zimbabwe 2010-11 (53.0) (35.1) (88.1) (39.8) 29 21.9 57.7 79.6 72.5 61 Zimbabwe 2005-06 (49.5) (36.8) (86.3) (42.6) 34 (26.3) (57.1) (83.4) (68.5) 44 Zimbabwe 1999 (41.0) (34.7) (75.7) (45.8) 28 25.4 46.0 71.4 64.4 49 

Latin America and Caribbean

Bolivia 2008 27.9 68.8 96.7 71.1 132 15.8 82.6 98.4 83.9 205 Bolivia 2003 42.9 49.7 92.6 53.7 129 23.3 68.6 91.9 74.6 187 Bolivia 1998 (28.4) (63.5) (91.9) (69.1) 38 17.6 58.1 75.7 76.8 60 

Colombia 2010 18.4 79.2 97.6 81.1 1,334 11.3 84.5 95.8 88.2 1,786 Colombia 2005 16.7 79.5 96.2 82.6 826 14.3 81.0 95.3 85.0 1,232 Colombia 2000 12.0 81.3 93.3 87.1 195 10.0 84.4 94.4 89.4 325 

Dominican Republic 2007 37.2 49.3 86.5 57.0 441 23.3 59.1 82.4 71.7 576 Dominican Republic 2002 42.0 41.4 83.4 49.6 187 24.7 60.3 85.0 70.9 357 

Haiti 2012 63.6 31.3 94.9 33.0 311 54.7 38.4 93.1 41.2 370 Haiti 2005-06 61.7 33.6 95.3 35.3 152 51.8 39.9 91.7 43.5 166 Haiti 2000 52.9 42.9 95.8 44.8 101 52.2 36.6 88.8 41.2 135 

Honduras 2011-12 19.5 71.0 90.5 78.5 214 15.2 76.2 91.4 83.4 272 Honduras 2005-06 24.7 66.5 91.2 72.9 105 19.5 69.3 88.8 78.0 156 

Nicaragua 2001 32.3 53.4 85.7 62.3 74 14.7 70.2 84.9 82.7 99 Nicaragua 1998 (51.8) (22.3) (74.1) (30.1) 38 (20.2) (68.7) (88.9) (77.3) 36 

Peru 2010 10.1 87.7 97.8 89.7 225 8.2 88.0 96.2 91.5 424 Peru 2005 8.1 88.6 96.7 91.6 350 8.1 91.3 99.4 91.9 660 Peru 2000 27.6 71.6 99.2 72.2 192 10.7 84.6 95.3 88.8 300 

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. 

167 
Appendix Table A7. Unmet need for family planning among currently married women age 15-49, by five-year age group, most recent 

DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 Total 15-49 

% n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 26.6 667 28.8 2,219 26.2 3,336 27.0 2,642 30.6 1,973 28.7 1,410 21.1 1,156 27.3 13,403 Burkina Faso 2010 21.7 1,043 23.9 2,686 25.5 2,773 25.3 2,453 28.8 1,897 27.6 1,545 13.2 1,166 24.5 13,563 Cameroon 2011 25.7 868 24.9 1,935 23.3 2,122 24.9 1,617 24.0 1,393 23.4 998 15.3 860 23.5 9,792 Chad 2004 19.0 571 22.1 907 23.1 1,051 20.4 712 22.7 598 20.6 443 9.2 380 20.6 4,663 Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 34.8 413 23.2 1,083 19.2 1,434 18.5 1,163 12.8 1,053 14.1 633 9.2 512 18.4 6,289 Congo Democratic Republic 2007 28.9 457 32.5 1,484 27.5 1,330 28.5 1,160 26.4 892 22.7 734 12.2 567 26.9 6,622 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 26.5 418 32.6 1,094 31.6 1,385 25.3 1,211 25.5 957 26.1 711 13.1 532 27.1 6,309 Gabon 2012 41.4 241 29.8 711 26.2 975 28.2 855 24.3 771 23.5 549 15.8 373 26.5 4,475 Ghana 2008 61.7 85 42.4 414 40.5 612 33.7 539 34.8 527 31.2 380 20.7 319 35.7 2,876 Guinea 2005 19.5 587 21.6 888 20.6 1,175 23.3 1,062 24.8 1,113 24.3 752 17.4 717 21.9 6,292 Liberia 2007 40.7 251 42.2 739 38.9 847 37.5 805 34.2 812 33.4 545 21.2 541 35.7 4,540 Mali 2006 34.8 1,566 26.9 2,402 25.6 2,507 30.2 1,891 27.9 1,642 29.3 1,293 16.0 1,066 27.6 12,365 Mauritania 2000-02 35.5 408 34.7 747 38.2 869 34.3 902 29.8 692 23.2 571 20.3 352 32.1 4,541 Niger 2006 11.2 1,014 17.2 1,426 15.9 1,670 15.9 1,286 18.1 1,120 18.3 828 15.7 598 16.1 7,941 Nigeria 2008 18.0 1,863 20.7 3,659 20.3 5,112 20.3 4,173 21.8 3,575 21.9 2,711 16.9 2,484 20.2 23,578 São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 48.3 110 41.4 285 39.6 371 32.3 330 36.7 224 41.1 242 25.6 156 37.6 1,718 Senegal 2010-11 31.4 832 30.2 1,932 32.2 2,128 32.0 1,825 31.8 1,614 27.5 1,192 19.3 825 30.1 10,347 Sierra Leone 2008 23.0 359 28.3 812 29.1 1,429 34.7 899 30.4 1,022 23.1 572 19.6 431 28.4 5,525 Regional average 30.5 11,753 29.1 25,423 28.0 31,126 27.4 25,525 27.0 21,875 25.6 16,109 16.8 13,035 26.7 144,839 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 18.8 201 29.7 1,106 33.6 1,266 35.1 895 36.9 888 37.7 565 21.9 500 32.4 5,421 Eritrea 2002 43.6 580 29.5 950 22.2 1,212 29.7 904 30.9 899 25.7 663 21.8 526 28.5 5,733 Ethiopia 2011 32.8 765 22.4 1,762 28.2 2,511 27.1 1,720 28.1 1,591 29.2 1,033 15.2 905 26.3 10,287 Kenya 2008-09 29.7 212 30.4 958 26.9 1,088 22.5 962 25.1 694 24.4 548 19.9 466 25.6 4,928 Lesotho 2009 29.6 292 27.9 860 23.2 857 21.1 704 23.4 522 21.2 429 14.3 386 23.3 4,049 Madagascar 2008-09 26.8 1,332 17.5 2,058 16.7 2,285 16.3 2,089 19.4 1,764 22.1 1,390 17.6 1,121 19.0 12,039 Malawi 2010 25.2 1,171 26.6 3,469 26.4 3,718 28.1 2,636 27.7 2,040 26.1 1,339 18.3 1,155 26.2 15,528 Mozambique 2011 23.2 1,136 23.0 1,804 25.9 1,788 26.3 1,594 32.7 1,349 40.0 905 38.9 755 28.5 9,332 Namibia 2006-07 34.3 118 20.2 398 19.0 625 21.3 751 23.6 612 18.5 522 17.5 424 20.7 3,451 Rwanda 2010 6.4 89 16.8 998 19.4 1,773 22.7 1,458 23.8 1,112 24.9 780 18.4 688 20.8 6,897 

(Continued...)

168 
Appendix Table A7. – Continued

Region and country Year 

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 Total 15-49 

% n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n 

Swaziland 2006-07 24.6 88 29.4 343 24.4 388 20.3 379 25.5 334 30.0 291 18.1 238 24.7 2,062 Tanzania 2010 16.3 399 24.8 1,210 24.0 1,338 21.9 1,137 27.9 1,036 29.7 741 32.4 550 25.3 6,412 Uganda 2011 31.3 409 35.4 1,097 35.7 1,295 36.6 880 35.5 820 31.9 553 24.0 364 34.3 5,418 Zambia 2007 22.6 280 24.9 889 26.0 1,053 27.6 826 29.9 590 31.6 411 22.0 353 26.6 4,402 Zimbabwe 2010-11 18.5 452 14.3 1,210 12.9 1,329 12.6 1,012 17.1 815 16.9 488 13.6 397 14.6 5,703 Regional average 25.6 7,524 24.9 19,112 24.3 22,526 24.6 17,947 27.2 15,066 27.3 10,658 20.9 8,828 25.1 101,662 Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 7.0 605 9.2 2,527 10.8 3,264 11.4 2,551 11.9 2,406 14.0 2,188 14.8 1,855 11.6 15,396 Jordan 2009 8.4 242 14.7 1,078 13.7 1,860 11.3 2,000 11.1 1,704 12.7 1,628 20.6 1,139 13.4 9,651 Morocco 2003-04 10.3 346 10.0 1,095 11.6 1,408 11.7 1,521 11.5 1,556 12.4 1,518 14.2 1,338 11.9 8,782 Regional average 8.6 1,193 11.3 4,700 12.0 6,532 11.5 6,072 11.5 5,666 13.0 5,334 16.5 4,332 12.3 33,829 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Albania 2008-09 16.6 110 17.7 358 19.0 599 13.0 766 11.8 1,022 11.9 1,155 9.1 993 12.9 5,001 Armenia 2010 27.0 68 16.7 450 13.7 641 11.9 650 12.0 517 11.4 613 14.3 687 13.5 3,626 Azerbaijan 2006 16.4 151 15.8 697 14.8 806 15.0 829 12.7 925 16.6 1,091 17.6 769 15.4 5,269 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 9.7 158 22.9 896 20.2 1,061 18.6 867 18.4 801 16.5 758 11.0 716 18.0 5,256 Moldova 2005 14.2 136 12.8 629 10.2 794 7.5 810 9.0 746 12.8 869 14.8 953 11.4 4,937 Turkey 2003 20.9 120 15.1 543 8.0 703 6.1 720 7.2 694 9.4 644 11.0 477 9.5 3,902 Ukraine 2007 30.6 45 10.3 472 10.7 691 7.1 709 8.7 770 11.3 680 11.5 750 10.1 4,116 Regional average 19.3 788 15.9 4,045 13.8 5,295 11.3 5,351 11.4 5,475 12.8 5,810 12.8 5,345 13.0 32,107 South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 17.0 1,925 15.3 3,396 15.2 3,262 13.5 2,532 11.5 2,081 10.3 1,937 7.8 1,501 13.5 16,635 Cambodia 2010 16.0 382 17.5 1,679 17.1 2,572 16.9 1,811 20.6 1,747 32.7 1,861 42.0 1,574 23.5 11,626 India 2005-06 27.1 6,726 21.5 16,782 16.5 18,540 12.1 16,459 9.3 14,492 6.9 11,605 3.7 8,484 13.9 93,089 Indonesia 2012 6.7 890 8.3 3,754 8.9 6,000 9.7 6,285 11.2 6,331 14.9 5,572 16.2 4,633 11.4 33,465 Maldives 2009 36.9 111 32.0 1,188 34.6 1,446 31.0 1,193 24.8 1,065 23.4 884 16.0 612 28.6 6,500 Nepal 2011 41.6 792 38.3 1,761 31.2 1,914 26.3 1,659 21.1 1,461 15.9 1,190 13.4 832 27.5 9,608 Pakistan 2006-07 20.2 559 27.1 1,463 27.1 1,965 28.7 1,729 26.9 1,565 23.1 1,208 15.5 1,067 25.2 9,556 Philippines 2008 33.7 283 24.6 1,000 25.2 1,560 20.2 1,573 22.3 1,522 19.9 1,299 17.2 1,181 22.0 8,418 Timor-Leste 2009-10 27.4 243 35.2 1,100 32.6 1,516 32.0 1,362 34.2 1,514 31.5 1,211 21.2 960 31.5 7,906 Vietnam 2002 14.9 67 10.3 536 7.6 977 6.6 1,062 4.6 1,042 4.2 966 7.9 687 6.6 5,338 Regional average 24.2 11,978 23.0 32,659 21.6 39,752 19.7 35,665 18.7 32,820 18.3 27,733 16.1 21,531 20.4 202,141 

(Continued...)

169 
Appendix Table A7. – Continued

Region and country Year 

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 Total 15-49 

% n % n % n % n % n % n % n % n 

Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 37.9 472 27.2 1,263 23.9 1,993 20.2 1,915 17.6 1,797 15.7 1,460 9.0 1,262 20.1 10,162 Colombia 2010 23.7 1,249 14.1 3,207 8.0 4,414 6.1 4,589 5.4 4,432 5.5 4,447 6.1 3,911 8.0 26,247 Dominican Republic 2007 27.2 1,050 18.7 2,159 15.5 2,588 9.0 2,811 5.9 2,698 6.0 2,291 4.4 1,820 11.1 15,417 Guyana 2009 34.9 166 30.1 398 29.4 458 26.3 492 29.5 517 26.1 460 27.2 429 28.5 2,920 Haiti 2012 56.6 404 41.1 1,250 34.9 1,620 32.1 1,472 35.8 1,228 34.7 967 23.8 867 35.3 7,808 Honduras 2011-12 17.7 1,144 13.1 2,091 11.4 2,461 8.2 2,281 8.8 1,993 9.6 1,593 8.0 1,283 10.7 12,847 Nicaragua 2001 19.9 701 17.2 1,334 16.2 1,356 12.5 1,269 12.3 1,185 13.7 887 10.3 691 14.6 7,424 Peru 2010 23.1 480 17.1 1,470 11.4 2,156 12.2 2,480 8.4 2,427 7.4 2,123 4.1 1,903 10.3 13,040 Regional average 30.1 5,666 22.3 13,172 18.8 17,046 15.8 17,309 15.5 16,277 14.8 14,228 11.6 12,166 17.3 95,865 Note: The reported n is the weighted number of cases. 

170 
Appendix Table A8. Ideal number of children among currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS 

surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 0.3 0.2 3.3 6.2 30.6 12.2 32.7 14.5 5.41 667 0.1 0.0 4.9 6.9 38.5 13.9 27.3 8.4 4.90 2,219 Burkina Faso 2010 0.0 0.1 2.3 7.8 24.0 27.0 36.1 2.7 5.32 1,043 0.1 0.0 2.1 9.1 24.8 29.0 31.8 3.0 5.16 2,686 Cameroon 2011 0.0 0.5 2.4 12.3 19.7 22.1 34.9 8.1 5.88 868 0.1 0.7 2.5 14.3 21.5 23.1 31.2 6.7 5.38 1,935 Chad 2004 0.0 0.1 1.5 2.6 6.4 10.9 71.3 7.1 8.22 571 0.0 0.1 0.7 0.8 4.9 8.3 72.3 12.9 8.51 907 Congo Brazzaville 2011 0.0 0.5 3.6 30.9 21.8 21.5 18.8 2.8 4.45 413 0.2 0.7 3.3 17.0 31.9 22.9 21.3 2.6 4.61 1,083 Congo Democratic Republic 

2007 1.2 0.4 1.5 6.1 14.1 18.5 49.7 8.6 6.48 457 0.7 0.4 3.1 6.3 10.5 19.9 49.8 9.4 6.24 1,484 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 0.0 0.2 1.4 6.8 24.6 27.4 29.3 10.3 5.32 418 0.3 0.4 1.0 8.9 25.2 24.3 30.7 9.1 5.23 1,094 Gabon 2012 0.0 1.1 10.9 22.2 27.3 16.9 17.0 4.6 4.32 241 0.5 2.4 6.4 13.8 42.3 13.2 17.8 3.5 4.29 712 Ghana 2008 2.5 1.4 8.4 23.0 27.7 16.2 18.0 2.6 4.31 85 0.2 0.7 12.5 27.1 30.8 14.4 14.0 0.3 4.09 414 Guinea 2005 1.3 0.0 3.6 6.7 19.9 22.6 34.5 11.5 5.32 587 0.1 0.3 2.1 6.8 24.3 19.1 36.8 10.5 5.28 888 Liberia 2007 0.8 0.4 4.5 14.9 33.7 19.6 22.5 3.6 4.70 251 1.0 0.6 6.9 13.1 30.5 17.5 26.2 4.1 4.63 739 Mali 2006 0.6 0.5 1.7 6.3 23.5 16.3 38.3 12.8 5.73 1,566 0.2 0.3 2.0 4.1 19.0 17.9 42.8 13.5 5.88 2,402 Mauritania 2000-02 0.0 1.6 8.0 9.4 14.4 11.1 36.9 18.7 5.74 408 0.2 0.9 5.4 6.4 16.0 11.3 40.6 19.2 6.13 747 Niger 2006 0.3 0.5 1.4 1.7 5.4 7.9 72.0 10.8 8.20 1,014 0.0 0.1 0.6 1.1 4.3 7.4 73.2 13.3 8.53 1,426 Nigeria 2008 2.2 0.3 1.4 3.3 10.7 12.4 51.1 18.5 7.19 1,863 1.5 0.1 1.1 4.3 17.7 14.5 45.6 15.2 6.53 3,659 São Tomé and Príncipe 

2008-09 5.3 7.0 31.5 24.0 25.0 3.2 3.3 0.8 2.81 110 0.0 3.1 23.8 20.9 37.5 9.0 4.2 1.4 3.40 285 

Senegal 2010-11 1.3 1.2 1.2 5.3 20.6 16.9 33.8 19.8 5.45 832 0.9 0.0 1.0 6.8 19.0 20.8 32.6 19.0 5.45 1,932 Sierra Leone 2008 0.7 0.3 2.8 10.9 38.8 10.8 32.1 3.6 4.99 359 1.2 0.5 4.3 9.4 32.4 17.0 31.7 3.4 4.97 812 Regional average 1.4 1.0 5.1 11.1 21.6 16.3 35.1 9.0 5.55 11,753 0.5 0.7 4.7 9.8 24.0 16.9 35.0 8.6 5.51 25,424 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 0.0 0.0 3.2 20.2 37.6 23.5 13.4 2.2 4.37 201 0.2 0.4 3.2 20.4 35.4 23.7 12.4 4.4 4.33 1,106 Eritrea 2002 0.3 0.2 2.2 5.2 21.5 25.3 38.1 7.3 5.46 580 0.2 0.1 1.3 4.9 21.5 18.0 41.5 12.4 5.74 950 Ethiopia 2011 4.0 1.2 15.1 14.2 34.5 10.7 12.5 7.7 3.94 765 4.4 0.9 9.3 11.0 39.6 9.7 15.6 9.6 4.13 1,762 Kenya 2008-09 0.0 1.2 19.6 21.2 32.2 9.1 14.5 2.2 4.14 212 0.1 1.6 24.2 19.9 31.6 10.3 9.0 3.2 3.69 958 Lesotho 2009 1.1 9.1 42.2 27.0 11.6 7.0 1.7 0.3 2.69 292 1.1 7.8 39.0 28.5 16.7 4.3 2.7 0.0 2.78 860 

(Continued...)

171 
Appendix Table A8. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Madagascar 2008-09 0.3 0.7 13.3 16.0 30.6 7.8 28.3 3.1 4.75 1,332 0.1 0.6 11.7 18.7 35.1 8.2 22.4 3.3 4.45 2,058 Malawi 2010 0.0 2.6 20.2 26.6 36.1 9.8 3.5 1.3 3.44 1,171 0.2 0.7 14.7 24.4 44.1 9.7 5.5 0.6 3.67 3,469 Mozambique 2011 1.5 1.8 13.1 14.5 32.7 14.4 20.5 1.5 4.25 1,136 1.1 0.9 10.9 12.9 35.3 14.5 23.8 0.6 4.45 1,804 Namibia 2006-07 5.7 19.5 28.5 18.5 13.6 10.5 2.6 1.1 2.61 118 2.4 10.0 34.2 23.6 17.1 7.7 4.1 0.8 2.94 398 Rwanda 2010 0.0 3.5 48.8 31.7 14.6 1.5 0.0 0.0 2.62 89 0.0 1.7 28.7 48.6 17.2 2.6 0.9 0.4 2.94 998 Swaziland 2006-07 2.6 18.2 37.9 24.0 12.6 3.3 1.3 0.0 2.41 88 5.9 9.3 40.5 25.1 13.5 3.1 2.0 0.6 2.50 343 Tanzania 2010 0.0 0.3 5.4 17.5 26.6 18.9 29.7 1.6 4.93 399 0.2 0.1 5.2 16.6 29.9 20.9 26.3 0.9 4.74 1,210 Uganda 2011 0.0 0.2 7.0 8.4 47.9 13.1 22.4 0.9 4.54 409 0.6 0.0 6.5 10.0 47.9 12.7 21.1 1.1 4.47 1,097 Zambia 2007 0.0 1.7 11.0 19.1 32.6 15.3 16.1 4.2 4.19 280 0.2 0.6 6.8 14.2 31.2 22.2 18.3 6.5 4.48 889 Zimbabwe 2010-11 0.8 3.0 20.8 25.7 27.1 11.8 10.0 0.7 3.62 452 0.9 2.2 19.8 26.2 32.5 11.1 6.8 0.5 3.56 1,210 Regional average 2.0 4.5 19.2 19.3 27.5 12.1 15.3 2.6 3.86 7,524 1.3 2.6 17.1 20.3 29.9 11.9 14.2 3.2 3.93 19,112 Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 0.0 1.1 52.0 27.5 11.2 2.9 1.1 4.1 2.66 605 0.1 1.6 51.7 29.5 10.9 1.9 0.9 3.4 2.62 2,527 Jordan 2009 0.0 0.1 27.1 14.6 37.5 10.2 6.9 3.6 3.57 242 0.0 1.0 15.9 12.3 45.0 8.8 10.5 6.4 3.98 1,078 Morocco 2003-04 0.0 3.6 47.4 21.3 22.5 2.2 1.8 1.2 2.79 346 0.0 2.6 46.3 22.3 23.0 1.6 2.4 1.7 2.84 1,095 Regional average 0.0 1.6 42.2 21.1 23.7 5.1 3.3 3.0 3.0 1,193 0.1 1.7 38.0 21.4 26.3 4.1 4.6 3.8 3.1 4,700 Eastern Europe and Central Asia2

Albania 2008-09 1.7 1.5 59.0 31.8 4.6 0.0 1.3 0.0 2.44 110 0.7 4.8 51.5 31.0 7.5 1.2 0.2 3.1 2.46 358 Armenia 2010 0.0 7.5 62.2 21.3 9.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.32 68 0.0 0.8 54.5 35.6 6.1 0.7 0.5 1.8 2.52 450 Azerbaijan 2006 0.7 8.1 66.5 18.9 3.2 1.4 0.0 1.3 2.20 151 0.4 3.0 69.8 16.3 9.3 0.4 0.1 0.7 2.33 697 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 0.0 0.0 31.8 15.1 42.9 6.0 0.3 4.0 3.95 91 0.0 1.1 20.3 13.7 52.4 5.5 2.5 4.5 3.91 460 Turkey 2003 0.0 4.8 65.1 18.5 10.7 0.5 0.5 0.0 2.43 120 0.2 4.3 58.9 22.1 12.3 1.5 0.3 0.4 2.48 543 Ukraine 2007 0.0 11.6 68.5 10.1 0.0 1.9 0.0 8.0 2.05 45 1.3 15.0 69.1 9.4 1.1 0.4 0.0 3.7 1.95 472 Regional average 1.2 6.7 58.9 19.3 14.1 2.5 0.7 4.4 2.6 585 0.7 4.8 54.0 21.4 14.8 1.6 0.7 2.4 2.6 2,980 South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 0.0 8.4 84.1 5.4 1.6 0.1 0.0 0.4 2.00 1,925 0.0 6.5 82.7 8.1 2.0 0.2 0.1 0.4 2.06 3,396 Cambodia 2010 0.4 0.9 50.8 28.0 14.7 2.5 2.0 0.7 2.72 382 0.1 1.9 43.3 33.5 17.3 2.9 0.5 0.5 2.78 1,679 India 2005-06 0.5 5.2 63.3 23.4 5.3 0.7 0.2 1.4 2.31 6,726 0.6 7.1 65.4 19.5 5.2 0.7 0.2 1.4 2.24 16,782 

(Continued...)

172 
Appendix Table A8. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Indonesia 2012 0.0 6.1 64.5 15.3 7.8 1.4 0.6 4.4 2.33 890 0.1 3.2 62.6 17.3 9.8 1.6 0.8 4.6 2.44 3,754 Maldives 2009 0.8 0.4 49.0 29.4 9.5 1.2 0.8 9.0 2.59 111 0.1 4.4 48.0 28.1 13.4 1.8 0.3 3.9 2.59 1,188 Nepal 2011 0.7 16.2 64.5 16.1 2.3 0.0 NA 0.1 2.03 792 0.4 17.3 66.9 13.0 2.0 0.3 0.0 0.1 2.00 1,761 Pakistan 2006-07 1.3 0.6 16.6 13.0 35.7 10.2 15.4 7.2 4.03 559 0.5 0.4 16.5 17.2 40.5 8.4 10.4 6.1 3.87 1,463 Philippines 2008 0.0 9.6 52.9 24.6 7.4 3.2 1.7 0.7 2.47 283 0.1 6.3 50.0 28.2 10.3 2.8 2.0 0.3 2.60 1,000 Timor-Leste 2009-10 0.0 0.2 5.4 4.1 46.7 11.9 28.9 2.7 4.72 243 0.1 0.1 4.2 5.5 37.3 13.2 37.8 1.8 4.96 1,100 Vietnam 2002 0.0 2.8 81.9 8.5 6.7 NA NA NA 2.19 67 NA 5.3 82.8 8.0 3.3 0.2 0.1 0.3 2.10 536 Regional average 0.6 5.0 53.3 16.8 13.8 3.5 7.1 3.0 2.7 11,978 0.2 5.3 52.2 17.8 14.1 3.2 5.2 1.9 2.6 32,659 Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 8.3 18.7 49.6 15.9 5.3 1.6 0.7 0.0 1.99 472 6.8 13.8 48.9 18.4 8.2 1.9 0.6 1.4 2.16 1,263 Colombia 2010 2.7 17.1 61.0 14.9 2.8 1.0 0.1 0.4 2.02 1,249 3.2 15.4 60.8 16.5 3.4 0.6 0.2 0.1 2.04 3,207 Dominican Republic 

2007 1.4 6.0 35.4 45.3 8.7 1.9 1.1 0.2 2.68 1,050 1.2 5.7 33.4 43.9 11.6 2.1 1.5 0.6 2.74 2,159 

Guyana 2009 3.2 4.6 46.1 23.3 16.8 3.9 0.9 1.3 2.64 166 0.4 5.6 45.2 30.0 13.3 2.5 1.1 1.9 2.64 398 Haiti 2012 0.6 6.3 50.0 24.6 13.4 2.8 1.9 0.4 2.68 404 0.4 4.9 48.6 27.5 14.7 2.2 0.8 0.9 2.61 1,250 Honduras 2011-12 1.5 6.9 43.3 34.9 8.8 2.9 1.3 0.5 2.58 1,144 2.6 8.0 39.4 33.8 10.7 3.3 1.7 0.5 2.60 2,091 Nicaragua 2001 1.4 14.9 46.4 24.0 7.0 2.3 2.1 1.9 2.40 701 0.7 9.7 45.4 27.8 9.2 2.8 2.8 1.7 2.61 1,334 Peru 2010 0.2 15.6 62.8 15.1 3.9 0.4 1.5 0.4 2.19 480 1.0 12.8 56.2 21.7 6.1 1.4 0.5 0.2 2.26 1,470 Regional average 2.4 11.3 49.3 24.8 8.3 2.1 1.2 0.6 2.4 5,666 2.0 9.5 47.2 27.5 9.7 2.1 1.2 0.9 2.5 13,172 Note: 1Among those providing a numeric response 

2Data on this variable were not collected in Moldova 

173 
Appendix Table A9. Trends in the ideal number of children among currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 0.3 0.2 3.3 6.2 30.6 12.2 32.7 14.5 5.41 667 0.1 0.0 4.9 6.9 38.5 13.9 27.3 8.4 4.90 2,219 Benin 2001 0.4 0.0 3.2 8.3 29.8 15.8 31.9 10.6 5.38 287 0.1 0.1 5.8 4.4 37.8 12.7 28.1 11.0 4.99 867 Benin 1996 0.0 0.4 3.7 6.2 26.8 13.9 45.8 3.1 5.89 308 0.2 0.0 4.5 4.2 31.6 14.1 41.1 4.5 5.54 786 

Burkina Faso 2010 0.0 0.1 2.3 7.8 24.0 27.0 36.1 2.7 5.32 1,043 0.1 0.0 2.1 9.1 24.8 29.0 31.8 3.0 5.16 2,686 Burkina Faso 2003 0.1 0.1 2.1 9.4 19.4 24.2 41.6 3.0 5.65 878 0.0 0.1 2.2 9.7 20.0 26.9 38.7 2.4 5.45 1,861 Burkina Faso 1998-99 0.0 0.0 1.6 7.0 17.0 18.9 39.6 15.9 5.88 488 0.0 0.1 2.7 8.2 17.7 22.9 31.6 16.9 5.43 1,023 

Cameroon 2011 0.0 0.5 2.4 12.3 19.7 22.1 34.9 8.1 5.88 868 0.1 0.7 2.5 14.3 21.5 23.1 31.2 6.7 5.38 1,935 Cameroon 2004 0.3 0.4 2.8 11.7 19.1 20.1 29.4 16.3 5.58 828 0.1 0.4 2.2 10.9 20.3 24.7 29.7 11.6 5.49 1,563 Cameroon 1998 0.0 0.3 3.4 9.4 13.0 20.2 38.0 15.7 5.94 430 0.0 0.4 1.2 6.6 15.8 25.6 35.1 15.3 5.89 746 

Chad 2004 0.0 0.1 1.5 2.6 6.4 10.9 71.3 7.1 8.22 571 0.0 0.1 0.7 0.8 4.9 8.3 72.3 12.9 8.51 907 Chad 1996-97 0.0 0.4 0.6 1.2 9.4 10.7 59.4 18.3 7.67 801 0.0 0.0 0.8 2.3 7.6 11.6 59.3 18.5 7.84 1,190 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 0.0 0.5 3.6 30.9 21.8 21.5 18.8 2.8 4.45 413 0.2 0.7 3.3 17.0 31.9 22.9 21.3 2.6 4.61 1,083 Congo Brazzaville 2005 0.0 0.5 6.8 18.5 20.6 25.2 15.2 13.3 4.45 257 0.0 0.2 2.3 11.8 28.4 24.4 22.3 10.6 4.82 836 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 0.0 0.2 1.4 6.8 24.6 27.4 29.3 10.3 5.32 418 0.3 0.4 1.0 8.9 25.2 24.3 30.7 9.1 5.23 1,094 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 0.2 0.2 4.9 11.6 29.3 24.5 28.0 1.2 5.04 186 0.2 0.7 2.4 13.6 31.6 22.3 28.4 0.7 4.95 349 Côte d'Ivoire 1994 0.0 0.8 5.8 9.8 27.0 24.2 29.9 2.5 5.20 517 0.0 0.4 4.1 11.8 24.1 23.3 34.2 2.0 5.24 1,008 

Gabon 2012 0.0 1.1 10.9 22.2 27.3 16.9 17.0 4.6 4.32 241 0.5 2.4 6.4 13.8 42.3 13.2 17.8 3.5 4.29 712 Gabon 2000 0.3 1.1 9.8 13.5 30.1 19.5 15.2 10.6 4.33 287 0.5 0.8 5.5 11.2 36.1 16.5 20.5 8.8 4.66 663 

Ghana 2008 2.5 1.4 8.4 23.0 27.7 16.2 18.0 2.6 4.31 85 0.2 0.7 12.5 27.1 30.8 14.4 14.0 0.3 4.09 414 Ghana 2003 1.1 2.1 6.9 23.4 35.5 11.5 16.9 2.5 4.26 137 0.0 0.8 8.9 22.4 40.2 12.8 13.2 1.6 4.17 530 Ghana 1998 0.9 0.0 13.6 31.2 30.9 12.6 7.5 3.4 3.72 122 0.0 0.5 10.2 26.5 36.0 11.5 10.0 5.3 3.90 552 

Guinea 2005 1.3 0.0 3.6 6.7 19.9 22.6 34.5 11.5 5.32 587 0.1 0.3 2.1 6.8 24.3 19.1 36.8 10.5 5.28 888 Guinea 1999 0.0 0.2 1.3 8.5 29.0 25.3 33.1 2.7 5.27 580 0.2 0.2 1.2 7.5 27.8 23.4 35.5 4.2 5.29 879 

Mali 2006 0.6 0.5 1.7 6.3 23.5 16.3 38.3 12.8 5.73 1,566 0.2 0.3 2.0 4.1 19.0 17.9 42.8 13.5 5.88 2,402 Mali 2001 0.4 0.3 1.6 3.8 17.2 19.7 31.7 25.3 5.75 1,178 0.5 0.3 1.5 4.1 16.5 16.1 39.1 22.1 6.03 1,987 Mali 1995-96 0.2 0.3 1.4 6.9 19.1 15.9 47.2 9.0 6.28 915 0.4 0.2 1.5 4.2 16.9 19.0 49.3 8.5 6.33 1,363 

Niger 2006 0.3 0.5 1.4 1.7 5.4 7.9 72.0 10.8 8.20 1,014 0.0 0.1 0.6 1.1 4.3 7.4 73.2 13.3 8.53 1,426 Niger 1998 0.0 0.3 1.1 1.6 4.6 10.5 59.7 22.1 7.88 1,027 0.0 0.1 1.0 1.8 4.6 8.6 62.6 21.4 8.12 1,160 Niger 1992 0.0 0.2 1.9 3.0 8.4 13.1 58.5 14.8 7.57 779 0.0 0.0 0.8 2.2 6.3 11.6 66.2 12.9 7.89 1,059 

(Continued...)

174 
Appendix Table A9. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Nigeria 2008 2.2 0.3 1.4 3.3 10.7 12.4 51.1 18.5 7.19 1,863 1.5 0.1 1.1 4.3 17.7 14.5 45.6 15.2 6.53 3,659 Nigeria 2003 0.0 0.3 1.8 3.4 8.0 12.1 56.9 17.5 7.39 545 NA NA 0.9 4.5 13.9 14.8 56.6 9.3 7.04 911 Nigeria 1999 0.3 0.8 1.0 1.9 8.9 7.0 50.7 29.3 7.30 472 0.4 0.3 1.4 4.0 17.8 15.2 43.4 17.5 6.45 934 Senegal 2010-11 1.3 1.2 1.2 5.3 20.6 16.9 33.8 19.8 5.45 832 0.9 NA 1.0 6.8 19.0 20.8 32.6 19.0 5.45 1,932 Senegal 2005 0.3 0.7 2.8 4.9 16.5 17.9 37.2 19.9 5.84 1,014 0.0 0.0 1.9 6.3 17.2 20.2 34.4 20.0 5.61 1,836 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 0.3 0.2 2.2 5.2 21.5 25.3 38.1 7.3 5.46 580 0.2 0.1 1.3 4.9 21.5 18.0 41.5 12.4 5.74 950 Eritrea 1995 1.3 0.2 3.5 4.8 16.6 21.6 36.9 15.1 5.48 366 0.5 0.3 2.0 4.2 19.3 19.3 40.3 14.2 5.77 571 

Ethiopia 2011 4.0 1.2 15.1 14.2 34.5 10.7 12.5 7.7 3.94 765 4.4 0.9 9.3 11.0 39.6 9.7 15.6 9.6 4.13 1,762 Ethiopia 2005 8.9 0.9 12.2 11.2 28.2 10.6 19.0 9.0 4.09 711 7.3 0.9 8.5 6.6 30.3 11.9 24.0 10.5 4.54 1,574 Ethiopia 2000 2.5 0.1 5.5 9.5 28.7 11.8 27.2 14.7 5.01 862 1.1 0.5 6.2 4.4 24.9 13.6 34.3 15.0 5.39 1,807 

Kenya 2008-09 0.0 1.2 19.6 21.2 32.2 9.1 14.5 2.2 4.14 212 0.1 1.6 24.2 19.9 31.6 10.3 9.0 3.2 3.69 958 Kenya 2003 0.0 2.2 16.0 15.2 30.5 9.5 18.7 7.9 4.43 333 0.5 2.8 22.6 24.0 25.7 8.9 11.6 3.9 3.79 965 Kenya 1998 0.6 2.7 17.3 22.7 32.0 11.0 11.4 2.3 3.78 285 0.0 2.3 18.9 24.4 34.8 10.4 7.0 2.1 3.61 948 

Lesotho 2009 1.1 9.1 42.2 27.0 11.6 7.0 1.7 0.3 2.69 292 1.1 7.8 39.0 28.5 16.7 4.3 2.7 NA 2.78 860 Lesotho 2004 1.0 8.5 36.7 26.7 19.9 4.8 2.3 NA 2.84 293 0.7 6.9 31.7 26.2 22.3 7.6 4.4 0.1 3.08 779 

Madagascar 2008-09 0.3 0.7 13.3 16.0 30.6 7.8 28.3 3.1 4.75 1,332 0.1 0.6 11.7 18.7 35.1 8.2 22.4 3.3 4.45 2,058 Madagascar 2003-04 0.0 0.1 12.8 12.0 29.8 11.2 27.2 7.0 4.80 416 0.1 0.5 10.5 19.4 28.9 10.0 25.2 5.4 4.76 875 Madagascar 1997 0.0 1.0 5.9 8.4 22.5 10.3 49.1 2.7 9.17 434 NA 0.7 6.2 12.2 32.1 12.1 34.3 2.3 9.06 822 

Malawi 2010 0.0 2.6 20.2 26.6 36.1 9.8 3.5 1.3 3.44 1,171 0.2 0.7 14.7 24.4 44.1 9.7 5.5 0.6 3.67 3,469 Malawi 2004 0.2 2.6 20.9 23.8 36.6 9.3 4.7 1.9 3.46 788 0.5 1.3 14.4 20.8 43.1 12.7 5.6 1.7 3.70 2,283 Malawi 2000 0.0 3.6 20.0 22.6 34.1 11.8 7.0 0.9 3.55 934 NA 1.5 15.0 22.1 39.0 13.3 7.7 1.4 3.75 2,324 

Mozambique 2011 1.5 1.8 13.1 14.5 32.7 14.4 20.5 1.5 4.25 1,136 1.1 0.9 10.9 12.9 35.3 14.5 23.8 0.6 4.45 1,804 Mozambique 2003 0.0 1.9 10.2 13.5 29.7 19.5 23.6 1.4 4.62 936 0.1 0.8 6.5 11.5 28.7 19.6 31.2 1.6 4.99 1,747 Mozambique 1997 0.8 0.3 5.9 6.9 25.3 13.9 30.4 16.6 5.10 825 0.0 0.9 5.5 6.8 20.7 17.1 35.3 13.6 5.36 1,337 

Namibia 2006-07 5.7 19.5 28.5 18.5 13.6 10.5 2.6 1.1 2.61 118 2.4 10.0 34.2 23.6 17.1 7.7 4.1 0.8 2.94 398 Namibia 2000 2.5 18.5 26.6 33.3 8.6 4.1 2.7 3.6 2.57 74 1.4 13.2 33.1 22.1 17.4 4.6 4.7 3.5 2.79 326 Namibia 1992 0.0 16.3 17.2 11.1 7.3 20.1 19.9 8.2 3.85 86 2.3 3.5 15.5 15.8 19.2 15.1 24.7 3.9 4.60 307 

Rwanda 2010 0.0 3.5 48.8 31.7 14.6 1.5 NA NA 2.62 89 NA 1.7 28.7 48.6 17.2 2.6 0.9 0.4 2.94 998 Rwanda 2005 0.0 3.3 13.4 15.6 33.4 21.8 9.3 3.1 3.87 65 NA 0.6 8.5 15.9 41.7 17.3 14.0 2.0 4.26 980 Rwanda 2000 0.0 NA 4.9 11.4 26.5 21.5 33.2 2.4 5.24 172 NA 0.2 4.6 9.2 33.1 24.3 26.2 2.4 4.89 963 

(Continued...)

175 
Appendix Table A9. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Tanzania 2010 0.0 0.3 5.4 17.5 26.6 18.9 29.7 1.6 4.93 399 0.2 0.1 5.2 16.6 29.9 20.9 26.3 0.9 4.74 1,210 Tanzania 2004-05 0.3 0.9 6.0 18.0 25.4 19.5 29.3 0.7 4.95 590 NA 0.1 5.8 15.8 30.6 19.7 26.7 1.3 4.87 1,400 Tanzania 1999 0.0 0.5 9.6 9.5 23.7 19.1 36.8 1.0 5.41 227 NA NA 4.2 15.3 30.5 24.0 23.2 2.8 4.86 550 Uganda 2011 0.0 0.2 7.0 8.4 47.9 13.1 22.4 0.9 4.54 409 0.6 NA 6.5 10.0 47.9 12.7 21.1 1.1 4.47 1,097 Uganda 2006 0.3 0.9 9.3 11.8 44.3 11.7 20.0 1.8 4.35 380 0.0 0.4 6.8 8.4 44.5 14.2 23.2 2.4 4.57 1,148 Uganda 2000-01 0.0 0.3 9.4 12.2 37.9 17.2 19.3 3.7 4.51 466 0.1 0.5 8.2 9.3 44.5 14.6 19.4 3.3 4.43 1,150 

Zambia 2007 0.0 1.7 11.0 19.1 32.6 15.3 16.1 4.2 4.19 280 0.2 0.6 6.8 14.2 31.2 22.2 18.3 6.5 4.48 889 Zambia 2001-02 0.0 1.0 13.1 18.8 25.8 16.4 19.3 5.5 4.30 438 NA 1.0 8.3 15.4 31.2 20.5 18.8 4.8 4.42 1,086 Zambia 1996 0.2 0.4 5.6 11.3 27.7 18.6 31.1 5.1 4.93 498 NA 0.7 4.7 9.2 29.6 22.4 29.6 3.9 4.89 1,207 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 0.8 3.0 20.8 25.7 27.1 11.8 10.0 0.7 3.62 452 0.9 2.2 19.8 26.2 32.5 11.1 6.8 0.5 3.56 1,210 Zimbabwe 2005-06 0.0 5.4 27.9 20.7 26.3 9.7 8.4 1.7 3.39 448 0.5 4.1 26.1 24.1 26.6 11.1 6.7 0.8 3.41 1,200 Zimbabwe 1999 0.3 2.7 23.0 25.6 25.7 12.8 8.5 1.4 3.52 314 0.2 2.3 26.9 17.2 35.1 9.1 8.4 0.8 3.52 820 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 0.0 1.1 52.0 27.5 11.2 2.9 1.1 4.1 2.66 605 0.1 1.6 51.7 29.5 10.9 1.9 0.9 3.4 2.62 2,527 Egypt 2005 0.0 1.6 50.9 30.0 9.9 1.4 1.2 5.0 2.63 792 0.1 2.1 52.5 28.4 10.4 1.1 1.0 4.5 2.58 2,898 Egypt 2000 0.0 2.2 47.4 26.9 7.8 0.9 0.2 14.7 2.52 599 NA 2.1 44.8 27.5 9.9 1.6 1.0 13.0 2.64 2,187 

Jordan 2009 0.0 0.1 27.1 14.6 37.5 10.2 6.9 3.6 3.57 242 0.0 1.0 15.9 12.3 45.0 8.8 10.5 6.4 3.98 1,078 Jordan 2007 0.8 0.5 18.7 15.0 37.7 8.2 5.1 13.9 3.62 233 1.1 1.5 17.1 11.6 42.2 7.1 6.8 12.5 3.69 1,233 Jordan 2002 0.0 0.4 23.1 18.2 44.0 4.9 8.0 1.4 3.58 154 0.1 1.5 13.0 15.7 46.6 9.2 11.9 1.9 4.00 710 Jordan 1997 0.0 1.1 13.6 8.8 50.8 7.2 14.3 4.2 4.06 203 0.1 1.3 13.2 12.5 43.2 9.8 15.9 3.9 4.14 777 

Morocco 2003-04 0.0 3.6 47.4 21.3 22.5 2.2 1.8 1.2 2.79 346 NA 2.6 46.3 22.3 23.0 1.6 2.4 1.7 2.84 1,095 Morocco 1992 0.8 1.6 32.4 28.5 22.1 9.1 5.1 0.4 3.24 253 0.1 1.9 27.8 25.0 32.5 6.5 4.9 1.3 3.36 677 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Armenia 2010 0.0 7.5 62.2 21.3 9.1 NA NA NA 2.32 68 NA 0.8 54.5 35.6 6.1 0.7 0.5 1.8 2.52 450 Armenia 2005 0.6 0.1 74.2 25.0 0.1 NA NA NA 2.24 78 0.7 3.1 62.4 23.4 8.7 0.3 0.1 1.2 2.38 504 Armenia 2000 0.0 1.2 67.8 19.1 8.7 3.0 NA 0.2 2.44 99 0.3 2.5 63.5 25.8 7.4 0.2 NA 0.3 2.38 511 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 0.0 NA 31.8 15.1 42.9 6.0 0.3 4.0 3.95 91 NA 1.1 20.3 13.7 52.4 5.5 2.5 4.5 3.91 460 Kyrgyz Republic 1997 0.0 0.7 11.2 16.9 49.7 7.8 11.4 2.3 3.25 158 NA 0.6 10.1 17.3 52.7 9.5 8.3 1.5 3.52 896 

(Continued...)

176 
Appendix Table A9. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Turkey 2003 0.0 4.8 65.1 18.5 10.7 0.5 0.5 NA 2.43 120 0.2 4.3 58.9 22.1 12.3 1.5 0.3 0.4 2.48 543 Turkey 1998 0.0 6.7 62.1 18.9 7.0 NA 0.5 4.8 2.30 262 NA 6.7 61.1 20.8 7.5 1.2 0.6 2.1 2.37 924 Turkey 1993 0.4 8.0 65.2 18.8 6.2 NA 0.7 0.7 2.25 329 0.7 7.6 66.7 16.9 6.0 0.5 0.4 1.1 2.24 1,026 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 0.0 8.4 84.1 5.4 1.6 0.1 NA 0.4 2.00 1,925 0.0 6.5 82.7 8.1 2.0 0.2 0.1 0.4 2.06 3,396 Bangladesh 2007 0.0 6.6 78.5 10.3 3.9 0.2 NA NA 2.54 1,376 0.1 5.8 76.5 13.0 3.4 0.1 0.0 0.1 3.02 2,094 Bangladesh 2004 0.0 3.3 71.4 17.7 5.8 0.3 0.2 1.3 2.28 1,536 NA 2.8 69.7 18.9 6.4 0.4 0.1 1.7 2.31 2,121 

Cambodia 2010 0.4 0.9 50.8 28.0 14.7 2.5 2.0 0.7 2.72 382 0.1 1.9 43.3 33.5 17.3 2.9 0.5 0.5 2.78 1,679 Cambodia 2005 0.0 2.4 43.1 28.8 18.6 5.2 1.3 0.7 2.86 363 0.1 1.6 36.4 30.2 22.7 6.8 1.0 1.3 3.00 1,671 Cambodia 2000 0.0 3.5 33.9 25.6 23.2 7.8 2.9 3.0 3.07 438 NA 2.3 29.8 26.7 27.7 9.4 2.1 2.0 3.21 1,009 

India 2005-06 0.5 5.2 63.3 23.4 5.3 0.7 0.2 1.4 2.31 6,726 0.6 7.1 65.4 19.5 5.2 0.7 0.2 1.4 2.24 16,782 India 1998-99 0.1 3.0 54.1 27.1 8.8 2.0 0.8 4.1 2.55 8,106 0.1 4.6 54.9 24.7 9.6 1.5 0.8 4.0 2.49 16,122 India 1992-93 0.0 1.9 42.3 32.1 11.4 2.3 0.9 9.2 2.71 8,897 0.0 2.8 43.3 31.4 12.3 2.3 0.8 7.1 2.68 17,491 

Indonesia 2012 0.0 6.1 64.5 15.3 7.8 1.4 0.6 4.4 2.33 890 0.1 3.2 62.6 17.3 9.8 1.6 0.8 4.6 2.44 3,754 Indonesia 2007 0.0 3.3 58.2 15.4 8.2 2.7 1.8 10.3 2.52 814 0.0 2.6 58.7 18.2 10.1 2.7 1.5 6.2 2.55 3,952 Indonesia 2002-03 0.0 2.8 59.2 16.0 12.1 1.5 0.9 7.6 2.49 912 NA 1.7 56.0 18.4 12.5 2.6 0.9 7.9 2.58 3,761 

Nepal 2011 0.7 16.2 64.5 16.1 2.3 0.0 NA 0.1 2.03 792 0.4 17.3 66.9 13.0 2.0 0.3 0.0 0.1 2.00 1,761 Nepal 2006 0.2 9.9 66.8 18.8 3.4 0.9 NA NA 2.18 784 0.3 9.9 68.9 16.9 3.1 0.4 0.3 0.2 2.15 1,606 Nepal 2001 0.0 7.1 57.4 27.3 6.4 0.9 0.1 0.7 2.37 930 NA 5.9 59.1 27.5 5.3 0.7 0.2 1.3 2.36 1,643 

Pakistan 2006-07 1.3 0.6 16.6 13.0 35.7 10.2 15.4 7.2 4.03 559 0.5 0.4 16.5 17.2 40.5 8.4 10.4 6.1 3.87 1,463 Pakistan 1990-91 0.0 NA 4.3 8.3 16.0 4.0 4.5 62.9 3.95 418 0.1 0.3 7.4 8.8 20.3 3.8 4.4 55.0 3.82 1,041 

Philippines 2008 0.0 9.6 52.9 24.6 7.4 3.2 1.7 0.7 2.47 283 0.1 6.3 50.0 28.2 10.3 2.8 2.0 0.3 2.60 1,000 Philippines 2003 0.0 7.8 53.2 25.0 9.6 2.7 1.8 NA 2.52 239 0.1 5.8 44.1 31.1 13.3 3.2 2.1 0.3 2.72 1,095 Philippines 1998 0.0 4.2 37.8 32.9 16.3 3.7 3.5 1.7 2.92 244 NA 3.6 35.0 33.7 19.5 4.8 2.9 0.5 3.00 967 

Vietnam 2002 0.0 2.8 81.9 8.5 6.7 NA NA NA 2.19 67 NA 5.3 82.8 8.0 3.3 0.2 0.1 0.3 2.10 536 Vietnam 1997 0.0 9.1 82.1 5.8 3.0 NA NA 2.03 129 NA 3.5 84.9 6.5 4.6 0.1 NA 0.3 2.13 716 Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 8.3 18.7 49.6 15.9 5.3 1.6 0.7 0.0 1.99 472 6.8 13.8 48.9 18.4 8.2 1.9 0.6 1.4 2.16 1,263 Bolivia 2003 3.6 16.3 56.4 14.2 6.3 1.8 0.1 1.2 2.09 427 3.7 12.2 53.2 19.1 8.1 1.3 0.8 1.6 2.24 1,624 Bolivia 1998 3.5 18.5 50.8 14.9 8.5 1.8 0.6 1.4 2.15 263 2.7 10.7 50.6 21.7 9.3 2.1 1.4 1.6 2.37 961 

(Continued...)

177 
Appendix Table A9. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Colombia 2010 2.7 17.1 61.0 14.9 2.8 1.0 0.1 0.4 2.02 1,249 3.2 15.4 60.8 16.5 3.4 0.6 0.2 0.1 2.04 3,207 Colombia 2005 1.4 19.5 59.1 16.3 2.7 0.3 0.3 0.4 2.02 934 2.1 16.0 60.4 16.6 3.7 0.6 0.3 0.2 2.07 2,735 Colombia 2000 0.5 13.3 66.3 15.4 3.9 0.6 2.11 325 2.8 18.4 57.5 16.6 3.5 0.4 0.5 0.3 2.04 814 Dominican Republic 2007 1.4 6.0 35.4 45.3 8.7 1.9 1.1 0.2 2.68 1,050 1.2 5.7 33.4 43.9 11.6 2.1 1.5 0.6 2.74 2,159 Dominican Republic 2002 1.2 5.2 38.9 42.7 9.0 2.1 0.5 0.4 2.63 1,017 1.7 4.8 32.3 44.9 10.9 2.7 2.0 0.7 2.77 2,158 Dominican Republic 1999 0.0 6.7 38.0 44.9 8.7 1.6 NA NA 2.60 46 2.0 8.5 27.1 46.7 9.8 2.7 3.2 NA 2.82 119 

Haiti 2012 0.6 6.3 50.0 24.6 13.4 2.8 1.9 0.4 2.68 404 0.4 4.9 48.6 27.5 14.7 2.2 0.8 0.9 2.61 1,250 Haiti 2005-06 0.0 5.6 46.1 30.1 13.8 1.3 3.1 NA 2.72 448 NA 3.0 48.6 25.4 17.8 3.0 2.2 NA 2.77 1,076 Haiti 2000 0.0 9.8 40.2 21.8 24.1 1.8 1.3 0.9 2.72 376 NA 3.2 32.3 31.5 28.1 1.8 2.1 1.0 3.01 957 

Honduras 2011-12 1.5 6.9 43.3 34.9 8.8 2.9 1.3 0.5 2.58 1,144 2.6 8.0 39.4 33.8 10.7 3.3 1.7 0.5 2.60 2,091 Honduras 2005-06 1.2 8.6 40.4 35.5 9.1 2.5 1.6 1.1 2.60 914 2.8 7.2 33.0 35.9 14.1 3.4 2.6 1.0 2.77 2,030 

Nicaragua 2001 1.4 14.9 46.4 24.0 7.0 2.3 2.1 1.9 2.40 701 0.7 9.7 45.4 27.8 9.2 2.8 2.8 1.7 2.61 1,334 Nicaragua 1998 1.3 14.8 48.9 24.4 6.4 1.6 1.1 1.6 2.31 848 1.6 9.1 43.5 28.2 11.1 2.1 2.6 1.8 2.58 1,432 

Peru 2010 0.2 15.6 62.8 15.1 3.9 0.4 1.5 0.4 2.19 480 1.0 12.8 56.2 21.7 6.1 1.4 0.5 0.2 2.26 1,470 Peru 2005 1.7 11.9 64.5 14.4 5.8 0.9 0.7 0.2 2.09 812 2.0 11.6 60.3 17.1 6.9 1.1 0.6 0.3 2.20 2,510 Peru 2000 1.5 16.7 61.8 12.7 4.7 0.7 1.1 0.8 2.11 582 1.3 13.3 60.6 16.8 5.5 1.0 0.9 0.7 2.19 1,969 

Note: 1Among those providing a numeric response 

178 
Appendix Table A10. Ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS surveys, 

2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 0.8 0.5 13.8 14.6 42.3 8.8 14.1 5.1 4.05 2,400 0.6 0.3 18.7 19.2 44.0 6.3 7.8 3.1 3.67 963 Burkina Faso 2010 0.8 0.4 5.9 17.0 32.6 20.8 20.3 2.3 4.50 2,270 0.6 0.1 10.0 26.4 36.9 14.6 9.9 1.5 3.98 625 Cameroon 2011 0.6 0.6 6.2 20.3 29.5 20.4 19.3 3.3 4.55 2,721 0.4 0.8 4.7 24.8 33.8 19.0 14.3 2.2 4.30 1,192 Chad 2004 0.2 0.5 0.9 2.1 11.1 8.3 65.1 11.8 7.44 789 NA NA 0.5 1.5 10.0 11.8 67.0 9.2 7.71 165 Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 0.5 0.7 8.4 23.3 31.2 18.7 13.1 4.1 4.10 1,785 0.4 0.9 5.6 22.9 29.8 23.9 13.8 2.7 4.24 946 Congo Democratic Republic 

2007 5.3 0.2 4.6 9.5 16.6 20.5 36.8 6.6 5.30 1,573 1.7 0.4 2.3 10.7 19.5 23.5 37.8 4.1 5.56 790 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 1.3 0.7 6.2 18.4 31.6 20.7 16.5 4.5 4.35 1,605 1.0 0.4 6.1 21.5 32.7 20.6 14.6 3.2 4.24 859 Gabon 2012 2.4 2.1 14.6 23.2 33.8 11.1 9.3 3.4 3.70 1,543 2.8 3.1 9.8 19.5 30.6 17.1 14.1 3.0 4.09 925 Ghana 2008 0.2 0.8 11.9 28.3 38.5 11.3 8.2 0.9 3.80 940 0.4 0.0 12.2 43.2 33.2 6.0 4.6 0.3 3.49 463 Guinea 2005 2.6 0.7 5.0 13.1 29.5 22.6 19.7 6.8 4.46 1,061 2.8 0.3 4.1 20.3 39.8 16.5 11.6 4.5 4.11 264 Liberia 2007 1.6 0.6 13.9 15.5 41.0 10.5 12.0 4.9 3.94 1,061 2.4 0.4 11.5 20.7 37.4 10.7 12.3 4.7 3.95 624 Mali 2006 0.8 0.1 2.6 6.6 26.4 16.1 31.9 15.5 5.48 1,538 1.7 NA 1.9 14.3 28.6 16.3 28.9 8.4 4.98 276 Nigeria 2008 1.6 0.1 2.5 9.5 33.4 19.6 23.8 9.4 4.87 4,630 1.2 0.1 2.3 14.5 39.3 19.4 17.7 5.6 4.54 2,474 São Tomé and Príncipe 

2008-09 3.4 5.1 39.7 21.6 24.8 2.4 1.0 2.0 2.72 444 2.7 3.4 36.0 18.2 36.0 0.8 2.4 0.6 2.94 175 

Senegal 2010-11 0.8 0.5 3.5 12.3 26.7 19.5 22.4 14.3 4.82 2,597 0.5 0.2 1.8 13.3 36.5 18.5 16.5 12.7 4.54 1,288 Sierra Leone 2008 4.4 0.4 14.0 20.1 40.3 7.2 9.7 3.8 3.66 839 3.0 0.7 17.9 25.6 37.6 7.5 6.4 1.3 3.52 374 Regional average 1.7 0.9 9.6 16.0 30.6 14.9 20.2 6.2 4.48 27,796 1.5 0.8 9.1 19.8 32.9 14.5 17.5 4.2 4.37 12,403 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 1.8 0.3 5.5 28.9 26.1 22.4 10.0 5.0 4.08 2,158 1.9 0.2 6.6 27.0 28.7 20.3 9.8 5.5 4.02 726 Ethiopia 2011 10.0 1.7 27.9 13.1 30.2 5.8 7.6 3.7 3.12 3,244 4.9 2.6 22.3 10.3 42.3 6.9 6.8 3.9 3.48 1,169 Kenya 2008-09 2.3 2.8 22.0 25.4 27.9 9.8 7.0 2.9 3.45 1,549 0.3 4.0 33.2 34.2 20.2 4.1 1.9 2.1 2.95 757 Lesotho 2009 13.3 11.9 50.7 16.1 5.8 1.2 0.7 0.2 1.97 1,493 5.5 12.8 52.6 21.3 5.3 1.4 1.0 0.1 2.18 693 Madagascar 2008-09 1.0 1.2 21.4 22.8 29.1 7.1 13.5 3.9 3.75 2,624 0.2 1.8 23.1 24.1 29.6 5.6 12.4 3.1 3.75 762 Malawi 2010 3.4 1.6 29.7 23.4 30.8 7.2 2.7 1.3 3.12 3,834 1.4 2.0 29.6 28.7 30.9 4.8 2.1 0.5 3.10 1,086 Mozambique 2011 3.2 3.7 28.1 16.4 26.8 8.3 12.8 0.8 3.48 1,924 2.5 3.1 27.1 17.8 29.3 10.2 9.4 0.5 3.43 650 

(Continued...)

179 
Appendix Table A10. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Namibia 2006-07 10.0 11.6 42.5 21.1 9.8 3.1 1.4 0.6 2.25 2,128 7.2 10.5 41.7 22.0 13.8 2.3 1.9 0.5 2.43 1,457 Rwanda 2010 1.1 1.6 39.0 43.4 11.3 2.1 0.7 0.8 2.72 2,857 0.6 2.5 37.9 42.4 13.8 1.7 0.4 0.7 2.74 1,685 Swaziland 2006-07 5.3 6.5 50.2 23.2 11.8 1.6 1.2 0.3 2.40 1,185 5.9 12.9 52.5 18.5 8.9 0.9 NA 0.3 2.14 703 Tanzania 2010 0.5 1.4 15.7 28.1 25.9 14.1 12.2 2.1 3.89 1,773 0.2 2.1 15.9 32.0 25.7 14.4 8.6 1.0 3.73 699 Uganda 2011 2.4 1.2 13.0 12.3 46.0 10.8 12.9 1.3 3.94 1,639 0.5 1.0 13.0 16.7 47.0 8.6 11.8 1.4 3.94 532 Zambia 2007 2.5 1.9 19.6 18.7 30.1 13.1 7.7 6.5 3.59 1,294 0.3 1.5 18.4 27.4 31.1 13.0 5.1 3.2 3.54 481 Zimbabwe 2010-11 4.0 3.6 34.1 23.7 23.5 6.8 3.2 1.1 2.95 1,493 1.3 5.3 35.2 24.0 23.9 6.5 3.4 0.3 2.98 631 Regional average 4.3 3.6 28.5 22.6 23.9 8.1 6.7 2.2 3.19 29,195 2.3 4.5 29.2 24.7 25.0 7.2 5.7 1.7 3.17 12,031 Eastern Europe and Central Asia2

Albania 2008-09 2.2 3.8 64.7 21.6 6.5 0.4 0.1 0.7 2.28 1,368 3.1 3.1 59.1 26.2 6.5 0.6 0.0 1.4 2.32 619 Ukraine 2007 0.8 17.7 59.1 12.4 2.0 0.6 0.4 6.9 2.07 737 1.3 22.4 59.9 11.5 1.1 NA NA 3.9 1.88 534 Regional average 1.5 10.8 61.9 17.0 4.3 0.5 0.3 3.8 2.18 2,105 2.2 12.8 59.5 18.9 3.8 0.6 0.0 2.7 2.10 1,153 Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 10.5 13.0 51.8 16.1 5.3 0.9 0.8 1.7 1.99 3,046 5.2 13.6 55.3 16.8 7.3 0.8 0.4 0.6 2.12 1,474 Colombia 2010 5.5 16.3 63.5 12.1 1.8 0.5 0.2 0.3 1.91 7,851 6.4 19.6 60.5 11.2 1.6 0.4 0.1 0.2 1.84 4,553 Dominican Republic 2007 1.7 4.8 48.2 34.8 6.8 2.1 1.2 0.4 2.52 4,530 2.2 5.8 42.8 37.6 7.7 1.7 1.9 0.2 2.58 2,351 Guyana 2009 2.8 5.5 53.1 22.5 8.6 2.9 2.0 2.6 2.50 850 2.8 6.4 45.5 30.8 10.0 2.2 1.4 0.8 2.52 369 Haiti 2012 1.2 5.4 55.5 21.9 12.9 1.7 1.0 0.4 2.50 2,948 0.7 5.1 52.2 26.6 13.1 1.1 1.1 0.3 2.56 1,601 Honduras 2011-12 3.6 9.6 48.8 28.4 6.2 1.9 0.8 0.6 2.34 3,918 2.4 10.3 52.9 27.3 5.2 1.3 0.3 0.3 2.28 2,039 Nicaragua 2001 1.9 11.3 53.9 19.7 6.2 1.6 1.0 4.4 2.28 2,440 1.7 13.9 52.0 22.6 4.5 1.0 0.6 3.7 2.22 1,071 Peru 2010 2.7 16.2 60.8 15.6 3.9 0.5 0.1 0.2 2.04 3,799 2.2 13.4 61.5 16.6 4.6 0.9 0.6 0.2 2.14 1,929 Regional average 3.7 10.3 54.5 21.4 6.5 1.5 0.9 1.3 2.26 29,382 3.0 11.0 52.8 23.7 6.8 1.2 0.8 0.8 2.28 15,387 Note: 1Among those providing a numeric response 

2Data on this variable were not collected in Moldova 

180 
Appendix Table A11. Trends in the ideal number of children among unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 0.8 0.5 13.8 14.6 42.3 8.8 14.1 5.1 4.05 2,400 0.6 0.3 18.7 19.2 44.0 6.3 7.8 3.1 3.67 963 Benin 2001 0.9 0.6 11.7 11.9 37.3 10.2 16.2 11.1 4.29 946 0.0 0.0 21.3 17.4 41.3 6.0 6.7 7.4 3.60 348 Benin 1996 0.2 0.5 11.6 8.7 38.4 10.0 22.6 8.2 4.65 767 0.0 1.0 22.4 10.6 40.0 7.8 14.3 4.0 4.01 234 

Burkina Faso 2010 0.8 0.4 5.9 17.0 32.6 20.8 20.3 2.3 4.50 2,270 0.6 0.1 10.0 26.4 36.9 14.6 9.9 1.5 3.98 625 Burkina Faso 2003 0.3 0.1 6.4 18.0 24.0 20.8 25.5 4.9 4.82 1,899 0.8 0.1 7.2 34.2 29.1 17.3 9.4 1.9 3.93 413 Burkina Faso 1998-99 0.0 0.4 5.0 11.5 19.4 16.0 31.3 16.3 5.40 955 0.9 0.9 10.8 31.4 30.6 9.5 11.1 4.9 3.93 136 

Cameroon 2011 0.6 0.6 6.2 20.3 29.5 20.4 19.3 3.3 4.55 2,721 0.4 0.8 4.7 24.8 33.8 19.0 14.3 2.2 4.30 1,192 Cameroon 2004 0.6 0.5 6.4 16.6 25.2 23.7 18.0 9.1 4.66 1,856 0.5 0.5 6.7 22.6 34.7 16.1 12.9 6.0 4.20 689 Cameroon 1998 0.2 0.6 4.5 13.9 22.8 25.9 23.1 8.9 4.98 851 0.0 0.3 4.7 21.8 23.5 26.2 16.9 6.7 4.56 382 

Chad 2004 0.2 0.5 0.9 2.1 11.1 8.3 65.1 11.8 7.44 789 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.5 10.0 11.8 67.0 9.2 7.71 165 Chad 1996-97 0.3 0.2 1.8 2.6 10.6 9.9 56.2 18.5 7.49 915 0.0 0.0 0.6 4.4 10.9 13.8 54.0 16.2 7.14 178 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 0.5 0.7 8.4 23.3 31.2 18.7 13.1 4.1 4.10 1,785 0.4 0.9 5.6 22.9 29.8 23.9 13.8 2.7 4.24 946 Congo Brazzaville 2005 0.7 0.3 5.8 20.5 23.7 20.7 16.0 12.4 4.36 1,309 0.2 0.8 6.6 19.5 27.8 20.4 16.9 7.9 4.35 657 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 1.3 0.7 6.2 18.4 31.6 20.7 16.5 4.5 4.35 1,605 1.0 0.4 6.1 21.5 32.7 20.6 14.6 3.2 4.24 859 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 0.0 0.5 8.9 20.1 31.5 20.8 17.1 1.1 4.38 590 0.4 0.5 12.9 23.0 39.0 14.1 9.8 0.3 3.97 229 

Gabon 2012 2.4 2.1 14.6 23.2 33.8 11.1 9.3 3.4 3.70 1,543 2.8 3.1 9.8 19.5 30.6 17.1 14.1 3.0 4.09 925 Gabon 2000 0.5 2.4 16.1 15.7 33.6 13.9 12.3 5.4 3.94 1,300 0.1 1.5 11.2 20.6 35.4 14.4 12.9 4.0 4.10 597 

Ghana 2008 0.2 0.8 11.9 28.3 38.5 11.3 8.2 0.9 3.80 940 0.4 0.0 12.2 43.2 33.2 6.0 4.6 0.3 3.49 463 Ghana 2003 0.9 0.8 13.1 30.6 33.4 10.9 8.0 2.3 3.73 1,011 1.2 0.4 14.8 38.3 33.3 6.8 4.5 0.7 3.44 482 Ghana 1998 0.3 1.3 18.5 27.6 30.6 8.7 6.4 6.5 3.57 788 0.0 1.0 20.3 31.6 32.1 5.8 4.9 4.2 3.45 347 

Guinea 2005 2.6 0.7 5.0 13.1 29.5 22.6 19.7 6.8 4.46 1,061 2.8 0.3 4.1 20.3 39.8 16.5 11.6 4.5 4.11 264 Guinea 1999 0.4 0.1 4.5 17.9 33.4 24.0 16.7 3.0 4.53 742 1.0 0.0 4.5 24.9 39.2 17.4 10.8 2.2 4.13 207 

Mali 2006 0.8 0.1 2.6 6.6 26.4 16.1 31.9 15.5 5.48 1,538 1.7 0.0 1.9 14.3 28.6 16.3 28.9 8.4 4.98 276 Mali 2001 0.8 0.3 3.8 6.8 22.8 19.0 31.1 15.4 5.44 1,387 0.0 1.1 5.4 10.1 36.2 17.9 18.6 10.7 4.67 352 Mali 1995-96 0.9 0.3 3.0 7.7 25.5 20.5 36.1 6.0 5.58 968 0.5 0.1 4.8 13.2 33.7 19.9 21.2 6.7 4.77 231 

Nigeria 2008 1.6 0.1 2.5 9.5 33.4 19.6 23.8 9.4 4.87 4,630 1.2 0.1 2.3 14.5 39.3 19.4 17.7 5.6 4.54 2,474 Nigeria 2003 0.1 0.2 2.9 6.5 31.0 20.4 32.3 6.7 5.21 1,171 0.0 0.2 1.7 10.2 34.7 20.2 30.0 2.9 5.06 583 Nigeria 1999 1.5 0.0 3.0 8.2 28.0 19.7 27.3 12.3 5.09 1,303 1.5 0.0 1.9 11.6 35.3 16.9 23.4 9.3 4.71 587 

(Continued...)

181 
Appendix Table A11. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

East and Southern Africa Ethiopia 2011 10.0 1.7 27.9 13.1 30.2 5.8 7.6 3.7 3.12 3,244 4.9 2.6 22.3 10.3 42.3 6.9 6.8 3.9 3.48 1,169 Ethiopia 2000 7.0 1.3 16.1 9.4 25.3 9.2 16.1 15.7 3.90 2,848 6.2 0.8 17.4 8.0 27.3 9.5 21.3 9.5 4.13 1,053 

Kenya 2008-09 2.3 2.8 22.0 25.4 27.9 9.8 7.0 2.9 3.45 1,549 0.3 4.0 33.2 34.2 20.2 4.1 1.9 2.1 2.95 757 Kenya 2003 2.8 2.3 23.9 22.9 28.1 9.4 7.2 3.5 3.47 1,523 1.6 6.0 33.1 28.0 21.9 3.6 3.5 2.3 2.99 727 Kenya 1998 0.4 2.3 27.4 19.6 32.4 8.1 6.7 3.1 3.44 1,566 0.9 7.2 31.0 22.4 26.8 4.3 3.1 4.3 3.00 599 

Lesotho 2009 13.3 11.9 50.7 16.1 5.8 1.2 0.7 0.2 1.97 1,493 5.5 12.8 52.6 21.3 5.3 1.4 1.0 0.1 2.18 693 Lesotho 2004 8.1 13.0 48.3 18.8 8.4 2.3 0.9 0.2 2.17 1,417 4.4 14.8 50.0 21.0 7.5 1.6 0.4 0.4 2.19 684 

Madagascar 2008-09 1.0 1.2 21.4 22.8 29.1 7.1 13.5 3.9 3.75 2,624 0.2 1.8 23.1 24.1 29.6 5.6 12.4 3.1 3.75 762 Madagascar 2003-04 0.6 2.0 17.7 16.0 29.8 7.4 17.0 9.6 4.09 1,112 0.3 3.1 23.2 19.8 29.9 3.9 12.8 7.2 3.83 516 Madagascar 1997 0.0 2.0 16.8 14.0 27.9 7.9 26.7 4.7 7.76 1,119 0.2 2.4 16.4 19.1 29.3 5.4 23.7 3.4 5.52 503 

Malawi 2010 3.4 1.6 29.7 23.4 30.8 7.2 2.7 1.3 3.12 3,834 1.4 2.0 29.6 28.7 30.9 4.8 2.1 0.5 3.10 1,086 Malawi 2004 3.3 3.7 29.4 19.2 30.8 7.0 3.3 3.2 3.11 1,604 0.4 2.8 29.6 26.3 30.2 5.2 2.9 2.7 3.14 586 Malawi 2000 0.6 4.0 28.8 20.6 28.9 9.9 4.3 2.9 3.28 1,933 0.1 3.5 29.0 21.2 33.6 7.1 4.5 1.0 3.32 634 

Mozambique 2011 3.2 3.7 28.1 16.4 26.8 8.3 12.8 0.8 3.48 1,924 2.5 3.1 27.1 17.8 29.3 10.2 9.4 0.5 3.43 650 Mozambique 2003 1.5 2.8 24.0 18.0 28.5 12.2 11.9 1.2 3.70 1,517 0.1 1.1 20.5 22.3 30.8 12.1 12.1 1.0 3.80 709 Mozambique 1997 0.7 3.8 13.2 10.9 21.7 8.0 19.0 22.8 4.29 1,010 0.2 1.6 13.2 14.6 24.4 7.0 21.0 18.1 4.26 326 

Namibia 2006-07 10.0 11.6 42.5 21.1 9.8 3.1 1.4 0.6 2.25 2,128 7.2 10.5 41.7 22.0 13.8 2.3 1.9 0.5 2.43 1,457 Namibia 2000 6.7 14.6 39.8 16.1 12.7 2.6 2.2 5.2 2.35 1,425 2.7 14.8 34.2 24.2 15.3 3.5 2.7 2.6 2.62 1,013 Namibia 1992 1.6 6.2 21.6 11.9 18.0 14.9 18.4 7.3 4.05 1,172 0.6 4.9 19.6 14.7 21.2 14.6 19.6 4.8 4.20 811 

Tanzania 2010 0.5 1.4 15.7 28.1 25.9 14.1 12.2 2.1 3.89 1,773 0.2 2.1 15.9 32.0 25.7 14.4 8.6 1.0 3.73 699 Tanzania 2004-05 1.1 1.2 15.5 23.2 25.6 15.6 15.1 2.6 4.07 1,655 0.3 1.1 18.9 29.6 27.2 11.2 10.6 1.2 3.77 607 Tanzania 1999 0.0 0.9 10.8 18.9 26.5 18.1 18.5 6.2 4.36 682 0.0 0.9 17.8 33.3 29.1 8.8 9.0 1.2 3.68 261 

Uganda 2011 2.4 1.2 13.0 12.3 46.0 10.8 12.9 1.3 3.94 1,639 0.5 1.0 13.0 16.7 47.0 8.6 11.8 1.4 3.94 532 Uganda 2006 1.1 1.1 12.4 13.6 44.8 10.2 14.6 2.2 4.08 1,556 0.9 1.5 18.9 18.4 39.4 6.9 12.3 1.9 3.77 562 Uganda 2000-01 0.7 1.8 14.7 12.0 44.5 9.2 12.2 4.9 3.93 1,149 0.0 1.1 19.0 11.9 44.8 9.2 11.6 2.4 3.91 354 

Zambia 2007 2.5 1.9 19.6 18.7 30.1 13.1 7.7 6.5 3.59 1,294 0.3 1.5 18.4 27.4 31.1 13.0 5.1 3.2 3.54 481 Zambia 2001-02 1.0 2.1 18.5 17.2 29.4 13.9 11.0 6.9 3.84 1,374 0.7 2.8 20.2 20.1 29.5 13.0 10.7 3.1 3.71 578 Zambia 1996 0.5 2.0 12.5 12.6 26.7 18.8 21.7 5.1 4.43 1,506 0.2 1.0 14.0 16.4 26.5 18.7 19.8 3.5 4.32 623 

(Continued...)

182 
Appendix Table A11. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ 

Nonnumeric 

response Mean1 Weighted n 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 4.0 3.6 34.1 23.7 23.5 6.8 3.2 1.1 2.95 1,493 1.3 5.3 35.2 24.0 23.9 6.5 3.4 0.3 2.98 631 Zimbabwe 2005-06 2.1 4.8 33.4 25.4 20.2 9.8 3.6 0.7 3.04 1,704 1.1 3.9 39.4 27.9 17.5 6.0 3.3 0.9 2.93 752 Zimbabwe 1999 1.8 3.5 32.2 22.7 24.7 8.8 4.7 1.6 3.17 1,133 0.1 6.9 34.2 23.9 23.5 5.7 3.4 2.2 2.99 474 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 10.5 13.0 51.8 16.1 5.3 0.9 0.8 1.7 1.99 3,046 5.2 13.6 55.3 16.8 7.3 0.8 0.4 0.6 2.12 1,474 Bolivia 2003 9.9 12.6 52.9 16.2 5.5 0.8 0.7 1.6 2.00 3,448 8.1 12.5 52.2 19.8 5.2 0.8 1.1 0.4 2.09 1,508 Bolivia 1998 5.0 10.9 56.0 16.4 6.2 1.6 0.8 3.1 2.18 2,234 4.1 11.1 54.7 18.4 8.1 0.9 0.7 2.0 2.22 995 

Colombia 2010 5.5 16.3 63.5 12.1 1.8 0.5 0.2 0.3 1.91 7,851 6.4 19.6 60.5 11.2 1.6 0.4 0.1 0.2 1.84 4,553 Colombia 2005 4.9 17.1 63.3 11.9 1.9 0.4 0.2 0.3 1.91 5,969 3.4 20.7 62.4 11.3 1.6 0.4 0.0 0.2 1.88 3,611 Colombia 2000 3.5 17.6 62.4 12.5 2.6 0.8 0.3 0.2 1.97 1,939 4.7 19.2 58.6 13.6 2.2 0.9 0.8 0.1 1.96 1,174 

Dominican Republic 2007 1.7 4.8 48.2 34.8 6.8 2.1 1.2 0.4 2.52 4,530 2.2 5.8 42.8 37.6 7.7 1.7 1.9 0.2 2.58 2,351 Dominican Republic 2002 1.3 5.4 47.9 35.5 7.2 1.2 0.9 0.6 2.52 3,533 1.8 6.3 46.2 36.1 7.4 0.8 1.0 0.4 2.50 1,990 

Haiti 2012 1.2 5.4 55.5 21.9 12.9 1.7 1.0 0.4 2.50 2,948 0.7 5.1 52.2 26.6 13.1 1.1 1.1 0.3 2.56 1,601 Haiti 2005-06 0.7 4.7 44.8 26.5 17.7 3.5 2.1 0.1 2.76 2,252 0.6 3.1 49.9 29.8 14.0 1.0 1.6 0.0 2.66 928 Haiti 2000 0.2 5.2 43.0 24.0 20.2 2.4 1.6 3.4 2.75 1,966 0.3 3.7 43.0 31.1 15.7 1.3 0.9 4.1 2.69 962 

Honduras 2011-12 3.6 9.6 48.8 28.4 6.2 1.9 0.8 0.6 2.34 3,918 2.4 10.3 52.9 27.3 5.2 1.3 0.3 0.3 2.28 2,039 Honduras 2005-06 3.2 6.6 47.1 32.1 7.2 1.8 0.8 1.2 2.44 3,596 3.8 9.7 48.4 27.5 6.4 2.3 0.7 1.3 2.33 1,699 

Nicaragua 2001 1.9 11.3 53.9 19.7 6.2 1.6 1.0 4.4 2.28 2,440 1.7 13.9 52.0 22.6 4.5 1.0 0.6 3.7 2.22 1,071 Nicaragua 1998 4.5 14.0 52.9 19.4 4.4 1.1 1.0 2.8 2.14 2,459 3.1 13.8 56.0 18.6 5.4 0.4 0.7 2.1 2.14 990 

Peru 2010 2.7 16.2 60.8 15.6 3.9 0.5 0.1 0.2 2.04 3,799 2.2 13.4 61.5 16.6 4.6 0.9 0.6 0.2 2.14 1,929 Peru 2005 2.2 13.7 62.1 16.6 4.1 0.6 0.2 0.4 2.10 6,742 2.2 12.4 63.6 15.7 4.8 0.6 0.5 0.2 2.12 3,851 Peru 2000 2.9 12.8 66.3 12.1 3.6 0.8 0.0 1.4 2.04 5,063 2.0 15.0 62.1 14.3 4.5 0.7 0.5 1.0 2.09 2,769 

Note: 1Among those providing a numeric response 

183 
Appendix Table A12. Desire for a(nother) child among currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most recent DHS

surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 27.8 70.6 1.3 667 23.1 73.8 2.5 2,219 Burkina Faso 2010 32.5 67.0 0.0 1,043 21.4 76.9 1.5 2,686 Cameroon 2011 27.7 68.1 3.4 868 29.0 64.6 5.9 1,935 

Chad 2004 40.5 57.4 1.1 571 30.6 67.4 1.2 907 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 8.8 88.0 3.2 413 11.3 84.1 4.5 1,083 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 24.9 69.8 1.9 457 23.4 67.6 6.7 1,482 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 31.8 67.0 0.4 418 23.0 73.0 3.7 1,094 Gabon 2012 15.9 73.2 10.8 241 16.6 71.1 10.9 711 Ghana 2008 8.0 88.4 3.6 85 16.0 75.0 9.0 414 Guinea 2005 42.9 52.8 3.2 586 38.5 57.7 2.7 884 Liberia 2007 23.9 71.3 2.4 251 21.2 69.7 7.7 739 

Mali 2006 29.7 67.9 1.7 1,566 30.8 65.2 3.2 2,402 Mauritania 2000-02 38.2 52.2 6.3 406 29.0 59.1 8.8 746 

Niger 2006 44.8 54.6 0.1 1,014 31.6 67.8 0.2 1,426 

Nigeria 2008 40.9 57.2 0.9 1,863 32.9 64.4 1.7 3,659 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 6.9 77.9 14.9 110 6.2 65.6 26.0 285 

Senegal 2010-11 38.0 61.0 1.0 832 35.3 62.6 1.9 1,932 Sierra Leone 2008 40.8 53.5 2.0 359 34.6 56.0 5.7 812 Regional average 29.1 66.6 3.2 11,750 25.3 67.9 5.8 25,416 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 20.9 78.2 0.9 201 14.2 81.6 3.7 1,106 Eritrea 2002 36.8 60.5 2.7 579 38.3 57.9 3.8 948 Ethiopia 2011 21.8 70.1 8.1 765 17.9 67.8 14.2 1,762 Kenya 2008-09 25.4 64.5 10.1 212 16.9 59.4 23.7 958 

Lesotho 2009 23.3 49.6 26.8 280 19.0 42.7 38.1 849 

(Continued...)

184 
Appendix Table A12. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Madagascar 2008-09 20.8 75.1 4.0 1,332 18.3 69.9 11.6 2,058 Malawi 2010 23.1 69.9 6.7 1,171 15.5 65.8 17.6 3,469 

Mozambique 2011 45.6 48.6 5.4 1,136 37.8 48.2 12.9 1,804 Namibia 2006-07 12.5 41.9 43.6 118 18.3 39.6 40.8 397 

Rwanda 2010 18.4 73.1 8.5 89 10.3 74.6 14.8 998 Swaziland 2006-07 17.1 43.9 39.0 88 12.2 39.5 47.1 343 

Tanzania 2010 31.1 67.4 1.5 399 21.2 73.4 5.3 1,210 Uganda 2011 25.5 70.0 4.5 409 17.8 70.0 11.7 1,097 

Zambia 2007 20.7 75.1 4.2 280 18.5 71.3 9.8 889 Zimbabwe 2010-11 26.1 65.0 8.1 452 18.5 68.6 12.9 1,210 Regional average 24.6 63.5 11.6 7,511 19.6 62.0 17.9 19,098 Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 36.2 58.4 5.2 605 25.1 52.4 22.5 2,527 Jordan 2009 42.3 55.2 0.5 242 26.1 64.8 9.1 1,078 

Morocco 2003-04 36.1 57.8 5.8 346 24.1 59.6 16.1 1,095 

Regional average 38.2 57.1 3.8 1,193 25.1 58.9 15.9 4,700 Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Albania 2008-09 34.9 62.3 1.9 110 20.0 64.7 13.7 358 Armenia 2010 27.5 64.6 4.6 68 25.2 63.7 8.7 450 Azerbaijan 2006 47.4 40.2 9.8 151 25.1 34.8 34.0 697 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 44.5 51.7 0.0 158 23.1 74.3 1.6 896 

Moldova 2005 23.7 58.4 16.8 136 20.1 55.8 22.2 629 

Turkey 2003 25.9 54.9 19.2 120 17.4 52.4 29.5 546 Ukraine 2007 10.9 83.0 3.0 45 22.8 65.0 8.5 472 

Regional average 30.7 59.3 7.9 788 22.0 58.7 16.9 4,048 

(Continued...)

185 
Appendix Table A12. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 21.4 66.1 12.3 1,925 15.6 45.3 37.6 3,396 Cambodia 2010 20.2 73.0 6.7 382 14.2 68.0 17.5 1,679 India 2005-06 38.2 50.5 9.6 6,726 24.1 35.4 26.2 16,782 Indonesia 2012 23.9 71.1 4.7 890 17.0 74.0 8.8 3,754 Maldives 2009 36.9 62.1 1.0 111 26.6 61.1 11.8 1,188 Nepal 2011 22.4 58.8 18.8 792 13.8 42.7 39.0 1,761 Pakistan 2006-07 51.4 45.4 2.6 559 33.4 51.2 14.0 1,462 Philippines 2008 18.2 61.5 19.2 239 12.5 57.0 29.8 1,092 Timor-Leste 2009-10 17.2 81.3 0.5 243 11.2 83.4 4.0 1,100 Vietnam 2002 22.7 70.2 7.1 67 8.9 63.7 27.3 536 Regional average 27.3 64.0 8.3 11,934 17.7 58.2 21.6 32,750 Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 6.6 51.8 41.3 472 8.3 39.9 51.2 1,263 Colombia 2010 9.7 61.6 26.8 1,249 11.9 48.0 30.0 3,207 Dominican Republic 2007 17.2 68.3 13.4 1,050 17.8 52.8 20.7 2,159 

Guyana 2009 18.8 55.7 22.8 166 19.8 51.0 27.6 398 Haiti 2012 5.3 75.0 19.5 404 7.7 63.3 28.6 1,250 Honduras 2011-12 15.5 69.3 14.8 1,144 12.9 61.7 22.0 2,091 Nicaragua 2001 15.9 57.3 26.3 701 11.0 49.3 34.7 1,332 Peru 2010 7.1 67.1 25.6 480 7.5 54.8 36.8 1,470 Regional average 12.0 63.3 23.8 5,666 12.1 52.6 31.5 13,170 Note: Columns may not add up to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing data 

186 
Appendix Table A13. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among currently married women age 15-24, by five-year age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 27.8 70.6 1.3 667 23.1 73.8 2.5 2,219 Benin 2001 26.1 72.6 1.3 286 27.2 69.9 3.0 867 Benin 1996 24.8 75.2 0.0 307 25.9 72.7 1.4 786 

Burkina Faso 2010 32.5 67.0 0.0 1,043 21.4 76.9 1.5 2,686 Burkina Faso 2003 37.6 61.6 0.8 878 20.5 77.9 1.6 1,861 Burkina Faso 1998-99 33.1 66.3 0.6 488 21.0 76.4 2.5 1,023 

Cameroon 2011 27.7 68.1 3.4 868 29.0 64.6 5.9 1,935 Cameroon 2004 29.9 66.9 2.8 828 31.9 63.8 4.0 1,562 Cameroon 1998 37.9 60.6 1.4 430 38.4 58.7 2.8 746 

Chad 2004 40.5 57.4 1.1 571 30.6 67.4 1.2 907 Chad 1996-97 40.4 59.0 0.5 801 33.7 64.5 1.7 1,190 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 8.8 88.0 3.2 413 11.3 84.1 4.5 1,083 Congo Brazzaville 2005 9.6 82.2 4.9 257 15.0 79.0 4.6 836 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 31.8 67.0 0.4 418 23.0 73.0 3.7 1,094 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 33.7 63.2 2.8 186 30.8 63.7 4.9 349 Côte d'Ivoire 1994 38.3 60.1 1.4 517 30.4 65.0 4.5 1,008 

Gabon 2012 15.9 73.2 10.8 241 16.6 71.1 10.9 711 Gabon 2000 21.7 71.5 6.8 287 22.6 66.5 10.1 663 

Ghana 2008 8.0 88.4 3.6 85 16.0 75.0 9.0 414 Ghana 2003 13.2 80.0 6.8 137 14.1 75.2 9.9 530 Ghana 1998 13.9 81.8 3.3 122 15.2 76.4 8.3 552 

Guinea 2005 42.9 52.8 3.2 586 38.5 57.7 2.7 884 Guinea 1999 42.5 54.1 2.6 577 39.8 54.8 4.6 874 

Mali 2006 29.7 67.9 1.7 1,566 30.8 65.2 3.2 2,402 Mali 2001 30.1 67.6 1.6 1,178 27.1 69.1 3.2 1,985 Mali 1995-96 29.8 69.5 0.7 914 25.9 72.7 1.4 1,362 

(Continued...)

187 
Appendix Table A13. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Niger 2006 44.8 54.6 0.1 1,014 31.6 67.8 0.2 1,426 Niger 1998 41.0 58.9 0.0 1,026 30.9 68.1 0.9 1,160 Niger 1992 42.9 56.1 0.9 779 35.6 62.9 1.1 1,059 

Nigeria 2008 40.9 57.2 0.9 1,863 32.9 64.4 1.7 3,659 Nigeria 2003 51.4 47.1 1.5 540 44.9 53.6 1.4 910 Nigeria 1999 45.6 51.6 0.9 447 36.7 61.5 1.2 903 

Senegal 2010-11 38.0 61.0 1.0 832 35.3 62.6 1.9 1,932 Senegal 2005 32.7 65.3 1.8 1,014 29.4 69.2 1.1 1,827 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 36.8 60.5 2.7 579 38.3 57.9 3.8 948 Eritrea 1995 21.2 73.6 3.7 366 20.7 75.3 3.8 568 

Ethiopia 2011 21.8 70.1 8.1 765 17.9 67.8 14.2 1,762 Ethiopia 2005 25.0 57.3 17.5 711 16.8 63.5 19.4 1,574 Ethiopia 2000 28.5 62.2 9.0 862 23.8 64.1 12.2 1,806 

Kenya 2008-09 25.4 64.5 10.1 212 16.9 59.4 23.7 958 Kenya 2003 27.6 61.8 10.3 333 19.1 58.4 22.2 965 Kenya 1998 25.5 63.9 10.2 285 20.5 57.0 22.5 947 

Lesotho 2009 23.3 49.6 26.8 280 19.0 42.7 38.1 849 Lesotho 2004 30.0 49.7 20.3 292 18.4 50.3 30.4 779 

Madagascar 2008-09 20.8 75.1 4.0 1,332 18.3 69.9 11.6 2,058 Madagascar 2003-04 26.7 66.4 6.8 416 22.6 64.1 13.2 875 Madagascar 1997 32.0 60.9 6.4 434 21.6 61.5 16.3 822 

Malawi 2010 23.1 69.9 6.7 1,171 15.5 65.8 17.6 3,469 Malawi 2004 22.5 68.7 8.3 788 15.7 66.6 17.4 2,283 Malawi 2000 26.4 60.3 12.4 933 17.3 60.5 20.5 2,323 

Mozambique 2011 45.6 48.6 5.4 1,136 37.8 48.2 12.9 1,804 Mozambique 2003 40.9 53.9 4.0 936 35.4 55.7 7.4 1,746 Mozambique 1997 39.3 59.7 0.8 810 37.2 57.3 3.5 1,337 

(Continued...)

188 
Appendix Table A13. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Namibia 2006-07 12.5 41.9 43.6 118 18.3 39.6 40.8 397 Namibia 2000 19.3 38.8 40.8 74 18.7 39.5 41.2 326 

Namibia 1992 28.9 53.9 17.1 84 30.7 48.6 18.6 304 

Rwanda 2010 18.4 73.1 8.5 89 10.3 74.6 14.8 998 Rwanda 2005 24.5 61.4 14.1 65 15.9 70.3 13.5 980 Rwanda 2000 28.5 69.3 2.2 172 18.5 76.0 5.4 963 

Tanzania 2010 31.1 67.4 1.5 399 21.2 73.4 5.3 1,210 Tanzania 2004-05 35.8 61.7 2.2 590 22.4 69.8 7.8 1,400 Tanzania 1999 43.5 52.0 4.0 227 25.9 65.4 8.4 550 

Uganda 2011 25.5 70.0 4.5 409 17.8 70.0 11.7 1,097 Uganda 2006 30.0 64.5 5.5 380 23.2 64.9 11.6 1,148 Uganda 2000-01 34.3 63.1 2.2 463 18.7 65.2 15.4 1,149 

Zambia 2007 20.7 75.1 4.2 280 18.5 71.3 9.8 889 Zambia 2001-02 32.4 63.6 3.6 438 22.2 68.0 9.5 1,084 Zambia 1996 34.0 63.4 2.6 498 28.9 62.8 7.9 1,207 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 26.1 65.0 8.1 452 18.5 68.6 12.9 1,210 Zimbabwe 2005-06 25.9 62.0 11.9 448 18.0 61.9 19.7 1,200 Zimbabwe 1999 29.0 62.8 8.2 314 23.1 60.6 16.4 820 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 36.2 58.4 5.2 605 25.1 52.4 22.5 2,527 Egypt 2005 33.6 61.3 5.1 792 23.6 50.7 25.6 2,898 Egypt 2000 36.2 57.0 6.6 599 24.2 49.5 26.0 2,187 

Jordan 2009 42.3 55.2 0.5 242 26.1 64.8 9.1 1,078 Jordan 2007 38.3 59.3 2.4 233 21.5 65.3 12.9 1,233 Jordan 2002 34.7 65.3 0.0 154 26.1 67.1 6.8 710 Jordan 1997 37.2 54.7 8.1 203 25.0 58.5 16.1 777 

Morocco 2003-04 36.1 57.8 5.8 346 24.1 59.6 16.1 1,095 Morocco 1992 43.9 52.6 3.2 253 24.0 59.9 15.4 676 

(Continued...)

189 
Appendix Table A13. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia Armenia 2010 27.5 64.6 4.6 68 25.2 63.7 8.7 450 Armenia 2005 36.5 61.6 1.9 78 19.7 53.2 26.3 504 Armenia 2000 42.2 44.3 13.4 99 19.1 45.6 34.4 511 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 44.5 51.7 0.0 158 23.1 74.3 1.6 896 Kyrgyz Republic 1997 24.8 70.1 1.9 91 19.6 69.5 9.3 460 

Turkey 2003 25.9 54.9 19.2 120 17.4 52.4 29.5 546 Turkey 1998 30.2 54.7 15.1 262 19.2 48.2 32.1 924 Turkey 1993 29.4 55.5 15.1 329 19.4 45.6 34.3 1,026 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 21.4 66.1 12.3 1,925 15.6 45.3 37.6 3,396 Bangladesh 2007 23.9 64.7 11.2 1,376 17.0 44.5 37.5 2,094 Bangladesh 2004 24.4 63.8 11.8 1,536 17.2 44.1 38.2 2,120 

Cambodia 2010 20.2 73.0 6.7 382 14.2 68.0 17.5 1,679 Cambodia 2005 20.2 71.2 8.2 363 12.4 64.8 21.8 1,671 Cambodia 2000 21.1 71.5 5.4 438 14.5 69.2 13.6 1,005 

India 2005-06 38.2 50.5 9.6 6,726 24.1 35.4 26.2 16,782 India 1998-99 40.3 48.4 7.2 8,102 26.3 36.3 21.6 16,118 India 1992-93 32.5 59.4 5.8 8,501 23.5 47.3 17.2 16,691 

Indonesia 2012 23.9 71.1 4.7 890 17.0 74.0 8.8 3,754 Indonesia 2007 27.2 63.7 8.8 814 16.6 68.7 14.6 3,952 Indonesia 2002-03 26.9 66.6 6.4 912 16.2 71.4 11.6 3,761 

Nepal 2011 22.4 58.8 18.8 792 13.8 42.7 39.0 1,761 Nepal 2006 25.5 62.1 12.1 784 17.1 36.4 40.9 1,606 Nepal 2001 31.8 57.5 10.7 930 18.3 40.8 35.0 1,643 

Pakistan 2006-07 51.4 45.4 2.6 559 33.4 51.2 14.0 1,462 Pakistan 1990-91 43.0 53.2 3.3 417 34.3 51.2 11.7 1,041 

(Continued...)

190 
Appendix Table A13. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Philippines 2008 17.0 63.6 19.4 283 12.4 59.3 27.7 1,000 Philippines 2003 18.2 61.5 19.2 239 12.5 57.0 29.8 1,092 Philippines 1998 20.2 61.8 17.8 244 13.0 54.9 31.4 967 

Vietnam 2002 22.7 70.2 7.1 67 8.9 63.7 27.3 536 Vietnam 1997 23.2 63.8 13.0 129 9.8 61.4 28.8 716 Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 6.6 51.8 41.3 472 8.3 39.9 51.2 1,263 Bolivia 2003 7.9 50.9 41.1 426 8.2 37.6 53.6 1,624 Bolivia 1998 10.0 41.2 48.4 263 10.5 36.6 51.9 956 

Colombia 2010 9.7 61.6 26.8 1,249 11.9 48.0 30.0 3,207 Colombia 2005 10.2 58.4 30.5 934 10.5 45.3 36.4 2,735 Colombia 2000 10.6 62.7 26.0 325 14.1 39.2 42.7 814 

Dominican Republic 2007 17.2 68.3 13.4 1,050 17.8 52.8 20.7 2,159 Dominican Republic 2002 19.2 64.0 15.4 1,017 17.9 46.6 25.6 2,156 Dominican Republic 1999 20.1 71.5 8.4 46 20.4 46.1 26.1 118 

Haiti 2012 5.3 75.0 19.5 404 7.7 63.3 28.6 1,250 Haiti 2005-06 9.0 78.7 11.7 448 11.4 62.9 25.0 1,076 Haiti 2000 7.0 72.6 20.4 376 15.0 60.6 24.2 956 

Honduras 2011-12 15.5 69.3 14.8 1,144 12.9 61.7 22.0 2,091 Honduras 2005-06 15.4 66.8 17.4 914 11.0 57.7 27.8 2,030 

Nicaragua 2001 15.9 57.3 26.3 701 11.0 49.3 34.7 1,332 Nicaragua 1998 16.2 50.0 31.8 848 13.3 40.0 39.2 1,432 

Peru 2010 7.1 67.1 25.6 480 7.5 54.8 36.8 1,470 Peru 2005 6.1 70.3 23.5 812 7.4 56.9 35.3 2,510 Peru 2000 6.4 62.6 30.9 582 7.6 51.0 40.4 1,968 

Note: Columns may not add up to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing data 

191 
Appendix Table A14. Desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group, most recent 

DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 6.9 88.4 1.2 272 18.5 81.2 0.0 222 Burkina Faso 2010 7.0 92.7 0.0 151 13.5 86.0 0.0 126 Cameroon 2011 9.2 88.9 1.5 296 15.8 82.2 1.7 347 

Chad 2004 (25.7) (73.1) (0.9) 29 * * * 10 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 6.6 92.1 0.7 471 16.6 81.1 1.4 405 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 2.3 89.3 3.9 242 9.5 81.7 4.5 200 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 5.0 93.2 0.7 380 14.2 82.4 1.8 396 

Gabon 2012 9.1 84.5 3.8 439 20.4 70.6 8.1 458 

Ghana 2008 4.3 92.6 3.1 87 3.9 92.3 3.8 88 Guinea 2005 9.5 89.4 1.0 148 2.1 92.6 3.5 70 Liberia 2007 8.8 88.5 1.7 384 17.0 79.1 3.5 333 Mali 2006 (4.3) (84.7) (6.4) 49 (12.7) (79.4) (7.8) 21 

Nigeria 2008 2.0 96.4 0.5 448 7.4 89.7 0.8 586 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 (16.9) (77.0) (6.1) 54 (24.7) (62.4) (8.7) 51 Senegal 2010-11 97.4 2.6 0.0 36 (1.3) (92.5) (6.2) 41 

Sierra Leone 2008 3.8 87.1 1.2 186 18.0 71.3 5.8 157 Regional average 13.7 82.5 2.0 3,672 13.0 81.6 3.8 3,511 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 (4.1) (83.9) (0.0) 24 * * * 19 

Ethiopia 2011 28.2 51.6 20.2 34 12.1 57.9 26.3 67 Kenya 2008-09 3.4 90.1 5.5 72 20.9 72.1 7.1 66 Lesotho 2009 9.3 63.8 26.9 67 10.4 51.9 37.7 97 

Madagascar 2008-09 12.6 85.0 2.3 281 21.1 71.2 7.7 204 

Malawi 2010 9.4 81.5 8.4 180 22.6 63.9 11.1 122 Mozambique 2011 17.1 78.5 3.6 391 33.2 55.9 10.8 266 

(Continued...)

192 
Appendix Table A14. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Namibia 2006-07 4.6 68.0 23.8 250 12.3 55.7 31.3 415 Rwanda 2010 4.3 93.2 2.5 42 11.3 74.5 14.3 53 

Swaziland 2006-07 1.4 55.0 43.5 98 8.2 38.9 52.4 193 

Tanzania 2010 9.5 82.7 7.8 170 26.2 61.9 11.9 186 Uganda 2011 17.3 81.1 1.6 80 22.5 67.7 8.5 81 

Zambia 2007 7.8 82.3 9.9 98 9.3 73.8 16.8 81 Zimbabwe 2010-11 (11.9) (82.9) (5.2) 29 30.2 44.9 23.0 61 

Regional average 10.1 77.1 11.5 1,816 18.5 60.8 19.9 1,911 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Albania 2008-09 (17.6) (82.4) (0.0) 32 8.9 89.9 1.1 58 Moldova 2005 3.9 93.0 3.0 73 5.3 86.7 7.0 109 

Ukraine 2007 2.7 97.3 0.0 59 4.4 91.0 3.4 221 

Regional average 8.1 90.9 1.0 164 6.2 89.2 3.8 388 

Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 6.2 79.7 14.1 132 9.8 77.8 12.4 205 Colombia 2010 2.5 84.5 12.6 1,334 6.5 72.2 17.5 1,786 Dominican Republic 2007 14.7 75.6 9.6 441 26.9 59.0 10.9 576 

Guyana 2009 2.3 87.0 7.5 76 11.7 78.1 10.1 109 

Haiti 2012 4.3 89.8 5.0 311 7.1 85.9 6.6 370 

Honduras 2011-12 11.7 77.9 10.4 214 13.9 69.8 15.6 272 

Nicaragua 2001 12.3 67.3 20.4 74 18.3 52.5 28.8 99 Peru 2010 4.6 89.7 5.7 225 6.5 84.8 7.3 424 

Regional average 7.3 81.4 10.7 2,807 12.6 72.5 13.7 3,841 Note: Columns may not add up to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing data 

Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been 

suppressed. 

193 
Appendix Table A15. Trends in desire for a(nother) child among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, by five-year age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 6.9 88.4 1.2 272 18.5 81.2 0.0 222 Benin 2001 9.4 89.2 0.8 125 19.9 80.1 0.0 98 Benin 1996 11.1 87.6 1.3 98 (22.6) (75.1) (2.3) 53 

Burkina Faso 2010 7.0 92.7 0.0 151 13.5 86.0 0.0 126 Burkina Faso 2003 6.9 93.1 0.0 158 8.3 91.0 0.7 81 Burkina Faso 1998-99 10.5 88.5 1.0 112 12.0 88.0 0.0 35 

Cameroon 2011 9.2 88.9 1.5 296 15.8 82.2 1.7 347 Cameroon 2004 8.3 90.8 0.9 189 16.8 81.1 1.7 176 Cameroon 1998 16.3 81.0 2.7 173 31.9 65.7 2.4 161 

Chad 2004 (25.7) (73.1) (0.9) 29 5.3 94.7 0.0 10 Chad 1996-97 27.4 69.6 3.0 64 28.8 69.7 0.0 34 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 6.6 92.1 0.7 471 16.6 81.1 1.4 405 Congo Brazzaville 2005 8.7 85.7 2.6 342 11.6 80.9 4.3 317 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 5.0 93.2 0.7 380 14.2 82.4 1.8 396 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 14.1 84.6 1.3 142 22.5 72.7 4.3 105 

Gabon 2012 9.1 84.5 3.8 439 20.4 70.6 8.1 458 Gabon 2000 13.1 80.5 6.4 320 17.4 74.3 7.1 279 

Ghana 2008 4.3 92.6 3.1 87 3.9 92.3 3.8 88 Ghana 2003 3.6 96.4 0.0 92 7.2 92.8 0.0 71 Ghana 1998 9.4 90.6 0.0 75 21.0 77.1 1.9 63 

Guinea 2005 9.5 89.4 1.0 148 2.1 92.6 3.5 70 Guinea 1999 4.6 86.0 5.7 85 17.6 75.5 6.9 59 

Mali 2006 4.3 84.7 6.4 49 12.7 79.4 7.8 21 Mali 2001 (6.1) (83.9) (9.1) 166 (11.3) (81.2) (5.1) 96 Mali 1995-96 5.6 92.8 0.0 133 11.2 83.7 5.1 61 

(Continued...)

194 
Appendix Table A15. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Nigeria 2008 2.0 96.4 0.5 448 7.4 89.7 0.8 586 Nigeria 2003 2.5 96.4 0.0 116 6.3 90.3 1.6 129 Nigeria 1999 3.3 94.4 1.2 103 7.4 91.7 0.9 136 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 28.2 51.6 20.2 34 12.1 57.9 26.3 67 Ethiopia 2000 13.6 52.4 34.0 43 26.3 50.6 22.6 45 

Kenya 2008-09 3.4 90.1 5.5 72 20.9 72.1 7.1 66 Kenya 2003 9.0 80.1 10.9 68 15.0 67.1 17.0 75 Kenya 1998 11.4 79.4 9.1 148 14.5 60.8 24.7 98 

Lesotho 2009 9.3 63.8 26.9 67 10.4 51.9 37.7 97 Lesotho 2004 5.8 67.5 23.7 57 19.5 36.8 40.7 74 

Madagascar 2008-09 12.6 85.0 2.3 281 21.1 71.2 7.7 204 Madagascar 2003-04 14.4 71.1 10.3 148 17.4 55.6 25.4 118 Madagascar 1997 30.9 58.9 10.2 174 25.3 61.4 13.3 150 

Malawi 2010 9.4 81.5 8.4 180 22.6 63.9 11.1 122 Malawi 2004 11.3 70.7 12.8 87 15.2 57.0 27.8 76 Malawi 2000 14.8 75.5 6.8 146 22.6 56.3 20.9 76 

Mozambique 2011 17.1 78.5 3.6 391 33.2 55.9 10.8 266 Mozambique 2003 19.2 73.8 3.9 403 31.6 59.5 7.9 259 Mozambique 1997 19.8 67.6 6.6 202 49.3 44.8 5.3 106 

Namibia 2006-07 4.6 68.0 23.8 248 12.3 55.7 31.3 415 Namibia 2000 11.7 71.0 15.5 177 12.1 53.6 32.4 202 

Tanzania 2010 9.5 82.7 7.8 170 26.2 61.9 11.9 186 Tanzania 2004-05 16.1 79.9 4.0 166 21.6 62.1 16.3 152 Tanzania 1999 20.4 68.9 10.8 113 25.1 62.2 10.8 97 

Uganda 2011 17.3 81.1 1.6 80 22.5 67.7 8.5 81 Uganda 2006 16.5 80.9 2.5 80 28.4 57.1 14.5 98 Uganda 2000-01 24.5 67.3 8.2 93 25.1 65.6 9.3 59 

(Continued...)

195 
Appendix Table A15. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Wants 

within 2 

years 

Wants 

after 2+ 

years 

Wants no 

more 

Weighted 

n 

Zambia 2007 7.8 82.3 9.9 98 9.3 73.8 16.8 81 Zambia 2001-02 22.1 73.5 4.0 128 28.3 60.5 9.2 82 Zambia 1996 22.4 71.7 5.5 190 43.1 51.7 5.2 110 Zimbabwe 2010-11 (11.9) (82.9) (5.2) 29 30.2 44.9 23.0 61 Zimbabwe 2005-06 (16.6) (78.0) (5.4) 34 (24.6) (58.6) (16.8) 44 Zimbabwe 1999 (29.8) (62.2) (8.0) 28 25.3 54.7 20.0 49 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 6.2 79.7 14.1 132 9.8 77.8 12.4 205 Bolivia 2003 7.9 77.6 14.5 129 16.1 65.1 18.8 187 Bolivia 1998 (15.7) (56.0) (26.6) 38 14.2 53.8 28.6 60 

Colombia 2010 2.5 84.5 12.6 1,334 6.5 72.2 17.5 1,786 Colombia 2005 5.6 76.7 17.0 826 11.9 72.0 14.9 1,232 Colombia 2000 10.2 76.9 13.0 195 12.0 68.2 18.9 325 

Dominican Republic 2007 14.7 75.6 9.6 441 26.9 59.0 10.9 576 Dominican Republic 2002 20.1 66.8 13.1 187 24.1 53.4 18.9 357 

Haiti 2012 4.3 89.8 5.0 311 7.1 85.9 6.6 370 Haiti 2005-06 4.6 93.4 2.0 152 10.1 84.2 5.7 166 Haiti 2000 3.8 94.3 1.8 101 13.3 83.7 3.0 135 

Honduras 2011-12 11.7 77.9 10.4 214 13.9 69.8 15.6 272 Honduras 2005-06 15.0 71.4 13.6 105 12.7 66.1 19.6 156 

Nicaragua 2001 12.3 67.3 20.4 74 18.3 52.5 28.8 99 Nicaragua 1998 (13.3) (64.6) (22.1) 38 (3.4) (47.6) (44.9) 36 

Peru 2010 4.6 89.7 5.7 225 6.5 84.8 7.3 424 Peru 2005 5.6 88.6 5.8 350 5.9 88.2 5.8 660 Peru 2000 5.3 87.6 6.3 192 8.4 82.0 9.6 300 

Note: Columns may not add up to 100% due to omission of women who are sterilized, infecund, or who are missing data 

Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been 

suppressed. 

196 
Appendix Table A16. Current use of contraception among currently married women age 15-24, by method type, by five-year age group, 

most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 92.1 5.0 2.9 667 85.4 9.9 4.7 2,219 Burkina Faso 2010 93.4 0.4 6.2 1,043 84.1 0.9 15.0 2,686 Cameroon 2011 83.9 3.9 12.2 868 77.9 6.1 16.0 1,935 

Chad 2004 92.6 6.0 1.4 571 87.5 10.8 1.7 907 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 63.8 9.8 26.3 413 54.1 22.8 23.0 1,083 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 85.5 10.1 4.4 457 81.5 13.1 5.4 1,484 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 89.0 4.1 6.9 418 83.1 5.4 11.5 1,094 Gabon 2012 75.1 9.4 15.6 241 66.1 10.5 23.4 711 Ghana 2008 86.4 6.0 7.6 85 77.6 5.1 17.3 414 

Guinea 2005 91.2 3.8 5.0 587 89.3 4.5 6.2 888 Liberia 2007 94.8 0.8 4.4 251 92.9 1.4 5.7 739 

Mali 2006 92.3 1.9 5.8 1,566 90.9 1.7 7.4 2,402 

Mauritania 2000-02 94.7 2.1 3.1 408 93.1 2.7 4.2 747 

Niger 2006 95.7 2.6 1.7 1,014 87.3 7.6 5.0 1,426 

Nigeria 2008 97.0 0.6 2.4 1,863 89.9 3.1 7.1 3,659 

São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 77.8 0.8 21.4 110 61.1 2.2 36.7 285 

Senegal 2010-11 94.2 0.8 5.0 832 90.9 0.7 8.4 1,932 Sierra Leone 2008 98.8 0.0 1.2 359 94.5 0.7 4.8 812 Regional average 88.8 3.8 7.4 11,753 82.6 6.1 11.3 25,423 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 89.9 2.1 8.1 201 77.7 4.6 17.8 1,106 

Eritrea 2002 97.6 0.7 1.7 580 94.1 0.7 5.2 950 Ethiopia 2011 76.2 0.8 23.0 765 65.2 1.4 33.4 1,762 

Kenya 2008-09 77.5 2.9 19.6 212 64.3 5.2 30.4 958 Lesotho 2009 71.8 1.4 26.8 292 56.1 0.8 43.1 860 

Madagascar 2008-09 75.4 8.1 16.5 1,332 63.1 9.3 27.6 2,058 

(Continued...)

197 
Appendix Table A16. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Malawi 2010 71.2 2.4 26.4 1,171 58.2 3.8 38.0 3,469 Mozambique 2011 94.1 0.1 5.8 1,136 88.3 0.3 11.4 1,804 Namibia 2006-07 59.1 1.8 39.1 118 45.6 3.0 51.5 398 Rwanda 2010 67.1 2.2 30.6 89 55.5 2.4 42.1 998 Swaziland 2006-07 57.2 0.0 42.8 88 53.3 2.1 44.6 343 Tanzania 2010 85.1 2.9 12.0 399 70.4 5.7 23.9 1,210 Uganda 2011 86.1 0.8 13.1 409 77.1 2.5 20.4 1,097 Zambia 2007 71.9 6.1 22.0 280 58.2 7.7 34.1 889 Zimbabwe 2010-11 63.8 0.8 35.4 452 39.8 1.1 59.0 1,210 Regional average 76.3 2.2 21.5 7,524 64.5 3.4 32.2 19,112 Middle East and North Africa Egypt 2008 76.6 3.7 19.8 605 55.4 3.8 40.9 2,527 Jordan 2009 73.0 11.0 15.9 242 57.4 12.1 30.5 1,078 Morocco 2003-04 61.6 2.5 35.9 346 42.2 5.1 52.7 1,095 Regional average 70.4 5.7 23.9 1,193 51.7 7.0 41.4 4,700 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Albania 2008-09 45.3 41.8 12.9 110 47.2 44.5 8.4 358 Armenia 2010 80.9 16.0 3.1 68 60.2 21.6 18.2 450 Azerbaijan 2006 93.6 3.3 3.0 151 62.1 28.6 9.3 697 Kyrgyz Republic 2012 94.8 0.0 5.2 158 78.2 2.3 19.5 896 Moldova 2005 41.6 24.5 33.9 136 36.9 21.7 41.5 629 Turkey 2003 59.5 21.4 19.1 120 39.8 29.4 30.8 543 Ukraine 2007 51.7 5.6 42.7 45 37.3 17.7 45.0 472 Regional average 66.8 16.1 17.1 788 51.7 23.7 24.7 4,045 South and Southeast Asia Bangladesh 2011 52.9 4.7 42.4 1,925 42.1 4.5 53.4 3,396 Cambodia 2010 72.9 8.2 18.8 382 56.8 11.8 31.4 1,679 India 2005-06 87.0 6.0 6.9 6,726 66.6 7.3 26.1 16,782 

(Continued...)

198 
Appendix Table A16. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Indonesia 2012 51.9 0.4 47.6 890 39.5 1.3 59.3 3,754 Maldives 2009 85.0 5.4 9.6 111 76.8 6.4 16.8 1,188 

Nepal 2011 82.4 3.1 14.4 792 70.5 5.8 23.8 1,761 

Pakistan 2006-07 93.3 2.5 4.2 559 84.6 4.8 10.6 1,463 Philippines 2008 74.1 11.6 14.3 283 53.7 13.8 32.5 1,000 

Timor-Leste 2009-10 92.1 1.0 6.8 243 84.3 1.1 14.6 1,100 Vietnam 2002 77.2 8.6 14.1 67 42.3 13.2 44.5 536 

Regional average 76.9 5.2 17.9 11,978 61.7 7.0 31.3 32,659 Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 59.1 14.3 26.6 472 42.9 21.7 35.4 1,263 

Colombia 2010 39.5 5.5 55.1 1,249 28.3 5.7 66.0 3,207 Dominican Republic 2007 54.2 2.0 43.8 1,050 39.6 4.1 56.2 2,159 

Guyana 2009 70.2 0.0 29.8 166 61.3 2.5 36.2 398 Haiti 2012 74.4 1.6 24.0 404 64.0 1.9 34.1 1,250 Honduras 2011-12 44.3 6.3 49.4 1,144 30.6 7.9 61.5 2,091 

Nicaragua 2001 44.8 2.2 53.0 701 33.7 2.1 64.3 1,334 

Peru 2010 36.4 19.0 44.6 480 27.8 19.4 52.8 1,470 Regional average 52.9 6.4 40.8 5,666 41.0 8.2 50.8 13,172 

199 
Appendix Table A17. Trends in current use of contraception among currently married women age 15-24, by method type, by five-year 

age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 92.1 5.0 2.9 667 85.4 9.9 4.7 2,219 Benin 2001 92.1 4.5 3.4 287 81.7 11.7 6.6 867 Benin 1996 90.6 6.9 2.5 308 81.4 16.0 2.6 786 

Burkina Faso 2010 93.4 0.4 6.2 1,043 84.1 0.9 15.0 2,686 Burkina Faso 2003 93.2 2.4 4.4 878 85.3 5.3 9.4 1,861 Burkina Faso 1998-99 92.2 4.3 3.5 488 87.1 8.3 4.6 1,023 

Cameroon 2011 83.9 3.9 12.2 868 77.9 6.1 16.0 1,935 Cameroon 2004 76.4 8.8 14.8 828 73.6 11.8 14.7 1,563 Cameroon 1998 84.6 12.9 2.5 430 83.2 11.5 5.3 746 

Chad 2004 92.6 6.0 1.4 571 87.5 10.8 1.7 907 Chad 1996-97 96.9 2.3 0.8 801 95.6 3.2 1.2 1,190 

Congo Brazzaville 2011 63.8 9.8 26.3 413 54.1 22.8 23.0 1,083 Congo Brazzaville 2005 62.8 26.1 11.1 257 51.1 34.4 14.4 836 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 89.0 4.1 6.9 418 83.1 5.4 11.5 1,094 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 89.3 6.4 4.3 186 86.1 6.9 7.0 349 Côte d'Ivoire 1994 91.3 6.3 2.4 517 86.3 9.9 3.8 1,008 

Gabon 2012 75.1 9.4 15.6 241 66.1 10.5 23.4 711 Gabon 2000 59.9 26.7 13.4 287 62.6 23.1 14.3 663 

Ghana 2008 86.4 6.0 7.6 85 77.6 5.1 17.3 414 Ghana 2003 91.6 1.6 6.9 137 77.2 6.0 16.9 530 Ghana 1998 80.8 6.6 12.6 122 79.3 9.2 11.6 552 

Guinea 2005 91.2 3.8 5.0 587 89.3 4.5 6.2 888 Guinea 1999 96.6 1.1 2.3 580 93.9 2.4 3.7 879 

Mali 2006 92.3 1.9 5.8 1,566 90.9 1.7 7.4 2,402 Mali 2001 95.1 0.9 4.0 1,178 92.9 0.5 6.5 1,987 Mali 1995-96 95.4 2.2 2.4 915 94.1 2.6 3.3 1,363 

(Continued...)

200 
Appendix Table A17. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Niger 2006 95.7 2.6 1.7 1,014 87.3 7.6 5.0 1,426 Niger 1998 93.9 4.0 2.0 1,027 90.2 4.7 5.1 1,160 Niger 1992 97.8 1.3 0.8 779 94.6 3.2 2.2 1,059 

Nigeria 2008 97.0 0.6 2.4 1,863 89.9 3.1 7.1 3,659 Nigeria 2003 95.7 0.5 3.8 545 90.6 2.9 6.6 911 Nigeria 1999 95.8 2.9 1.2 472 91.8 5.6 2.6 934 

Senegal 2010-11 94.2 0.8 5.0 832 90.9 0.7 8.4 1,932 Senegal 2005 95.0 0.4 4.7 1,014 91.6 1.1 7.3 1,836 

East and Southern Africa 

Eritrea 2002 97.6 0.7 1.7 580 94.1 0.7 5.2 950 Eritrea 1995 96.7 2.7 0.6 366 90.5 5.3 4.2 571 

Ethiopia 2011 76.2 0.8 23.0 765 65.2 1.4 33.4 1,762 Ethiopia 2000 96.1 0.8 3.0 862 92.5 2.0 5.4 1,807 

Kenya 2008-09 77.5 2.9 19.6 212 64.3 5.2 30.4 958 Kenya 2003 83.6 3.7 12.7 333 72.2 5.4 22.4 965 Kenya 1998 82.0 7.9 10.1 285 68.8 6.4 24.8 948 

Lesotho 2009 71.8 1.4 26.8 292 56.1 0.8 43.1 860 Lesotho 2004 85.3 14.7 293 65.9 1.5 32.5 779 

Madagascar 2008-09 75.4 8.1 16.5 1,332 63.1 9.3 27.6 2,058 Madagascar 2003-04 87.3 2.1 10.7 416 75.2 6.8 18.1 875 Madagascar 1997 94.5 3.0 2.5 434 84.1 6.7 9.2 822 

Malawi 2010 71.2 2.4 26.4 1,171 58.2 3.8 38.0 3,469 Malawi 2004 81.1 2.3 16.6 788 70.8 3.7 25.4 2,283 Malawi 2000 84.8 2.3 12.9 934 73.7 3.6 22.7 2,324 

Mozambique 2011 94.1 0.1 5.8 1,136 88.3 0.3 11.4 1,804 Mozambique 2003 80.0 4.3 15.8 936 73.1 3.7 23.3 1,747 Mozambique 1997 99.4 0.1 0.6 825 95.5 0.8 3.7 1,337 

(Continued...)

201 
Appendix Table A17. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Namibia 2006-07 59.1 1.8 39.1 118 45.6 3.0 51.5 398 Namibia 2000 54.8 4.8 40.4 74 54.6 0.4 45.0 326 Namibia 1992 79.5 3.9 16.5 86 69.4 4.9 25.7 307 Rwanda 2010 67.1 2.2 30.6 89 55.5 2.4 42.1 998 Rwanda 2005 96.8 3.2 65 87.3 5.1 7.6 980 Rwanda 2000 95.0 3.5 1.5 172 89.5 5.5 5.0 963 

Tanzania 2010 85.1 2.9 12.0 399 70.4 5.7 23.9 1,210 Tanzania 2004-05 90.4 2.7 6.9 590 74.5 6.5 19.0 1,400 Tanzania 1999 89.4 4.1 6.5 227 71.6 8.0 20.4 550 

Uganda 2011 86.1 0.8 13.1 409 77.1 2.5 20.4 1,097 Uganda 2006 88.6 3.1 8.3 380 78.3 5.5 16.2 1,148 Uganda 2000-01 88.0 3.0 9.0 466 79.0 3.6 17.4 1,150 

Zambia 2007 71.9 6.1 22.0 280 58.2 7.7 34.1 889 Zambia 2001-02 74.5 6.5 19.1 438 68.4 8.8 22.8 1,086 Zambia 1996 83.1 8.1 8.8 498 75.4 10.0 14.7 1,207 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 63.8 0.8 35.4 452 39.8 1.1 59.0 1,210 Zimbabwe 2005-06 63.3 1.0 35.7 448 38.4 1.1 60.4 1,200 Zimbabwe 1999 57.9 3.5 38.6 314 46.3 1.4 52.3 820 

Middle East and North Africa 

Egypt 2008 76.6 3.7 19.8 605 55.4 3.8 40.9 2,527 Egypt 2005 73.7 2.2 24.1 792 55.3 3.4 41.3 2,898 Egypt 2000 76.6 1.4 22.0 599 57.3 2.1 40.5 2,187 

Jordan 2009 73.0 11.0 15.9 242 57.4 12.1 30.5 1,078 Jordan 2007 75.6 9.3 15.1 233 55.8 11.4 32.9 1,233 Jordan 2002 78.7 7.9 13.4 154 57.8 14.1 28.0 710 Jordan 1997 81.0 6.7 12.4 203 63.4 12.9 23.7 777 

Morocco 2003-04 61.6 2.5 35.9 346 42.2 5.1 52.7 1,095 Morocco 1992 76.7 1.2 22.1 253 64.8 3.1 32.1 677 

(Continued...)

202 
Appendix Table A17. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia Armenia 2010 80.9 16.0 3.1 68 60.2 21.6 18.2 450 Armenia 2005 83.5 12.0 4.5 78 57.1 24.3 18.6 504 Armenia 2000 74.5 7.5 18.0 99 44.7 33.4 21.9 511 

Kyrgyz Republic 2012 94.8 5.2 158 78.2 2.3 19.5 896 Kyrgyz Republic 1997 70.7 8.8 20.5 91 51.3 9.5 39.2 460 

Turkey 2003 59.5 21.4 19.1 120 39.8 29.4 30.8 543 Turkey 1998 66.4 17.8 15.7 262 47.1 22.1 30.8 924 Turkey 1993 75.9 14.8 9.3 329 48.9 22.9 28.2 1,026 

South and Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2011 52.9 4.7 42.4 1,925 42.1 4.5 53.4 3,396 Bangladesh 2007 58.2 4.3 37.6 1,376 47.6 4.9 47.5 2,094 Bangladesh 2004 57.8 8.1 34.1 1,536 47.1 6.2 46.8 2,121 

Cambodia 2010 72.9 8.2 18.8 382 56.8 11.8 31.4 1,679 Cambodia 2005 79.2 7.1 13.7 363 65.4 11.3 23.3 1,671 Cambodia 2000 91.1 1.9 7.0 438 84.5 3.1 12.4 1,009 

India 2005-06 87.0 6.0 6.9 6,726 66.6 7.3 26.1 16,782 India 1998-99 91.9 3.3 4.7 8,106 73.9 4.8 21.3 16,122 India 1992-93 92.9 3.1 4.0 8,897 79.0 3.7 17.3 17,491 

Indonesia 2012 51.9 0.4 47.6 890 39.5 1.3 59.3 3,754 Indonesia 2007 53.2 0.7 46.2 814 38.5 1.6 59.9 3,952 Indonesia 2002-03 52.7 0.5 46.8 912 39.3 1.8 58.9 3,761 

Nepal 2011 82.4 3.1 14.4 792 70.5 5.8 23.8 1,761 Nepal 2006 84.0 2.1 13.8 784 69.4 2.8 27.8 1,606 Nepal 2001 88.0 2.7 9.3 930 76.6 2.7 20.7 1,643 

Pakistan 2006-07 93.3 2.5 4.2 559 84.6 4.8 10.6 1,463 Pakistan 1990-91 97.4 0.7 1.9 418 93.7 2.5 3.8 1,041 

(Continued...)

203 
Appendix Table A17. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Philippines 2008 74.1 11.6 14.3 283 53.7 13.8 32.5 1,000 Philippines 2003 74.4 12.3 13.2 239 57.3 12.6 30.1 1,095 Philippines 1998 78.2 10.4 11.4 244 60.2 16.3 23.5 967 

Vietnam 2002 77.2 8.6 14.1 67 42.3 13.2 44.5 536 Vietnam 1997 81.9 3.2 14.9 129 44.9 11.8 43.3 716 Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 59.1 14.3 26.6 472 42.9 21.7 35.4 1,263 Bolivia 2003 54.4 19.3 26.3 427 44.8 19.1 36.1 1,624 Bolivia 1998 69.3 20.9 9.8 263 57.2 22.1 20.7 961 

Colombia 2010 39.5 5.5 55.1 1,249 28.3 5.7 66.0 3,207 Colombia 2005 42.8 10.0 47.1 934 28.3 10.5 61.3 2,735 Colombia 2000 42.8 12.2 45.0 325 30.9 12.3 56.8 814 

Dominican Republic 2007 54.2 2.0 43.8 1,050 39.6 4.1 56.2 2,159 Dominican Republic 2002 58.5 3.9 37.6 1,017 45.2 5.7 49.1 2,158 Dominican Republic 1999 67.5 4.4 28.1 46 54.1 11.1 34.8 119 

Haiti 2012 74.4 1.6 24.0 404 64.0 1.9 34.1 1,250 Haiti 2005-06 71.5 8.3 20.2 448 66.9 6.8 26.2 1,076 Haiti 2000 83.6 7.2 9.2 376 67.9 5.2 26.9 957 

Honduras 2011-12 44.3 6.3 49.4 1,144 30.6 7.9 61.5 2,091 Honduras 2005-06 54.1 6.0 39.9 914 40.9 7.8 51.3 2,030 

Nicaragua 2001 44.8 2.2 53.0 701 33.7 2.1 64.3 1,334 Nicaragua 1998 60.2 1.6 38.2 848 46.2 2.4 51.4 1,432 

Peru 2010 36.4 19.0 44.6 480 27.8 19.4 52.8 1,470 Peru 2005 40.5 17.2 42.3 812 29.4 18.9 51.8 2,510 Peru 2000 48.4 11.6 40.1 582 34.8 13.6 51.6 1,969 

204 
Appendix Table A18. Current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, by method type, by five-year age 

group, most recent DHS surveys, 2000-2012 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 46.1 26.0 27.9 272 32.7 32.4 34.9 222 Burkina Faso 2010 49.9 1.3 48.8 151 29.9 2.0 68.1 126 

Cameroon 2011 39.3 9.9 50.8 296 32.8 11.6 55.6 347 

Chad 2004 (95.2) (0.0) (4.8) 29 * * * 10 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 26.7 29.1 44.3 471 21.6 28.2 50.2 405 

Congo Democratic Republic 2007 53.7 23.3 23.0 242 45.7 28.8 25.5 200 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 64.9 6.4 28.7 380 55.8 12.2 32.0 396 

Gabon 2012 38.2 9.1 52.7 439 40.3 10.1 49.6 458 

Ghana 2008 47.4 19.8 32.8 87 56.3 16.4 27.2 88 Guinea 2005 57.4 11.5 31.1 148 44.0 10.7 45.3 70 Liberia 2007 76.9 3.4 19.7 384 69.4 6.1 24.6 333 Mali 2006 (73.1) (5.0) (21.9) 49 (67.8) (8.6) (23.6) 21 

Nigeria 2008 43.9 19.2 36.9 448 31.8 17.9 50.2 586 São Tomé and Príncipe 2008-09 (56.1) (0.0) (43.9) 54 (40.8) (1.1) (58.1) 51 Senegal 2010-11 74.9 1.6 23.4 36 75.8 0.0 24.2 41 

Sierra Leone 2008 68.6 10.9 20.5 186 53.7 12.6 33.7 157 

Regional average 57.0 11.0 32.0 3,672 46.6 13.2 40.2 3,511 East and Southern Africa Burundi 2010 (95.5) (0.0) (4.5) 24 * * * 19 

Ethiopia 2011 48.0 0.0 52.0 34 35.1 9.3 55.7 67 

Kenya 2008-09 73.2 3.6 23.2 72 36.8 4.4 58.9 66 Lesotho 2009 55.4 3.2 41.4 67 46.1 0.0 53.9 97 Madagascar 2008-09 68.1 18.0 13.9 281 48.4 16.5 35.1 204 

Malawi 2010 68.9 1.0 30.0 180 49.3 0.0 50.7 122 

Mozambique 2011 73.1 0.2 26.7 391 62.0 0.0 38.0 266 Namibia 2006-07 23.5 0.4 76.0 250 22.3 0.1 77.6 415 

(Continued...)

205 
Appendix Table A18. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Rwanda 2010 72.7 0.0 27.3 42 61.7 0.0 38.3 53 Swaziland 2006-07 44.3 0.0 55.7 98 38.4 1.2 60.4 193 

Tanzania 2010 60.3 5.2 34.5 170 42.4 9.7 47.9 186 

Uganda 2011 54.9 9.9 35.3 80 45.7 6.5 47.9 81 Zambia 2007 59.5 2.7 37.8 98 46.0 2.7 51.3 81 

Zimbabwe 2010-11 (64.9) (0.0) (35.1) 29 42.3 0.0 57.7 61 

Regional average 61.6 3.2 35.2 1,816 44.3 3.9 51.8 1,911 

Eastern Europe and Central Asia Albania 2008-09 (23.9) (47.0) (29.1) 32 22.0 49.1 28.9 58 Moldova 2005 23.5 24.3 52.2 73 30.6 24.3 45.1 109 Ukraine 2007 14.1 4.1 81.8 59 8.4 3.7 87.8 221 Regional average 20.5 25.1 54.4 164 20.3 25.7 53.9 388 

Latin America and Caribbean Bolivia 2008 31.2 22.8 46.0 132 17.4 36.6 46.0 205 Colombia 2010 20.8 8.6 70.5 1,334 15.5 5.5 78.9 1,786 

Dominican Republic 2007 50.7 5.1 44.2 441 40.9 5.1 54.0 576 

Guyana 2009 39.1 0.0 60.9 76 29.3 5.9 64.8 109 

Haiti 2012 68.7 2.4 28.9 311 61.6 2.6 35.8 370 Honduras 2011-12 29.0 17.0 54.0 214 23.8 12.3 63.9 272 

Nicaragua 2001 46.6 8.0 45.5 74 29.8 6.5 63.7 99 

Peru 2010 12.3 27.4 60.3 225 12.0 18.7 69.3 424 Regional average 37.3 11.4 51.3 2,807 28.8 11.7 59.6 3,841 Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. 

206 
Appendix Table A19. Trends in current use of contraception among sexually active, unmarried women age 15-24, by method type, by

five-year age group 

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

West and Central Africa Benin 2006 46.1 26.0 27.9 272 32.7 32.4 34.9 222 Benin 2001 68.1 16.6 15.4 125 50.2 29.6 20.2 98 Benin 1996 52.2 35.4 12.4 98 (31.8) (55.4) (12.8) 53 

Burkina Faso 2010 49.9 1.3 48.8 151 29.9 2.0 68.1 126 Burkina Faso 2003 48.9 3.5 47.5 158 27.4 1.6 71.0 81 Burkina Faso 1998-99 57.8 5.2 37.0 112 29.5 11.7 58.7 35 

Cameroon 2011 39.3 9.9 50.8 296 32.8 11.6 55.6 347 Cameroon 2004 26.1 24.0 49.8 189 25.4 21.3 53.3 176 Cameroon 1998 27.4 52.9 19.7 173 26.9 50.9 22.2 161 

Chad 2004 (95.2) (0.0) (4.8) 29 * * * 10 Chad 1996-97 85.8 4.6 9.5 64 79.7 14.0 6.3 34 

Congo Brazzaville 2011-12 26.7 29.1 44.3 471 21.6 28.2 50.2 405 Congo Brazzaville 2005 23.9 53.6 22.5 342 20.7 51.6 27.7 317 

Côte d'Ivoire 2012 64.9 6.4 28.7 380 55.8 12.2 32.0 396 Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 45.9 28.8 25.3 142 33.8 35.0 31.2 105 

Gabon 2012 38.2 9.1 52.7 439 40.3 10.1 49.6 458 Gabon 2000 35.5 36.6 27.9 320 35.9 31.0 33.2 279 

Ghana 2008 47.4 19.8 32.8 87 56.3 16.4 27.2 88 Ghana 2003 53.8 12.2 34.0 92 52.3 16.9 30.8 71 Ghana 1998 55.0 21.6 23.4 75 60.6 16.8 22.6 63 

Guinea 2005 57.4 11.5 31.1 148 44.0 10.7 45.3 70 Guinea 1999 57.6 22.3 20.1 85 44.5 12.6 42.9 59 

Mali 2006 (73.1) (5.0) (21.9) 49 (67.8) (8.6) (23.6) 21 Mali 2001 76.2 7.0 16.8 166 62.1 11.9 26.0 96 Mali 1995-96 71.1 13.6 15.4 133 46.8 10.9 42.4 61 

(Continued...)

207 
Appendix Table A19. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Nigeria 2008 43.9 19.2 36.9 448 31.8 17.9 50.2 586 Nigeria 2003 55.0 15.9 29.1 116 40.4 9.9 49.7 129 Nigeria 1999 53.4 23.6 23.0 103 31.5 28.5 40.1 136 

East and Southern Africa 

Ethiopia 2011 48.0 0.0 52.0 34 35.1 9.3 55.7 67 Ethiopia 2000 54.3 1.2 44.5 43 54.4 13.0 32.6 45 

Kenya 2008-09 73.2 3.6 23.2 72 36.8 4.4 58.9 66 Kenya 2003 50.6 12.3 37.1 68 46.9 11.1 42.0 75 Kenya 1998 69.6 9.9 20.4 148 49.3 15.7 35.0 98 

Lesotho 2009 55.4 3.2 41.4 67 46.1 0.0 53.9 97 Lesotho 2004 62.2 0.0 37.8 57 47.4 1.1 51.6 74 

Madagascar 2008-09 68.1 18.0 13.9 281 48.4 16.5 35.1 204 Madagascar 2003-04 69.2 13.1 17.8 148 52.6 22.8 24.7 118 Madagascar 1997 82.2 12.4 5.4 174 65.6 23.5 10.9 150 

Malawi 2010 68.9 1.0 30.0 180 49.3 0.0 50.7 122 Malawi 2004 75.0 1.5 23.5 87 71.8 1.2 27.0 76 Malawi 2000 82.4 0.7 16.9 146 64.6 1.0 34.4 76 

Mozambique 2011 73.1 0.2 26.7 391 62.0 0.0 38.0 266 Mozambique 2003 57.0 2.2 40.8 403 42.1 5.2 52.7 259 Mozambique 1997 93.0 2.0 5.0 202 79.2 3.7 17.1 106 

Namibia 2006-07 23.5 0.4 76.0 250 22.3 0.1 77.6 415 Namibia 2000 49.3 0.2 50.5 177 39.2 0.5 60.3 202 

Tanzania 2010 60.3 5.2 34.5 170 42.4 9.7 47.9 186 Tanzania 2004-05 68.2 1.8 30.0 166 52.7 5.4 41.9 152 Tanzania 1999 74.0 5.2 20.8 113 56.2 6.9 36.9 97 

Uganda 2011 54.9 9.9 35.3 80 45.7 6.5 47.9 81 Uganda 2006 62.8 9.0 28.1 80 43.4 6.1 50.5 98 Uganda 2000-01 48.4 4.1 47.5 93 45.8 4.1 50.1 59 

(Continued...)

208 
Appendix Table A19. – Continued

Region and country Year 

Age 15-19 Age 20-24 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

No 

method 

Traditional 

method 

Modern method 

Weighted 

n 

Zambia 2007 59.5 2.7 37.8 98 46.0 2.7 51.3 81 Zambia 2001-02 77.4 2.4 20.2 128 62.6 4.2 33.3 82 Zambia 1996 83.7 2.9 13.4 190 69.0 8.5 22.6 110 Zimbabwe 2010-11 (64.9) (0.0) (35.1) 29 42.3 0.0 57.7 61 Zimbabwe 2005-06 (63.2) (0.0) (36.8) 34 (42.9) (2.1) (55.0) 44 Zimbabwe 1999 (65.3) (0.0) (34.7) 28 54.0 0.0 46.0 49 

Latin America and Caribbean 

Bolivia 2008 31.2 22.8 46.0 132 17.4 36.6 46.0 205 Bolivia 2003 50.3 31.0 18.7 129 31.4 23.5 45.1 187 Bolivia 1998 (36.5) (40.9) (22.6) 38 41.9 24.6 33.5 60 

Colombia 2010 20.8 8.6 70.5 1,334 15.5 5.5 78.9 1,786 Colombia 2005 20.5 14.8 64.7 826 19.0 13.5 67.5 1,232 Colombia 2000 18.7 31.7 49.6 195 15.6 19.3 65.0 325 

Dominican Republic 2007 50.7 5.1 44.2 441 40.9 5.1 54.0 576 Dominican Republic 2002 58.6 12.1 29.3 187 39.7 8.0 52.3 357 

Haiti 2012 68.7 2.4 28.9 311 61.6 2.6 35.8 370 Haiti 2005-06 66.4 4.2 29.4 152 60.1 12.1 27.8 166 Haiti 2000 57.1 10.3 32.5 101 63.4 8.5 28.1 135 

Honduras 2011-12 29.0 17.0 54.0 214 23.8 12.3 63.9 272 Honduras 2005-06 33.5 9.4 57.1 105 30.7 10.0 59.3 156 

Nicaragua 2001 46.6 8.0 45.5 74 29.8 6.5 63.7 99 Nicaragua 1998 (77.7) (2.6) (19.7) 38 (31.3) (12.4) (56.3) 36 

Peru 2010 12.3 27.4 60.3 225 12.0 18.7 69.3 424 Peru 2005 11.4 29.5 59.1 350 8.7 26.3 64.9 660 Peru 2000 28.4 45.1 26.6 192 15.4 31.2 53.4 300 

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. 

209