The MEASURE DHS project assists countries worldwide in the collection and use of data to monitor and 

evaluate population, health, nutrition, and HIV/AIDS programs. Funded by the United States Agency for 

International Development (USAID) under Contract No. GPO-C-00-03-00002-00, MEASURE DHS is 

implemented by Macro International Inc. in Calverton, Maryland. 

The main objectives of the MEASURE DHS project are: 

• To provide decisionmakers in survey countries with information useful for informed policy choices; 

• To expand the international population and health database; 

• To advance survey methodology; and 

• To develop in participating countries the skills and resources necessary to conduct high-quality 

demographic and health surveys. 

Additional information about the MEASURE DHS project is available on the Internet at 

http://www.measuredhs.com or by contacting Macro International Inc., MEASURE DHS, 11785 Beltsville 

Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705 USA; Telephone: 301-572-0200, Fax: 301-572-0999, E-mail: 

reports@macrointernational.com.
DHS Comparative Reports No. 16

Contraceptive Trends 

in Developing Countries 

Shane Khan 

Vinod Mishra 

Fred Arnold 

Noureddine Abderrahim 

Macro International Inc. 

Calverton, Maryland USA 

December 2007 

The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the 

United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
This publication was made possible through support provided by the United States Agency for 

International Development under Contract No. GPO-C-00-03-00002-00. 

Recommended citation: 

Khan, Shane, Vinod Mishra, Fred Arnold, and Noureddine Abderrahim. 2007. Contraceptive Trends in 

Developing Countries. DHS Comparative Reports No. 16. Calverton, Maryland, USA: Macro International 

Inc.
iii

Contents 

Tables and Figures ........................................................................................................................................ v 

Preface ........................................................................................................................................................vii 

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................ ix 

Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... xi 

1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1 

2 Data and Methods ............................................................................................................................ 3 

 2.1 Data..................................................................................................................................... 3 

 2.2 Definition of Variables ....................................................................................................... 5 

 2.3 Data Limitations ................................................................................................................. 7 

 2.4 Characteristics of Currently Married Women..................................................................... 7 

3 Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods ............................................................................................ 9 

 3.1 Levels of Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods ............................................................... 9 

 3.2 Differentials in Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods .................................................... 12 

 3.3 Trends in Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods ............................................................. 17 

4 Ever Use of Contraception............................................................................................................. 19 

 4.1 Levels of Ever Use of Contraception................................................................................ 19 

 4.2 Differentials in Ever Use of Modern Methods.................................................................. 22 

 4.3 Trends in Ever Use of Contraception................................................................................ 24 

5 Current Use of Contraception ........................................................................................................ 27 

 5.1 Levels of Current Use of Contraception ........................................................................... 27 

 5.2 Differentials in Current Use of Contraception.................................................................. 30 

 5.3 Trends in Current Use of Contraception........................................................................... 32 

 5.4 Unmet Need for Contraception......................................................................................... 48 

 5.5 Informed Choice and Use of Contraception ..................................................................... 50 

6 Sources of Contraceptive Methods ................................................................................................ 53 

 6.1 Source of Current Contraceptive Method ......................................................................... 53 

 6.2 Differentials in Use of Private Medical Sources............................................................... 54 

 6.3 Trends in Sources of Modern Contraceptive Methods ..................................................... 56 

7 Contraceptive Discontinuation and Nonuse................................................................................... 59

 7.1 Contraceptive Discontinuation, Switching, and Nonuse .................................................. 59 

 7.2 Reasons for Discontinuation of Contraceptive Use .......................................................... 60 

 7.3 Reasons for Current Nonuse of Contraception ................................................................. 61 

 7.4 Reasons for Intended Nonuse of Contraception in the Future.......................................... 62 

8 Discussion, Approval, and Decisionmaking about Family Planning............................................. 65 

 8.1 Discussion of Family Planning ......................................................................................... 65 

 8.2 Approval of the Use of Family Planning .......................................................................... 65 

 8.3 Decisionmaking in Family Planning................................................................................. 67 

9 Conclusions.................................................................................................................................... 69 

References................................................................................................................................................... 71 

v

Tables and Figures 

Table 2.1 Summary of Demographic and Health Surveys, 2000-2005....................................... 3 

Table 2.2 Demographic and Health Surveys, 1986-2005 ........................................................... 4 

Table 2.3 Characteristics of Currently Married Women............................................................. 8 

Table 3.1 Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods........................................................................ 9 

Table 3.2 Knowledge of Modern and Traditional Contraceptive Methods .............................. 11 

Table 3.3 Differentials in Knowledge of Any Modern Contraceptive Method ........................ 13 

Table 3.4 Differentials in Knowledge of at least Three Modern Contraceptive Methods ........ 15 

Table 3.5 Differentials in Knowledge of at least Five Modern Contraceptive Methods .......... 16 

Table 3.6 Trends in Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods ..................................................... 17 

Table 4.1 Ever Use of Contraception........................................................................................ 19 

Table 4.2 Ever Use of Specific Modern and Traditional Contraceptive Methods .................... 21 

Table 4.3 Differentials in Ever Use of Any Modern Contraceptive Method ............................ 23 

Table 4.4 Trends in Ever Use of Contraception........................................................................ 24 

Table 5.1 Current Use of Contraception ................................................................................... 27 

Table 5.2 Current Use of Specific Modern and Traditional Contraceptive Methods ............... 29 

Table 5.3 Differentials in Current Use of Any Modern Contraceptive Method ....................... 31 

Table 5.4 Trends in Current Use of Contraception ................................................................... 32 

Table 5.5 Trends in Unmet Need for Contraception................................................................. 48 

Table 5.6 Informed Choice and Use of Contraception.............................................................. 50 

Figure 5.1 Trends in current use of any modern method of contraception by residence, 

 DHS Surveys 1986-2005 .......................................................................................... 35 

Figure 5.2 Trends in current use of any modern method of contraception by education, 

DHS Surveys 1986-2005 .......................................................................................... 42 

Table 6.1 Sources of Contraceptive Methods ........................................................................... 53 

Table 6.2 Differentials in Use of the Private Medical Sector as the Source of 

Contraceptive Methods ............................................................................................. 55 

Table 6.3 Trends in Sources of Modern Contraceptive Methods ............................................. 56 

Table 7.1 Contraceptive Discontinuation, Switching, Nonuse, and Intended Nonuse 

in the Future .............................................................................................................. 59 

Table 7.2 Reasons for Discontinuation of Contraceptive Use .................................................. 61 

Table 7.3 Reasons for Current Nonuse of Contraception ......................................................... 62 

Table 7.4 Reasons for Intended Nonuse of Contraception in the Future .................................. 63 

Table 8.1 Trends in Discussion of Family Planning and Approval of Family Planning........... 66 

Table 8.2 Decisionmaking in Family Planning......................................................................... 68 

vii

Preface 

One of the most significant contributions of the MEASURE 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. Whereas Comparative Reports are 

primarily descriptive, Analytical Studies have 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. 

The topics covered in Comparative Reports are selected by MEASURE DHS staff in conjunction 

with the U.S. Agency for International Development. Some reports are updates of previously published 

reports. 

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

countries will enhance the understanding of important issues in the fields of international population and 

health by analysts and policymakers. 

Ann Way 

Project Director 

ix

Acknowledgments 

The authors would like to thank Reena Seethi and Yuan G. Cheng for research assistance. We 

would also like to express our appreciation to Christopher Gramer and Sidney Moore for editing the 

report. Special thanks go to the two reviewers who provided valuable comments on the document. An 

earlier version of this document was presented at the Population Association of America annual meeting 

in New York, New York, March 29-31, 2007. 

xi

Executive Summary 

This study examines trends and differentials in key family planning indicators in 35 developing 

countries. The data are for countries with a Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted between 

2000 and 2005. Trends are provided for countries with at least one previous DHS survey. The study 

investigates how knowledge of contraception and use of contraception have changed; whether publicprivate, urban-rural, and other differentials in contraceptive use have narrowed, and whether women are 

making informed decisions about the use of contraception. It also examines discontinuation and switching 

rates, and decisionmaking about family planning. 

Results indicate that knowledge of contraception is almost universal in most countries, yet 

knowledge of multiple methods of contraception, despite increases over time, remains considerably 

lower, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The most commonly used modern methods are the pill, 

injectables, and the male condom. Current contraceptive use has increased steadily in most countries, but 

levels remain lower in sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly among rural and less-educated women. While 

modern methods account for the large majority of contraceptive use, and a growing share of all use, 

considerable proportions of women in several countries continue to rely on traditional methods. Unmet 

need has declined in many countries, but remains substantial in sub-Saharan Africa. 

In most countries, a substantial proportion of women are not informed about other methods of 

contraception or about the potential side effects of their chosen method. While public sector facilities 

remain the main source of modern methods, over time, there has been declining use of public sector 

sources in South/Southeast Asia, increasing use in Latin America and the Caribbean, and no clear trend in 

sub-Saharan Africa. 

Contraceptive discontinuation rates are high, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of 

current users in most countries have switched methods, irrespective of region. Among current nonusers, a 

considerable proportion of women do not intend to use contraception in the future, even in countries with 

low contraceptive prevalence. Fertility-related reasons are the most commonly cited reasons for 

contraceptive discontinuation, current nonuse, and intended future nonuse. However, method-related 

reasons and opposition to use of contraception are also reported by many women as reasons for not using 

or not intending to use contraception. 

Most women have not discussed contraception with their husband/partner in the past few months, 

particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. A large majority of women approve of couples’ use of contraception 

and believe that their husband approved of it as well. There are no clear trends in the proportion of 

women who recently discussed family planning with anyone; however, the proportion of women 

approving of family planning has increased or remained at a high level in most countries. Among women 

who are current users, a large majority reported participating in contraceptive decisionmaking. 

1

1 Introduction 

Global family planning programs have been in existence in the developing world for several 

decades and are primarily designed to supply couples with the methods of family planning that best suit 

their needs. Over the years, family planning programs have changed to meet the needs of the people 

receiving the services as well as the donors providing the services. There is recognition that family 

planning has been a major public health success (WHO, 2002), as evidenced by substantial fertility 

declines in many countries. However, in recent years, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and changing funding 

mechanisms have shifted donor interest and assistance away from family planning programs (Vogel, 

2006). 

Family planning programs have been the primary means of reducing fertility rates. However, 

despite years of investment in programs, fertility declines are not always apparent, nor are they 

continuous. New insights show that in several developing countries fertility rates that were declining are 

beginning to stall (Bongaarts, 2006; Westoff and Cross, 2006). These stalls in fertility decline are 

associated with a leveling off in contraceptive use, the demand for family planning, and the number of 

wanted births. 

This report presents a comparative analysis of family planning at the national level for 35 

developing countries in four regions around the world, using data from the Demographic and Health 

Surveys (DHS). The study builds on earlier works by DHS on contraceptive use patterns and trends in 

contraception (Ayad et al., 1994; Curtis and Neitzel, 1996; Rutenberg et al., 1991). The report covers a 

range of topics and is intended to provide both policymakers and the research community with pertinent 

information on the state of family planning around the world. The family planning indicators used to 

assess national programs are examined and trend data are provided where available. Differentials in main 

contraceptive indicators are examined. 

The first section deals with knowledge of contraceptive methods; this is followed by sections on 

ever use of contraception, current use of contraception, and unmet need for contraception. Informed 

choice on contraception, which is recognized as a right of clients (Huezo and Diaz, 1992) as well as part 

of a quality program (Bruce, 1990; Finger, 1993), is also discussed. 

With the increasing global demand for family planning, the logistics of supplying women and 

men with contraceptive methods have undergone major changes. While government sources have been 

the main providers in many countries over the past few decades (Curtis and Neitzel, 1996), the private 

medical sector and social marketing programs have become important sources. To capture how the 

supplier environment has changed, this report examines information on levels and trends in sources of 

family planning methods. 

High levels of discontinuation and method switching can be indicative of low method satisfaction 

or poor service delivery (Ali and Cleland, 1995). On the other hand, lower levels of method switching can 

mean that user choices are limited rather than they have better options (Ping, 1995). Given the importance 

of these indicators, this analysis looks at levels of contraceptive discontinuation, method switching, 

current nonuse, and intended future nonuse. Where data are available, the reasons for each of these 

behaviors are explored. 

Gender is an important factor in reproductive health decisionmaking (Speizer, Whittle, and 

Carter, 2005). To examine the role gender plays in contraceptive use, the report analyzes spousal 

communication about contraception, approval of contraceptive use, and decisionmaking in adopting 

contraception. 
2

The report provides an update on the current state and direction of key family planning program 

indicators. The findings are intended to help evaluate family planning programs and guide program 

planners and policymakers in developing countries. 
3

2 Data and Methods 

2.1 Data 

The data used in this report are taken from DHS surveys conducted between 2000 and 2005 and 

cover 35 countries (Table 2.1). Included in these 35 countries is the Egypt 2003 survey, which is an 

Interim DHS survey, and the Uzbekistan 2002 survey, which is a Health Examination Survey. The survey 

methodology used in these two surveys is comparable to that used in the standard DHS surveys. 

DHS surveys collect data from nationally-representative probability samples of households and of 

adult women and men in the sample households. Most DHS surveys use a two-stage cluster sampling 

design, often oversampling certain categories of respondents. Because the DHS samples are not selfweighting and because the response rates vary across sampling domains, weights are used to obtain 

nationally-representative estimates. Sample sizes in these surveys vary from 4,168 households in 

Uzbekistan to 37,211 households in Colombia. 

Table 2.1 Summary of Demographic and Health Surveys, 2000-2005 

Country/year 

Number of 

households 

interviewed

Number of 

women 

interviewed

Number of 

currently 

married 

womena

 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 5,769 6,219 4,563 

Burkina Faso 2003 9,097 12,477 9,655 

Cameroon 2004 10,462 10,656 7,166 

Eritrea 2002 9,389 8,754 5,733 

Ethiopia 2000 14,072 15,367 9,789 

Gabon 2000 6,203 6,183 3,348 

Ghana 2003 6,251 5,691 3,549 

Kenya 2003 8,561 8,195 4,919 

Madagascar 2003-04 8,420 7,949 5,140 

Malawi 2000 14,213 13,220 9,452 

Mali 2001 12,331 12,849 10,723 

Mauritania 2000 6,149 7,728 4,541 

Mozambique 2003 12,315 12,418 8,736 

Namibia 2000 6,392 6,755 2,610 

Nigeria 2003 7,225 7,620 5,336 

Rwanda 2001 9,696 10,421 5,052 

Uganda 2000 7,885 7,246 4,881 

Zambia 2001 7,126 7,658 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 5,980 6,430 4,125 

Egypt 2003b

 10,089 9,159 8,445 

Jordan 2002 7,825 6,006 5,706 

Morocco 2003 11,513 16,798 8,782 

Uzbekistan 2002c

 4,168 5,463 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 10,500 11,440 10,582 

Cambodia 2000 12,236 15,351 9,071 

Indonesia 2002-03 33,088 29,483 27,857 

Nepal 2001 8,602 8,726 8,342 

Philippines 2003 12,586 13,633 8,671 

Vietnam 2002 7,048 5,665 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 19,207 17,654 10,569 

Colombia 2005 37,211 38,355 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 2002 27,135 23,384 13,996 

Haiti 2000 9,595 10,159 5,958 

Nicaragua 2001 11,328 13,060 7,424 

Peru 2000 28,900 27,843 15,628 

a Women who are currently married or in union 

b Interim Demographic and Health Survey 

c Health Examination Survey 
4

DHS surveys follow several procedures that facilitate comparison of data across countries; these 

include use of standard questionnaires and standard recode variables (Rutstein and Rojas, 2006). 

The analysis presented in this report is restricted to currently married women of reproductive age 

(15-49 years). The category “currently married” includes both formally married women and unmarried 

women who are living with a man as if married. The number of currently married women in the 35 

surveys included in the study ranges from 2,610 in Namibia 2000 to 27,857 in Indonesia 2002-03. In 

some of the analyses, the base sample is further restricted to a subset of currently married women. For 

example, the analysis of informed choice (regarding contraceptive methods) is limited to currently 

married women using a modern method of contraception who adopted that method in the past five years. 

For the outcome variables (defined below), the study examines how levels differ by respondent’s 

age, number of living children, residence, education, regular media exposure (exposure to radio, 

television, or print media at least once a week), and household wealth status (measured by an index based 

on ownership of household assets [Rutstein and Johnson, 2004]). 

Trends are presented for 30 of the 35 countries that have at least one previous survey. Table 2.2 

shows the years for which trend data are available for each country. 

Table 2.2 Demographic and Health Surveys, 1986-2005 

Country Survey years 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 1996 2001 

Burkina Faso 1992 1999 2003 

Cameroon 1991 1998 2004 

Eritrea 1995 2002 

Ethiopia 2000 

Gabon 2000 

Ghana 1988 1993 1998-99 2003-04 

Kenya 1989 1993 1998 2003 

Madagascar 1992 1997 2003-04 

Malawi 1992 2000 

Mali 1987 1996 2001 

Mauritania 2000 

Mozambique 1997 2003 

Namibia 1992 2000 

Nigeria 1990 1999 2003 

Rwanda 1992 2001 

Uganda 1988 1995 2000 

Zambia 1992 1996 2001 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 

Egypt 1988 1992 1995 2000 2003 

Jordan 1990 1997 2002 

Morocco 1987 1992 2003 

Uzbekistan 1996 2002 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 1994 1997 2000 2004 

Cambodia 2000 

Indonesia 1987 1991 1994 1997 2002-03 

Nepal 1996 2001 

Philippines 1993 1998 2003 

Vietnam 1997 2002 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 1989 1994 1998 2003 

Colombia 1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 

Dominican Rep. 1986 1991 1996 1999 2002 

Haiti 1994 2000 

Nicaragua 1997 2001 

Peru 1986 1992 1996 2000 
5

For presentation of results, the countries are arranged by standard DHS groupings within four 

broad world regions: sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa/West Asia/Europe, South/Southeast Asia, and 

Latin America and the Caribbean. 

2.2 Definition of Variables 

The variables of interest as well as various concepts used in this report are explained below. In 

most cases, standard DHS definitions were retained. 

Contraceptive methods. Contraceptive methods are grouped into two categories: modern methods and 

traditional methods. Modern methods include female sterilization, male sterilization, the pill, the IUD, 

injectables, implants (such as Norplant), the female condom, the male condom, lactational amenorrhea 

method (LAM), emergency contraception, the diaphragm, and foam/jelly. Traditional methods include 

periodic abstinence, withdrawal, and any country-specific traditional methods. 

Contraceptive knowledge. All survey respondents are asked about their knowledge of specific 

contraceptive methods. A woman is considered to have knowledge of a particular contraceptive method if 

she has ever heard of the method (i.e., the method was reported spontaneously or after probing). Early 

phases of the DHS program distinguished between the two types of responses, while later phases did not. 

It should be noted that knowledge of a contraceptive method does not measure a respondent’s depth of 

knowledge. 

Ever use of contraception. Women who report knowing of a particular method of contraception are 

asked if they have ever used that method. In the case of female sterilization, women are asked if they ever 

had an operation to avoid having any (more) children. Similarly, in the case of male sterilization, women 

are asked if their partner ever had an operation to avoid having any (more) children. 

Current use of contraception. Women were asked if they were currently doing something or using any 

method to delay or avoid getting pregnant at or about the time of the survey. Women using any modern or 

traditional method are defined as current users of contraception. In the case of concurrent method use 

(i.e., women reporting use of more than one method), the most effective method is considered. 

Determining if a respondent is currently using a method necessarily takes into account the varying lengths 

of time for which methods are effective. For example, the contraceptive effect of using implants can last 

for five years, whereas a coitus-related method prevents pregnancy only during a given episode of sexual 

intercourse. 

Unmet need for contraception. Women have an unmet need for contraception if they are not currently 

using a method of contraception and want to stop (further) childbearing. Women have an “unmet need for 

spacing” if they are not currently using a method of contraception and want to delay the next birth by at 

least two years. Women have an “unmet need for limiting” if they are not currently using a method of 

contraception and want to stop childbearing. “Total unmet need” is the sum of unmet need for spacing 

and unmet need for limiting. 

Informed choice. The extent to which women have been informed about contraceptive methods is 

measured using three indicators: 1) percentage of currently married women using a clinical method who 

were informed of the side effects (at the time of obtaining the method), 2) percentage of currently married 

women using a clinical method who were informed of other methods (by a health/family planning 

worker), and 3) percentage of sterilized women who were informed before the operation that sterilization 

is permanent. 
6

Sources of modern contraceptive methods. The source of a woman’s current method is the place where 

she obtained the method the last time. For this analysis, sources are grouped into three broad categories: 

the public sector, the private medical sector, and other sources. Country-specific definitions of these 

sources are maintained to facilitate analysis. A lack of consistency in the definition of these sources may 

limit cross-country comparisons. In case of concurrent method use, the source of the most effective 

method is determined. Although LAM is a modern method, it is not included in this analysis. 

Contraceptive discontinuation and reasons for discontinuation. Contraceptive discontinuation refers 

to the proportion of currently married women who have used a method of contraception in the past but are 

not currently using any method. This information provides the lifetime discontinuation rate. 

Information on reasons for contraceptive discontinuation is available from the DHS calendar (in 

the questionnaire), which provides month-by-month information on the type of method used. Because 

calendar data are available for only a few countries that have relatively high contraceptive prevalence 

rates, the analysis of reasons for discontinuation in this study is limited to a smaller set of countries. 

Reasons for the most recent discontinuation are grouped under four broad categories: fertility-related 

reasons, opposition to use, method-related reasons, and other reasons. 

Contraceptive switching. Contraceptive switching refers to current use of a contraceptive method that is 

different from the method previously used. 

Reasons for current nonuse of contraception. Current nonusers of contraception who did not want any 

(more) children or who did not want a child in the next two years were asked why they were not using a 

method of contraception. Reasons for current nonuse are grouped under five broad categories: fertilityrelated reasons, opposition to use, lack of knowledge, method-related reasons, and other reasons. Women 

are allowed to report multiple reasons for nonuse of contraception, so the percentages typically add to 

more than 100. 

Reasons for intended nonuse of contraception in the future. Current nonusers of contraception were 

asked if they intended to use contraception in the future. Those who did not intend to use a method and 

those who did not know if they would use a method were asked the main reason they did not intend to use 

contraception in the future. Reasons were again grouped under five main categories: fertility-related 

reasons, opposition to use, lack of knowledge, method-related reasons, and other reasons. 

Discussion about contraception. Women who know any contraceptive method were asked if they had 

discussed family planning with anyone in the past few months. Those who had discussed family planning 

with someone were further asked to identify the person with whom they discussed it. The analysis 

examines the proportion of women who discussed family planning with anyone and the proportion who 

discussed it with their husband/partner. 

Approval of contraception. Approval of contraception is measured by two variables: the proportion of 

women who approve of couples using contraception, and the proportion who believe that their 

husband/partner approves of couples using contraception. 

Contraceptive decisionmaking. Current users of contraceptive methods were asked who made the 

decision to use contraception. The response categories identified whether the decision was 1) made 

mainly by the respondent herself, 2) made mainly by the husband/partner, 3) a joint decision between the 

two, or 4) made mainly by some other person. 
7

2.3 Data Limitations 

DHS data have several limitations that should be kept in mind when interpreting patterns and 

trends in family planning indicators. First, although response rates in DHS surveys are generally very 

high, differences in levels of nonresponse across countries and over time can bias survey estimates used 

in cross-country comparisons and trend analyses. Moreover, in some countries, the geographic coverage 

of survey samples has changed over time, making it difficult to analyze trends. Other factors that can 

affect cross-country comparisons and trend analyses are nonresponse and misreporting on specific 

questions, especially those related to sexual behavior and contraceptive use. 

For some variables, information available in the most recent survey was not collected in earlier 

surveys, or the manner in which a question was asked has changed over time. In addition, there are 

differences across countries in the way some indicators were defined, and in some countries definitions 

may have changed over time. For example, definitions of public and private medical sources of 

contraceptive methods differ across countries and have changed in many countries. In general, countryspecific definitions from the main survey reports have been used, but in a few cases it was necessary to 

create comparable indicators that are different from those in the main survey reports. These changes, and 

variations in the availability and definition of indicators, limit the analyses presented in this report. 

2.4 Characteristics of Currently Married Women 

Table 2.3 shows the percent distribution of currently married women age 15-49 by selected 

background characteristics (age, number of living children, urban-rural residence, education, and regular 

exposure to mass media). The percentage of currently married women age 15-24 ranges from a low of 11 

percent in Vietnam to 35 percent in Malawi and Bangladesh. There are smaller percentages of women age 

35-49 in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. In general, women in sub-Saharan Africa are more 

likely to live in rural areas, have more children, be less educated, and have less exposure to mass media 

than women in other regions. 
8

Table 2.3 Characteristics of currently married women Percent distribution of currently married women by age, number of living children, residence, education, and media exposure, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Age Number of living children Residence Education 

Regular media 

exposure 

(number of sources) 

Country/year 15-24 25-34 35-49 0 1-2 3-4 5+ Urban Rural None Primary Secondary+ 0 1 2+ Number Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 25 41 34 9 36 28 28 35 66 72 19 8 34 51 15 4,563 Burkina Faso 2003 28 36 36 9 34 28 28 15 85 88 8 4 48 40 12 9,655 Cameroon 2004 33 36 30 14 35 25 25 49 51 29 40 31 50 24 26 7,166 Eritrea 2002 27 37 36 15 31 26 27 34 66 62 26 12 32 42 26 5,733 Ethiopia 2000 27 37 36 11 32 27 30 12 88 83 12 5 90 9 2 9,789 Gabon 2000 28 39 33 14 36 24 26 76 24 8 39 53 38 30 32 3,348 Ghana 2003 19 40 42 9 36 30 25 41 60 38 20 42 24 42 34 3,549 Kenya 2003 26 39 34 7 35 30 28 22 78 16 59 26 22 48 29 4,919 Madagascar 2003-04 25 38 37 10 35 29 26 23 77 24 48 29 38 37 25 5,140 Malawi 2000 35 36 29 11 40 26 23 14 86 32 61 8 45 48 7 9,452 Mali 2001 30 37 34 11 33 27 30 25 76 84 10 5 36 41 23 10,723 Mauritania 2000 25 39 36 14 29 25 33 41 60 69 22 10 45 40 15 4,541 Mozambique 2003 31 38 31 12 36 29 23 29 71 48 48 4 52 39 9 8,736 Namibia 2000 15 40 45 8 36 31 25 45 55 16 35 49 22 33 45 2,610 Nigeria 2003 27 37 35 12 33 27 28 31 69 54 22 24 38 36 26 5,336 Rwanda 2001 23 40 38 8 37 28 27 15 85 35 55 10 57 37 7 5,052 Uganda 2000 33 39 28 9 31 29 32 13 87 26 61 13 48 39 13 4,881 Zambia 2001 33 39 29 9 36 27 28 35 65 14 62 24 53 27 20 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 15 31 54 6 55 37 2 58 42 * * 100 9 51 40 4,125 Egypt 2003 20 36 44 10 36 36 19 43 58 37 17 47 5 29 67 8,445 Jordan 2002 15 43 42 8 25 31 36 80 20 6 11 83 10 37 53 5,706 Morocco 2003 16 33 50 11 36 30 24 57 43 63 17 19 15 42 43 8,782 Uzbekistan 2002 21 37 42 8 40 40 13 39 62 9 60 31 u u u 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 35 35 30 11 44 32 14 22 78 40 30 31 41 34 25 10,436 Cambodia 2000 16 38 47 8 32 31 29 16 84 31 55 15 33 34 33 9,071 Indonesia 2002-03 17 37 46 8 52 29 11 46 54 8 54 39 18 43 39 27,857 Nepal 2001 31 36 33 12 36 35 18 10 91 72 15 14 51 33 16 8,342 Philippines 2003 15 37 48 8 39 32 21 54 47 2 29 69 9 24 67 8,671 Vietnam 2002 11 38 51 5 57 31 8 19 81 6 26 67 8 34 58 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 19 38 43 0 39 32 30 65 35 9 56 36 10 26 64 10,569 Colombia 2005 19 34 47 8 51 31 10 73 27 4 34 62 u u u 19,762 Dominican Rep. 2002 23 36 41 9 40 39 12 65 35 5 52 43 4 16 80 13,996 Haiti 2000 22 37 41 11 37 27 25 37 63 40 41 19 40 32 28 5,958 Nicaragua 2001 27 35 37 8 40 29 24 58 42 18 44 38 9 27 64 7,424 Peru 2000 16 38 46 5 45 30 20 64 36 7 37 56 21 30 49 15,628 

Note: For Nepal and Vietnam, media exposure is defined as exposure to television or newspapers at least once a week, and exposure to radio every day; the standard definition 

is contact with any source at least once a week. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. u = Unknown (Not available) 

8
9

3 Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods 

One of the major goals of family planning programs is to increase women’s awareness of family 

planning methods. Knowledge of family planning is considered the first stage toward the adoption of a 

contraceptive method. This section looks at how well informed women are about contraceptive methods, 

and how knowledge of contraception has changed over time. 

3.1 Levels of Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods 

Knowledge of Any Method of Contraception and Knowledge of Any Modern Method 

Knowledge of at least one method of contraception is nearly universal across all regions (Table 

3.1). In sub-Saharan Africa, knowledge of a contraceptive method is generally above 85 percent. 

However, in 3 of the 18 sub-Saharan countries, levels were below 85 percent: Mali (78 percent), 

Mauritania (71 percent), and Nigeria (78 percent). In the other three regions, levels vary within a narrow 

range, from 94 percent in Bolivia to 100 percent in several countries. Knowledge of a modern method 

shows a similar distribution to knowledge of any method, in all regions. 

Table 3.1 Knowledge of contraceptive methods 

Percentage of currently married women who know any contraceptive method, any modern 

method, 3+ modern methods, 5+ modern methods, and any traditional method, DHS surveys 

2000-2005 

Modern method 

Country/year 

Any 

method Any 3+ 5+ 

Any 

traditional 

method Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 92 91 79 52 63 4,563 

Burkina Faso 2003 92 90 76 52 48 9,655 

Cameroon 2004 89 89 71 49 65 7,166 

Eritrea 2002 88 87 72 35 37 5,733 

Ethiopia 2000 86 85 38 11 24 9,789 

Gabon 2000 95 95 75 50 87 3,348 

Ghana 2003 98 98 93 85 78 3,549 

Kenya 2003 96 95 92 82 76 4,919 

Madagascar 2003-04 85 84 70 44 53 5,140 

Malawi 2000 99 98 95 83 73 9,452 

Mali 2001 78 76 57 34 31 10,723 

Mauritania 2000 71 68 42 15 39 4,541 

Mozambique 2003 92 90 75 44 50 8,736 

Namibia 2000 98 98 91 66 50 2,610 

Nigeria 2003 78 76 57 30 43 5,336 

Rwanda 2001 97 97 87 57 75 5,052 

Uganda 2000 98 98 92 77 69 4,881 

Zambia 2001 99 99 94 72 79 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 99 98 90 64 92 4,125 

Egypt 2003 100 100 100 80 85 8,445 

Jordan 2002 100 100 100 98 97 5,706 

Morocco 2003 100 100 99 94 92 8,782 

Uzbekistan 2002 99 99 87 56 58 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 100 100 99 92 81 10,436 

Cambodia 2000 96 95 89 77 31 9,071 

Indonesia 2002-03 99 99 93 78 42 27,857 

Nepal 2001 100 100 98 92 55 8,342 

Philippines 2003 99 99 96 88 90 8,671 

Vietnam 2002 100 100 97 88 85 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 94 92 85 70 80 10,569 

Colombia 2005 100 100 100 98 94 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 2002 100 100 99 97 86 13,996 

Haiti 2000 99 99 97 83 70 5,958 

Nicaragua 2001 99 99 97 90 67 7,424 

Peru 2000 99 98 96 92 88 15,628 
10

Knowledge of Multiple Modern Contraceptive Methods 

Knowledge of multiple modern methods of contraception is an indicator of how well informed 

women are about family planning. Knowledge of multiple modern methods can also be used to gauge 

how effective the country’s health programs are in promoting different methods of contraception, and the 

extent to which women have a choice of contraceptive methods. 

The percentage of women who know three or more modern methods is high (85 percent or 

higher) in all countries in South/Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North Africa/West 

Asia/Europe. In many cases, this percentage is similar to the percentage knowing any modern method. 

However, in sub-Saharan Africa, knowledge of multiple modern methods of contraception is lower, and 

far from universal. In seven the 18 countries in this region a large majority of women (85 percent or 

higher) know three or more modern methods. Knowledge of five or more modern methods is substantially 

lower than knowledge of three or more methods in most countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Knowledge of Traditional Methods 

In most countries, the majority of women know of a traditional method of family planning. 

However, there are large regional variations in knowledge of traditional methods, with countries in subSaharan Africa having lower levels than countries in other regions. Within sub-Saharan Africa, the 

percentage knowing any traditional method ranges from 24 percent in Ethiopia to 87 percent in Gabon. 

Variation in knowledge of any traditional method is also large in South/Southeast Asia, but not in the 

other two regions. In all regions, women are more familiar with modern methods than with traditional 

methods. 

Knowledge of Specific Modern Methods 

Overall, the pill, injectables, and male condoms are the most widely known modern methods 

(Table 3.2). Emergency contraception, the diaphragm, and foam/jelly are the least known methods. The 

IUD is the best known modern method in North Africa/West Asia/Europe. Knowledge of male 

sterilization is much lower than knowledge of female sterilization in all countries except Nepal and 

Vietnam, where knowledge levels are similar. Knowledge of female sterilization is generally lower in 

sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. In four of six countries in both South/Southeast Asia and Latin 

America and the Caribbean, more than 90 percent of women know about female sterilization. 

Among traditional methods, periodic abstinence is better known than withdrawal in most of the 

sub-Saharan countries; however, withdrawal is better known than periodic abstinence in half of the 

countries in the other regions. 
11

Table 3.2 Knowledge of modern and traditional contraceptive methods Percentage of currently married women who know specific modern and traditional contraceptive methods, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Modern method Traditional method 

Sterilization Condom 

Country/year Female Male Pill IUD 

Injectables Im- plants Female Male LAM EC Dia- phragm Foam/ jelly Periodic abstinencea With- drawal Other Number

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 56 21 78 37 79 35 12 85 20 15 12 13 51 50 4 4,563 Burkina Faso 2003 27 16 82 41 76 58 29 85 21 9 10 16 44 16 5 9,655 Cameroon 2004 46 10 71 37 66 36 40 84 30 18 12 13 61 46 8 7,166 Eritrea 2002 23 6 78 24 74 8 19 75 50 10 8 5 36 13 1 5,733 Ethiopia 2000 24 5 82 10 70 13 u 29 u u 4b u 22 10 2 9,789 

Gabon 2000 54 18 86 38 57 7 24 92 44 17 14 17 81 67 14 3,348 Ghana 2003 74 45 90 65 92 67 82 95 37 29 38 43 67 65 4 3,549 Kenya 2003 80 52 93 75 94 72 43 92 u 25 u 1 70 47 12 4,919 

Madagascar 2003-04 35 24 77 35 78 40 10 72 40 6 6 14 50 25 2 5,140 Malawi 2000 88 60 95 70 96 52 52 92 43 22 33 26 46 46 40 9,452 Mali 2001 33 13 68 21 57 26 22 62 21 6 9 11 15 11 19 10,723 Mauritania 2000 16 6 64 34 57 4 5 34 15 4 4 5 13 32 5 4,541 Mozambique 2003 40 8 80 49 78 u u 76 50 u 4 3 33 19 21 8,736 Namibia 2000 67 35 92 56 96 0 65 92 u 20 21b u 35 35 8 2,610 

Nigeria 2003 40 10 63 29 61 10 12 54 21 14 9 8 26 24 19 5,336 

Rwanda 2001 61 18 83 38 88 42 28 90 43 12 5 9c 62 59 0 5,052 

Uganda 2000 79 39 94 53 93 41 63 88 56 10 15d 20 55 41 25 4,881 

Zambia 2001 77 25 96 46 87 35 59 96 40e 10 34b u 38 68 32 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 48 20 83 93 49 10 25 90 79 22 12 22 65 88 7 4,125 Egypt 2003 68 12 100 100 100 94 u 59 u u 35b u 34 33 35 8,445 

Jordan 2002 98 22 100 100 93 54 18 91 98 13 17 67 88 93 2 5,706 

Morocco 2003 94 9 100 98 96 38 u 89 91 u 9 17 87 78 5 8,782 Uzbekistan 2002 51 8 85 98 78 3 6 68 55 10 3 10 41 45 3 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 96 73 100 86 99 77 u 92 u u u u 72 59 8 10,436 Cambodia 2000 64 47 90 83 90 54 5 79 9 2 0d 1 26 19 1f 9,071 

Indonesia 2002-03 64 39 96 87 97 87 u 76 20 u 12 u 34 26 7 27,857 Nepal 2001 99 98 93 55 97 80 u 91 u u u 40 35 41 6 8,342 Philippines 2003 92 74 98 91 90 7 13 96 22 10 16 12 79 86 5g 8,671 

Vietnam 2002 92 90 95 99 60 15 u 96 u u 10b u 70 81 1 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 65 35 82 84 80 10 37 79 53 13 u 44 76 44 18 10,569 Colombia 2005 98 86 99 97 99 78 u 99 64 35 u 79 84 87 12 19,762 Dominican Rep. 2002 98 56 99 94 97 91 47 98 72 31 u 61 72 79 8 13,996 Haiti 2000 72 52 97 40 97 89 48 95 49 12 11 23 46 67 3 5,958 Nicaragua 2001 91 65 98 90 97 8 31 95 70 19 16 37 55 54 1 7,424 Peru 2000 93 80 95 94 96 60 u 92 61 u u 72 84 59 11 15,628 

EC = Emergency contraception LAM = Lactational amenorrhea method u = Unknown (not available) a Rhythm b Diaphragm, foam, jelly c Spermicide included d Diaphragm/cervical cap e Although understood as breastfeeding, this is counted as LAM in this analysis. f Knowledge of Chinese pill (76.5%) is not shown. g Knowledge of mucus/Billings/ovulation, basal body temperature, symptothermal, standard days method (47.4%) is not shown. 

11
12

3.2 Differentials in Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods 

Knowledge of Any Modern Method 

In most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa, not only is knowledge of any modern 

contraceptive method almost universal among currently married women, but there is almost no variation 

in knowledge by age, number of living children, urban-rural residence, regular exposure to mass media, 

and household wealth status (Table 3.3). In most countries in sub-Saharan Africa differentials in 

knowledge of any modern method are generally small, except in a few countries, such as Mali, 

Mauritania, and Nigeria, where overall knowledge levels are lower. In these countries, urban women, 

more-educated women, women living in wealthier households, and those regularly exposed to mass 

media are more likely to know a modern contraceptive method. 
13

Table 3.3 Differentials in knowledge of any modern contraceptive method Percentage of currently married women who know a modern contraceptive method, by age, number of living children, residence, education, media exposure, and wealth status, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Age 

Number of 

living children Residence Education 

Regular media 

exposure (number 

of sources) Wealth status (quintile) 

Country/year 15-24 25-34 35-49 0 1-2 3-4 5+ Urban Rural None Primary Secondary+ 0 1 2+ Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest Total Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 88 93 91 86 92 92 90 95 89 88 97 100 84 93 98 81 87 94 95 98 91 Burkina Faso 2003 88 92 90 82 91 92 92 99 89 89 98 99 84 95 99 96 96 94 91 99 90 Cameroon 2004 89 90 87 91 89 89 86 97 81 66 96 100 80 95 99 82 80 88 98 96 89 Eritrea 2002 87 88 87 83 89 88 87 98 82 80 98 100 74 90 99 74 79 89 98 99 87 Ethiopia 2000 83 88 85 81 84 87 87 98 84 83 95 100 84 97 100 82 84 81 85 97 85 Gabon 2000 95 96 93 93 96 95 94 96 91 68 94 99 89 97 100 89 96 95 95 97 95 Ghana 2003 97 98 98 98 98 98 97 100 97 95 99 100 94 98 100 98 98 97 97 98 98 Kenya 2003 95 95 95 95 97 95 93 99 94 73 99 100 82 99 100 93 97 98 97 96 95 Madagascar 2003-04 79 87 85 82 85 87 81 95 81 58 88 99 67 92 99 67 72 85 95 99 84 Malawi 2000 98 99 98 95 99 99 99 100 98 97 99 100 97 99 100 98 98 99 98 100 98 Mali 2001 77 79 73 71 77 77 76 90 72 73 92 100 62 80 92 69 70 70 80 94 76 Mauritania 2000 65 73 65 64 71 72 64 88 55 60 81 95 62 70 82 50 56 65 80 93 68 Mozambique 2003 89 91 90 81 92 91 92 97 88 84 96 100 86 94 99 81 86 92 97 100 90 Namibia 2000 98 99 97 96 98 98 97 99 97 93 98 99 94 98 99 93 97 98 99 99 98 Nigeria 2003 70 81 76 68 76 77 79 91 70 63 85 97 62 78 95 55 66 78 89 97 76 Rwanda 2001 96 97 97 94 97 97 98 99 96 95 97 100 96 98 99 97 96 97 97 98 97 Uganda 2000 97 98 97 96 98 98 97 100 97 94 99 100 96 99 100 94 96 99 99 100 98 Zambia 2001 99 100 99 98 99 100 99 100 99 96 100 100 99 100 100 99 98 99 99 100 99 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 96 98 98 95 98 98 97 99 97 * * 98 94 98 99 97 98 98 98 100 98 Egypt 2003 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

Jordan 2002 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

Morocco 2003 100 100 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

Uzbekistan 2002 96 100 99 92 99 100 99 99 98 98 99 99 u u u 99 99 99 99 98 99 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

Cambodia 2000 93 96 96 91 96 96 96 98 95 92 97 99 90 97 99 92 93 96 97 99 95 

Indonesia 2002-03 99 99 98 96 99 99 97 99 98 95 98 100 95 99 100 96 98 99 100 100 99 Nepal 2001 100 99 100 100 100 100 99 100 100 99 100 100 99 100 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 Philippines 2003 99 99 99 97 99 99 99 99 98 78 98 100 95 98 100 96 99 99 100 100 99 Vietnam 2002 99 100 100 98 100 100 99 100 100 98 99 100 98 99 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 93 94 90 u 94 93 88 97 83 75 90 99 77 86 97 78 88 94 97 100 92 Colombia 2005 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 98 100 100 u u u 100 100 100 100 100 100 Dominican Rep. 2002 100 100 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 99 100 100 98 99 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 Haiti 2000 100 99 99 99 100 99 98 100 99 98 100 100 98 99 100 97 100 99 100 100 99 

Nicaragua 2001 99 99 99 98 100 99 99 100 98 97 100 100 95 99 100 97 99 100 100 100 99 

Peru 2000 98 99 98 97 99 99 97 100 96 91 98 100 95 98 100 94 98 100 100 100 98 

Note: An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. u = Unknown (not available) 

13
14

Knowledge of Multiple Modern Methods 

Table 3.4 presents differentials in knowledge of three or more modern contraceptive methods; 

Table 3.5 presents differentials in knowledge of five or more modern methods. Differentials in the 

knowledge of multiple modern methods are more pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. 

Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, differentials in the knowledge of multiple methods are generally small, 

especially for knowledge of three or more methods. Younger women (age 15-24) and those with no 

children are somewhat less likely to know multiple methods. Women living in urban areas, moreeducated women, women regularly exposed to mass media, and women living in wealthier households are 

more likely to know multiple methods. These differentials are more pronounced for knowledge of five or 

more modern methods than for three or more. 
15

Table 3.4 Differentials in knowledge of at least three modern contraceptive methods Percentage of currently married women who know at least three modern contraceptive methods, by age, number of living children, residence, education, media exposure, and wealth status, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Age 

Number of 

living children Residence Education 

Regular media 

exposure (number 

of sources) Wealth status (quintile) 

Country/year 15-24 25-34 35-49 0 1-2 3-4 5+ Urban Rural None Primary Secondary+ 0 1 2+ Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest Total Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 72 81 80 68 79 81 78 86 75 74 88 97 67 82 93 62 71 83 86 94 79 Burkina Faso 2003 70 79 77 60 76 78 79 95 73 73 95 99 65 83 96 78 62 80 74 85 76 Cameroon 2004 69 74 71 72 72 73 68 86 57 36 78 95 56 79 93 62 66 70 79 74 71 Eritrea 2002 71 73 71 66 73 74 71 92 61 58 90 98 47 75 95 48 57 71 90 96 72 Ethiopia 2000 35 42 36 33 40 40 36 86 31 30 69 96 33 74 98 23 26 30 40 77 38 Gabon 2000 71 79 74 72 76 76 73 80 60 33 66 88 61 78 89 58 68 77 81 87 75 Ghana 2003 91 94 94 93 94 94 92 97 91 87 95 98 85 94 99 94 95 92 92 94 93 Kenya 2003 91 93 93 91 94 93 90 96 91 60 98 100 75 97 98 91 94 97 96 91 92 Madagascar 2003-04 65 73 71 65 74 74 63 89 65 33 73 97 45 78 96 41 51 72 86 98 70 Malawi 2000 94 97 95 88 96 96 97 99 95 93 96 100 93 97 99 93 94 96 95 99 95 Mali 2001 57 61 54 52 58 59 57 74 52 53 77 95 39 61 80 51 47 50 62 82 57 Mauritania 2000 37 48 41 38 44 47 39 68 25 32 57 82 36 43 61 20 22 38 56 79 42 Mozambique 2003 72 77 75 63 76 78 76 90 69 64 84 99 67 80 96 56 67 78 88 97 75 Namibia 2000 89 93 90 91 90 94 89 95 88 79 90 95 81 90 97 79 91 90 93 97 91 Nigeria 2003 46 64 58 46 56 59 60 75 49 40 66 87 38 57 84 32 44 57 72 87 57 Rwanda 2001 77 88 90 74 84 88 91 94 85 83 87 99 83 91 98 81 85 85 87 94 87 Uganda 2000 91 94 91 88 90 94 93 99 91 82 95 100 86 97 100 84 88 94 97 99 92 Zambia 2001 90 97 94 86 93 96 95 98 91 83 94 99 90 97 99 90 89 93 97 99 94 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 86 91 90 84 91 90 78 92 86 * * 90 77 89 93 83 88 88 91 96 90 Egypt 2003 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

Jordan 2002 100 100 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 99 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Morocco 2003 98 99 99 97 99 99 99 100 98 98 100 100 97 99 100 97 98 99 100 100 99 

Uzbekistan 2002 79 90 89 68 88 91 86 89 86 81 86 92 u u u 87 86 89 93 87 87 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 99 99 99 98 99 99 99 100 99 98 99 100 98 100 100 98 99 99 99 100 99 Cambodia 2000 86 90 90 82 90 90 90 96 88 83 91 97 80 91 97 84 86 87 91 98 89 Indonesia 2002-03 91 95 92 90 95 94 88 96 91 81 91 98 82 94 97 86 92 95 96 98 93 Nepal 2001 98 98 98 97 98 99 97 99 98 98 99 100 97 99 100 97 98 98 98 99 98 Philippines 2003 93 96 97 93 96 97 96 97 95 58 93 98 87 94 98 89 96 97 98 99 96 Vietnam 2002 91 98 98 90 97 98 94 99 97 88 95 99 87 96 99 93 96 98 98 99 97 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 85 89 81 u 88 86 78 92 70 57 81 97 61 75 92 64 76 89 93 98 85 Colombia 2005 99 100 100 99 100 100 99 100 99 95 99 100 u u u 98 100 100 100 100 100 Dominican Rep. 2002 98 100 99 98 99 99 98 99 99 93 99 100 94 98 100 97 99 99 100 100 99 Haiti 2000 96 97 97 98 96 97 96 99 95 93 99 100 94 97 100 93 96 96 99 100 97 Nicaragua 2001 96 98 97 95 98 97 96 99 95 91 98 100 89 95 99 91 97 98 99 100 97 Peru 2000 95 98 96 93 98 97 93 99 91 81 94 100 89 96 99 88 95 99 99 100 96 

Note: An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. u = Unknown (not available) 

15
16

Table 3.5 Differentials in knowledge of at least five modern contraceptive methods Percentage of currently married women who know at least five modern contraceptive methods, by age, number of living children, residence, education, media exposure, and wealth status, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Age 

Number of 

living children Residence Education 

Regular media 

exposure (number 

of sources) Wealth status (quintile) 

Country/year 15-24 25-34 35-49 0 1-2 3-4 5+ Urban Rural None Primary Secondary+ 0 1 2+ Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest Total Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 43 55 55 42 52 56 51 64 46 45 65 85 40 54 74 33 42 50 60 79 52 Burkina Faso 2003 44 55 55 38 52 54 54 83 46 47 79 95 38 58 85 55 40 56 60 57 52 Cameroon 2004 43 53 51 51 49 51 47 65 34 10 51 83 32 55 78 33 51 45 44 46 49 Eritrea 2002 31 37 34 28 39 38 30 63 20 18 51 83 12 30 70 12 18 22 53 74 35 Ethiopia 2000 9 13 11 11 12 11 10 54 5 6 25 71 7 38 83 3 3 5 7 43 11 Gabon 2000 40 55 51 46 50 53 48 56 29 14 33 67 31 49 72 27 32 52 59 72 50 Ghana 2003 80 86 85 85 85 87 82 92 80 72 87 96 69 85 96 85 84 84 85 86 85 Kenya 2003 75 85 86 74 82 86 81 89 81 43 86 97 60 86 94 79 79 90 87 83 82 Madagascar 2003-04 33 46 49 36 48 48 36 68 36 8 38 82 17 44 83 12 19 33 59 87 44 Malawi 2000 79 87 83 68 83 85 87 95 81 75 85 97 76 87 95 78 78 83 81 93 83 Mali 2001 32 36 33 29 34 34 35 51 28 28 52 83 17 35 57 28 23 25 38 58 34 Mauritania 2000 12 17 15 13 14 17 15 28 6 10 19 42 11 15 26 5 7 13 15 36 15 Mozambique 2003 37 46 48 31 45 47 46 64 36 30 54 86 35 49 77 22 32 43 58 78 44 Namibia 2000 51 69 69 60 66 72 61 79 56 40 59 80 41 59 84 36 51 66 71 89 66 Nigeria 2003 19 36 33 20 29 31 36 47 23 14 37 61 18 25 55 12 18 27 40 60 30 Rwanda 2001 47 59 61 39 56 59 62 77 53 46 58 87 48 65 89 47 49 52 58 77 57 Uganda 2000 75 80 75 69 75 80 78 92 75 58 81 96 64 86 97 60 67 79 87 95 77 Zambia 2001 62 79 73 58 70 76 74 90 62 48 69 92 59 80 95 55 55 68 86 96 72 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 56 69 64 58 66 64 41 65 63 * * 64 41 62 72 56 65 62 67 70 64 Egypt 2003 72 82 81 67 83 83 75 88 73 70 79 88 63 72 84 64 71 81 88 92 80 Jordan 2002 96 99 98 92 98 99 99 98 97 91 98 99 95 98 99 96 98 99 99 98 98 Morocco 2003 89 95 96 86 95 96 94 97 91 93 96 99 87 94 97 89 92 96 97 99 94 Uzbekistan 2002 43 59 59 33 56 62 53 61 53 46 50 69 u u u 55 53 58 66 60 56 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 88 95 93 80 93 95 91 94 91 90 93 93 89 93 95 89 91 91 93 95 92 Cambodia 2000 68 77 79 65 75 79 79 90 74 67 79 90 63 79 88 66 70 73 80 93 77 Indonesia 2002-03 73 82 76 71 81 79 65 85 71 46 73 91 55 78 88 62 72 81 83 90 78 Nepal 2001 92 93 90 87 93 93 88 98 91 89 96 100 87 95 99 85 90 92 93 98 92 Philippines 2003 78 89 91 80 89 89 87 90 86 33 81 92 72 83 92 74 87 90 93 95 88 Vietnam 2002 78 89 90 76 90 89 82 92 88 68 82 93 68 84 93 78 86 91 91 94 88 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 69 74 66 u 76 71 60 80 51 36 62 91 39 56 80 43 57 70 83 93 70 Colombia 2005 96 99 98 95 99 98 96 99 95 88 97 99 u u u 93 98 99 99 100 98 Dominican Rep. 2002 95 98 97 94 97 98 94 98 95 83 96 99 87 93 98 92 96 98 98 99 97 Haiti 2000 81 85 83 82 83 85 81 91 78 75 85 94 75 83 94 74 75 82 90 93 83 Nicaragua 2001 84 92 91 82 91 92 87 95 82 75 90 96 68 83 95 73 87 93 95 98 90 Peru 2000 87 94 91 86 94 93 85 98 81 62 87 99 78 91 98 75 88 96 99 100 92 

Note: An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. u = Unknown (not available) 

16
17

3.3 Trends in Knowledge of Contraceptive Methods 

Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa show improvements in knowledge of contraceptive 

methods (Table 3.6). Knowledge of both any method and any modern method has increased to near 

universal levels in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In most countries in the other regions, with the 

notable exception of Bolivia, knowledge levels for any method and any modern method were near 

universal in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and have continued to remain high. Improvements in 

knowledge of multiple methods have been marked in all regions. In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of 

women knowing multiple methods of contraception has increased substantially in all countries except 

Rwanda. For example, in Uganda knowledge of three or more methods increased from 47 percent in 1988 

to 92 percent in 2000, and knowledge of five or more methods increased from 17 to 77 percent over the 

same period. 

Table 3.6 Trends in knowledge of contraceptive methods 

Percentage of currently married women who know any contraceptive method, any modern method, 

3+ modern methods, 5+ modern methods, and any traditional method, DHS surveys 1986-2005 

Modern method 

Country/year 

Any 

method Any 3+ 5+ 

Any 

traditional 

method Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 1996 80 76 57 27 60 4,198 

Benin 2001 92 91 79 52 63 4,563 

Burkina Faso 1992 82 63 44 25 43 5,326 

Burkina Faso 1999 79 77 56 27 43 5,181 

Burkina Faso 2003 92 90 76 52 48 9,655 

Cameroon 1991 70 63 43 23 58 2,868 

Cameroon 1998 77 77 60 37 63 3,676 

Cameroon 2004 89 89 71 49 65 7,166 

Eritrea 1995 64 62 39 12 33 3,371 

Eritrea 2002 88 87 72 35 37 5,733 

Ghana 1988 79 77 58 34 52 3,156 

Ghana 1993 91 91 81 57 69 3,204 

Ghana 1998-99 94 93 84 62 73 3,131 

Ghana 2003 98 98 93 85 78 3,549 

Kenya 1989 92 91 81 50 56 4,765 

Kenya 1993 97 97 93 77 76 4,629 

Kenya 1998 98 98 96 84 78 4,834 

Kenya 2003a 96 95 92 82 76 4,919 

Madagascar 1992 67 62 35 14 49 3,736 

Madagascar 1997 72 69 50 32 49 4,435 

Madagascar 2003-04 85 84 70 44 53 5,140 

Malawi 1992 95 92 75 47 77 3,492 

Malawi 2000 99 98 95 83 73 9,452 

Mali 1987 43 29 16 6 37 2,948 

Mali 1996 67 65 48 30 43 8,222 

Mali 2001 78 76 57 34 31 10,723 

Mozambique 1997 62 60 48 22 19 6,530 

Mozambique 2003 92 90 75 44 50 8,736 

Namibia 1992 90 90 75 39 42 2,259 

Namibia 2000 98 98 91 66 50 2,610 

Nigeria 1990 44 41 27 14 24 6,880 

Nigeria 1999 64 62 47 25 40 5,757 

Nigeria 2003 78 76 57 30 43 5,336 

Rwanda 1992 99 99 95 70 84 3,785 

Rwanda 2001 97 97 87 57 75 5,052 

Uganda 1988 84 78 47 17 62 3,180 

Uganda 1995 93 92 76 34 70 5,136 

Uganda 2000 98 98 92 77 69 4,881 

Zambia 1992 94 91 72 38 78 4,457 

Zambia 1996 98 98 82 47 81 4,902 

Zambia 2001 99 99 94 72 79 4,694 

Continued...
18

Table 3.6—Continued

Modern method 

Country/year 

Any 

method Any 3+ 5+ 

Any 

traditional 

method Number 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Egypt 1988 98 98 78 42 68 8,221 

Egypt 1992 100 100 92 62 78 9,153 

Egypt 1995 100 100 98 62 86 13,710 

Egypt 2000 100 100 100 82 78 14,382 

Egypt 2003 100 100 100 80 85 8,445 

Jordan 1990 100 99 96 61 100 6,168 

Jordan 1997 100 100 100 90 99 5,337 

Jordan 2002 100 100 100 98 97 5,706 

Morocco 1987 98 98 81 44 75 5,447 

Morocco 1992 99 99 88 57 73 5,118 

Morocco 2003 100 100 99 94 92 8,782 

Uzbekistan 1996 96 96 73 23 39 3,102 

Uzbekistan 2002 99 99 87 56 58 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 1994 100 100 99 90 77 8,840 

Bangladesh 1997 100 100 99 95 78 8,307 

Bangladesh 2000 100 100 99 95 80 9,540 

Bangladesh 2004 100 100 99 92 81 10,436 

Indonesia 1987 95 94 81 52 35 10,907 

Indonesia 1991 95 94 84 63 29 21,109 

Indonesia 1994 96 96 88 69 35 26,186 

Indonesia 1997 97 97 90 70 40 26,886 

Indonesia 2002-03 99 99 93 78 42 27,857 

Nepal 1996 98 98 91 72 44 7,982 

Nepal 2001 100 100 98 92 55 8,342 

Philippines 1993 97 97 94 82 93 8,961 

Philippines 1998 99 98 96 89 95 8,336 

Philippines 2003 99 99 96 88 90 8,671 

Vietnam 1997 99 99 95 84 81 5,340 

Vietnam 2002 100 100 97 88 85 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 1989 75 68 49 28 60 4,941 

Bolivia 1994 85 77 61 42 77 5,334 

Bolivia 1998 89 86 76 58 79 6,649 

Bolivia 2003 94 92 85 70 80 10,569 

Colombia 1986 100 99 97 85 80 2,850 

Colombia 1990 100 100 98 90 80 4,450 

Colombia 1995 100 100 99 96 92 6,097 

Colombia 2000 100 100 100 98 96 5,935 

Colombia 2005 100 100 100 98 94 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 1986 99 99 95 84 73 4,133 

Dominican Rep. 1991 100 100 99 92 85 4,083 

Dominican Rep. 1996 100 100 99 94 91 4,983 

Dominican Rep. 1999 100 100 100 98 90 728 

Dominican Rep. 2002 100 100 99 97 86 13,996 

Haiti 1994 99 99 93 68 74 3,113 

Haiti 2000 99 99 97 83 70 5,958 

Nicaragua 1997 98 98 94 83 47 8,045 

Nicaragua 2001 99 99 97 90 67 7,424 

Peru 1986 89 87 74 54 79 2,900 

Peru 1992 97 95 88 75 90 8,741 

Peru 1996 98 96 93 86 91 16,885 

Peru 2000 99 98 96 92 88 15,628 

a Includes the Northern districts, which were not included in earlier surveys. 
19

4 Ever Use of Contraception 

This chapter describes levels, differentials, and trends in ever use of contraception among 

currently married women age 15-49. 

4.1 Levels of Ever Use of Contraception 

Ever Use of Any Method 

There are large regional differences in ever use of contraception. In most countries outside of subSaharan Africa, a large majority of women have ever used a family planning method (Table 4.1). The 

levels are much lower in sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of women in about half of the countries 

have never used a method. Ever use of contraception varies greatly within regions. For example, in 

South/Southeast Asia, ever use of contraception ranges from a low of 37 percent in Cambodia to 91 

percent in Vietnam. 

Table 4.1 Ever use of contraception 

Percentage of currently married women who have ever used any contraceptive 

method, any modern method, and any traditional method, DHS surveys 2000-

2005 

Country/year 

Any 

method 

Any 

modern 

method 

Any 

traditional 

method Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 50 22 42 4,563 

Burkina Faso 2003 30 20 14 9,655 

Cameroon 2004 57 41 49 7,166 

Eritrea 2002 22 21 6 5,733 

Ethiopia 2000 17 14 6 9,789 

Gabon 2000 75 63 64 3,348 

Ghana 2003 55 45 30 3,549 

Kenya 2003 64 55 24 4,919 

Madagascar 2003-04 47 39 22 5,140 

Malawi 2000 52 45 19 9,452 

Mali 2001 24 21 6 10,723 

Mauritania 2000 20 13 11 4,541 

Mozambique 2003 57 49 19 8,736 

Namibia 2000 73 71 13 2,610 

Nigeria 2003 31 23 15 5,336 

Rwanda 2001 36 22 22 5,052 

Uganda 2000 44 37 19 4,881 

Zambia 2001 70 55 40 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 82 55 62 4,125 

Egypt 2003 81 79 15 8,445 

Jordan 2002 81 73 44 5,706 

Morocco 2003 90 88 26 8,782 

Uzbekistan 2002 85 82 25 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 83 78 31 10,436 

Cambodia 2000 37 33 8 9,071 

Indonesia 2002-03 82 79 9 27,857 

Nepal 2001 54 50 13 8,342 

Philippines 2003 71 57 41 8,671 

Vietnam 2002 91 80 46 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 78 57 50 10,569 

Colombia 2005 96 93 53 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 2002 89 87 25 13,996 

Haiti 2000 55 45 24 5,958 

Nicaragua 2001 88 86 19 7,424 

Peru 2000 90 75 55 15,628 
20

Ever Use of Any Modern Method 

In all countries, a large majority of women who have ever used a contraceptive method reported 

using a modern method, with the exception of Benin. In Benin, 50 percent of women reported ever using 

a method but only 22 percent reported ever using a modern method. The difference between ever use of 

any method and ever use of any modern method tends to be greater in sub-Saharan Africa than in other 

regions. There are large interregional and intraregional variations in ever use of modern methods. 

Ever Use of Any Traditional Method 

Ever use of traditional methods remains high in many countries. In 13 of the 35 countries, at least 

30 percent of women reported ever use of a traditional method. Ever use of traditional methods is not 

necessarily higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. For instance, in three of the six countries 

in Latin America and the Caribbean (Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru), at least 50 percent of women reported 

ever use of a traditional method. In five countries—Armenia, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, and Rwanda—

women were equally likely or more likely to have ever used a traditional method than a modern method. 

There are large intraregional differences in ever use of a traditional method. 

Ever Use of Specific Methods 

Among modern methods, the pill, injectables, and male condoms are the methods that have been 

ever used most commonly (Table 4.2). However, a sizable proportion of women in Colombia, the 

Dominican Republic, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, and the Philippines, reported using female sterilization. In 

Bolivia, Egypt, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, the IUD has the highest level of ever use among 

modern methods. Ever use of the IUD is also high in Armenia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, 

Indonesia, Morocco, Nicaragua, and Peru. In 11 of the 28 countries where data on LAM were collected, at 

least 10 percent of women have ever used LAM. Generally, ever use of male sterilization, female 

condoms, emergency contraception, diaphragm, and foam/jelly is rare in most countries, with the 

exception of male sterilization in Nepal and foam/jelly in Colombia, Jordan, and Peru. Ever use of 

implants is low in all countries except Indonesia. 

Among traditional methods, ever use of periodic abstinence (the rhythm method) is more 

common in sub-Saharan Africa than ever use of withdrawal. In other regions, withdrawal is usually more 

common than periodic abstinence. 
21

Table 4.2 Ever use of specific modern and traditional contraceptive methods Percentage of currently married women who have ever used specific modern and traditional contraceptive methods, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Modern method Traditional method 

Sterilization Condom 

Country/year Female Male Pill IUD 

Injectables Implants Female Male LAM EC Dia- phragm Foam/ jelly Periodic abstinencea With- drawal Other Number

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 0.3 0.0 8.2 1.6 5.4 0.5 0.0 7.6 4.0 1.3 0.2 0.9 27.0 28.2 1.2 4,563 Burkina Faso 2003 0.1 0.0 10.2 1.2 6.3 2.0 0.1 7.8 1.2 0.4 0.1 0.5 10.4 1.8 3.5 9,655 Cameroon 2004 1.2 0.1 9.6 1.2 5.3 0.8 0.5 30.7 8.6 2.5 0.1 1.0 43.3 23.8 2.9 7,166 Eritrea 2002 0.2 0.0 9.5 1.7 6.9 0.0 0.1 2.7 9.1 0.4 0.0 0.1 6.0 1.6 0.1 5,733 

Ethiopia 2000 0.3 0.0 10.7 0.5 5.5 0.1 u 1.0 u u 0.1b u 4.6 1.6 0.3 9,789 

Gabon 2000 1.0 0.0 24.2 1.3 3.3 0.2 0.4 45.0 18.9 2.9 0.1 3.4 50.6 39.8 6.9 3,348 Ghana 2003 1.9 0.0 20.1 3.2 12.9 1.5 0.8 17.3 5.8 1.1 0.5 4.2 21.3 15.2 1.8 3,549 Kenya 2003 4.3 0.1 32.3 7.9 33.2 2.6 0.3 10.2 u 1.0 u 0.2 20.4 5.8 1.9 4,919 Madagascar 2003-04 1.1 0.0 16.5 1.8 22.7 0.8 0.0 7.5 7.4 0.4 0.1 0.7 19.6 6.6 0.7 5,140 

Malawi 2000 4.7 0.1 11.3 0.8 29.5 0.3 0.2 8.4 6.1 0.5 0.1 0.4 6.8 8.0 16.4 9,452 Mali 2001 0.3 0.0 10.9 0.5 4.8 0.3 0.1 2.2 6.5 0.2 0.3 0.6 3.4 1.1 2.5 10,723 Mauritania 2000 0.1 0.0 8.3 2.2 3.2 0.1 0.0 3.6 2.5 0.2 0.1 0.4 2.8 8.2 0.4 4,541 Mozambique 2003 0.9 0.0 16.1 2.2 14.3 u u 6.4 28.6 u 0.0 0.2 13.1 2.3 4.7 8,736 Namibia 2000 8.5 1.0 33.4 5.2 47.8 u 0.5 21.6 u 1.0 0.5b u 6.4 6.0 4.2 2,610 

Nigeria 2003 0.2 0.0 8.4 2.0 6.5 0.1 0.1 7.8 5.3 1.8 0.2 0.5 8.7 7.2 3.7 5,336 

Rwanda 2001 0.8 0.0 8.1 0.5 11.7 0.7 0.0 2.0 6.1 0.1 0.0 0.1c 14.5 12.3 0.0 5,052 

Uganda 2000 2.0 0.1 12.8 1.2 14.2 0.4 0.0 10.4 11.6 0.2 0.1d 0.6 12.0 8.1 2.9 4,881 

Zambia 2001 2.0 0.0 36.4 0.9 12.3 0.5 1.1 21.8 11.0e 0.4 3.0b u 8.4 30.8 9.8 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 2.7 0.0 5.9 19.6 0.7 0.0 0.5 22.0 26.5 0.6 0.0 0.7 18.4 56.0 4.7 4,125 Egypt 2003 0.9 0.0 39.7 61.4 20.2 1.0 u 4.1 u u 0.7b u 2.3 1.6 12.5c 8,445 

Jordan 2002 2.9 0.0 40.6 50.2 3.8 0.2 0.1 21.6 17.4 0.2 0.1 6.6 23.3 34.8 0.4 5,706 Morocco 2003 2.7 0.0 80.3 17.0 8.4 0.2 u 11.4 31.0 u 0.1 1.6 14.9 16.9 0.8 8,782 Uzbekistan 2002 2.6 0.0 13.1 73.0 9.3 0.1 0.2 13.8 21.3 0.4 0.0 0.4 11.8 18.2 1.6 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 5.3 0.7 65.4 5.9 27.8 1.4 u 21.6 u u u u 19.9 14.7 2.8 10,436 Cambodia 2000g 1.5 0.2 10.5 3.3 15.4 0.2 0.0 1.8 0.9 0.1 0.0d 0.0 5.1 4.5 0.3 9,071 

Indonesia 2002-03 3.7 0.6 41.0 15.0 53.7 9.3 u 4.0 2.2 u 0.3 u 3.8 4.6 1.8 27,857 

Nepal 2001 15.0 6.5 12.3 1.1 21.3 1.3 u 12.0 u u u 0.9 5.1 9.1 0.7 8,342 Philippines 2003 10.5 0.2 38.6 9.6 11.5 0.0 0.1 14.7 3.8 0.6 2.2 0.1 20.7 32.3 2.1f 8,671 

Vietnam 2002 5.9 0.5 18.1 64.9 1.3 0.0 u 18.6 u u 0.1b u 23.1 38.1 0.2 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 6.5 0.1 18.8 22.0 18.2 0.1 0.7 18.2 14.6 0.7 u 3.5 42.8 17.4 2.2 10,569 Colombia 2005 31.2 2.2 57.5 35.2 33.8 1.5 u 48.6 10.8 2.0 u 16.1 26.4 41.5 3.7 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 2002 45.8 0.4 61.0 12.2 9.9 2.2 0.2 14.8 6.5 0.7 u 3.0 10.9 14.5 5.1 13,996 Haiti 2000 2.8 0.4 13.5 0.9 25.7 4.3 0.2 11.2 4.4 0.3 0.0 0.7 9.0 19.4 0.7 5,958 

Nicaragua 2001 25.3 0.6 59.0 25.1 37.6 0.0 0.4 23.4 16.3 1.3 0.1 3.5 10.6 12.5 0.3 7,424 

Peru 2000 12.3 0.6 36.9 28.0 38.3 0.5 u 29.2 3.3 u u 14.0 44.5 22.2 4.6 15,628 

EC = Emergency contraception LAM = Lactational amenorrhea method u = Unknown (not available) a Rhythm b Diaphragm, foam, jelly c Spermicide included d Diaphragm/cervical cap

e Although understood as breastfeeding, this is counted as LAM in this analysis. f Knowledge of mucus/Billings/ovulation, basal body temperature, symptothermal, standard days method (47.4%) is not shown. 

g Ever use of “other modern” methods (5.9%) is not shown. 

21
22

The Gap between Knowledge and Ever Use 

Differences between knowledge of a contraceptive method and ever use of a contraceptive 

method are most apparent in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, in Rwanda, 97 percent of women know of 

a contraceptive method, but only 36 percent have ever used a method. In Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, 

Mali, Mauritania, and Uganda, the difference between knowledge of a method and ever use of a method is 

about 50 percentage points. While the gap between knowledge and ever use is much smaller in the other 

regions, it is substantial in a few countries. Differences between knowledge of a modern method and ever 

use of a modern method are much greater than those between knowledge of any method and ever use of 

any method. 

4.2 Differentials in Ever Use of Modern Methods 

In most countries, ever use of a modern contraceptive method is lower among young women (age 

15-24) than among older women, as expected (Table 4.3). The percentage of women who have ever used 

a modern method is generally highest among those who are age 25-34. The somewhat lower level of ever 

use among women age 35-49 is perhaps due to more limited knowledge of modern methods as well as 

limited access to sources of modern methods. In most countries, ever use of modern methods is lowest 

among women with no children. It rises steeply among women with 1-2 children, peaks among women 

with 3-4 children, and then declines slightly at higher parities. In most countries, urban residence, 

education, exposure to mass media, and household wealth status are positively associated with ever use of 

a modern method. The differentials in ever use of any modern method are generally stronger in countries 

with lower overall levels of ever use of contraception. 
23

Table 4.3 Differentials in ever use of any modern contraceptive method Percentage of currently married women who have ever used a modern contraceptive method, by age, number of living children, residence, education, media exposure, and wealth status, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Age 

Number of 

living children Residence Education 

Regular media 

exposure (number 

of sources) Wealth status (quintile) 

Country/year 15-24 25-34 35-49 0 1-2 3-4 5+ Urban Rural None Primary Secondary+ 0 1 2+ Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest Total Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 16 24 25 14 22 23 25 32 17 16 32 56 14 22 42 10 12 19 28 46 22 Burkina Faso 2003 18 23 18 14 22 20 19 58 13 15 46 82 10 20 59 7 11 14 18 56 20 Cameroon 2004 43 43 38 46 45 39 37 58 26 5 41 76 23 49 71 10 23 44 59 76 41 Eritrea 2002 13 24 22 4 22 28 21 41 10 10 31 53 7 16 44 5 8 12 32 51 21 Ethiopia 2000 11 16 13 8 14 15 14 54 8 9 29 60 11 37 58 7 6 6 9 44 14 Gabon 2000 65 67 56 59 66 65 58 68 46 24 50 77 50 62 79 44 56 64 69 76 63 Ghana 2003 41 49 44 36 46 47 46 56 38 27 49 61 30 44 59 27 42 43 52 64 45 Kenya 2003 41 61 59 17 57 67 51 67 52 18 55 79 31 53 77 25 48 60 67 72 55 Madagascar 2003-04 34 42 39 12 42 46 37 56 34 13 37 63 19 41 66 17 23 33 52 64 39 Malawi 2000 36 53 46 15 40 53 59 60 42 37 46 68 38 49 66 38 39 44 41 62 45 Mali 2001 16 24 21 8 19 23 25 38 15 16 38 61 11 19 40 14 13 14 22 45 21 Mauritania 2000 9 15 13 2 13 18 14 29 2 6 22 40 9 14 22 1 2 8 17 39 13 Mozambique 2003 40 52 54 15 47 56 60 64 43 40 55 86 43 51 76 37 40 49 52 75 49 Namibia 2000 77 76 65 59 77 77 60 83 61 53 62 83 48 67 86 48 55 69 77 90 71 Nigeria 2003 14 27 26 14 20 26 28 36 18 9 29 49 13 19 44 10 10 19 30 51 23 Rwanda 2001 9 20 32 2 14 25 36 38 19 19 20 44 18 25 48 15 16 19 23 38 22 Uganda 2000 32 41 37 17 35 40 41 74 31 22 36 72 25 39 74 24 22 28 41 71 37 Zambia 2001 49 62 51 26 54 61 58 76 43 30 51 79 41 61 81 33 37 50 70 83 55 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 40 60 57 5 58 58 54 58 51 * * 55 44 55 59 49 52 57 57 61 55 Egypt 2003 57 81 86 1 81 91 89 83 75 76 83 79 70 77 70 79 77 83 83 83 79 Jordan 2002 43 75 81 2 55 87 90 74 68 67 70 74 73 72 74 63 71 72 80 81 73 Morocco 2003 75 90 90 37 91 96 95 90 84 87 90 89 82 89 88 84 85 88 89 91 88 Uzbekistan 2002 61 88 88 6 84 94 92 80 84 80 82 83 u u u 83 83 81 87 81 82 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 71 85 78 48 80 85 76 84 76 74 79 82 71 80 85 69 77 78 81 85 78 Cambodia 2000 19 37 34 4 29 40 37 41 31 27 34 41 27 33 38 22 27 34 35 45 33 Indonesia 2002-03 71 84 79 18 85 87 77 81 78 68 81 79 69 82 81 70 81 83 82 81 79 Nepal 2001 31 58 59 12 45 65 58 74 48 46 55 65 40 56 70 36 41 47 55 72 50 Philippines 2003 43 61 60 7 54 72 60 58 57 20 54 60 42 55 60 47 59 60 62 59 57 Vietnam 2002 54 82 84 14 81 88 80 79 80 76 78 81 72 80 80 78 80 83 80 77 80 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 56 63 53 37 61 61 49 65 42 32 50 75 36 44 66 36 46 53 67 80 57 Colombia 2005 88 95 94 71 94 97 92 94 89 80 92 94 11 19 40 85 93 94 95 97 93 Dominican Rep. 2002 81 91 88 53 86 94 91 88 86 75 86 89 80 84 88 80 87 88 88 91 87 Haiti 2000 42 53 38 23 43 55 45 50 42 36 47 58 38 46 52 28 41 49 50 54 45 Nicaragua 2001 83 90 85 60 89 92 82 91 80 72 88 91 69 80 91 72 85 90 91 91 86 Peru 2000 71 81 72 48 81 79 65 84 60 48 66 85 58 73 84 55 67 81 85 89 75 

Note: An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. u = Unknown (not available) 

23
24

4.3 Trends in Ever Use of Contraception 

Trends in Ever Use of Any Method 

Ever use of any method of contraception among married women of reproductive age has been 

increasing in all countries except Rwanda (Table 4.4). In Rwanda, ever use of contraception declined 

from 42 percent in 1992 to 36 percent in 2001. The decline was mainly due to deterioration in program 

coverage as a result of the civil strife that occurred in the mid-1990s. The rate of increase in ever use of 

contraception varies considerably from country to country. As expected, the rate of increase is steeper in 

countries with lower levels of ever use, whereas in countries like Colombia and the Dominican Republic, 

which had already reached high levels of ever use by the mid-1990s, the rate of increase has slowed in 

recent years. 

Table 4.4 Trends in ever use of contraception 

Percentage of currently married women who have ever used any contraceptive 

method, any modern method, and any traditional method, DHS surveys 1986-

2005 

Country/year 

Any 

method 

Any 

modern 

method 

Any 

traditional 

method Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 1996 43 11 39 4,198 

Benin 2001 50 22 42 4,563 

Burkina Faso 1992 23 10 18 5,326 

Burkina Faso 1999 25 12 16 5,181 

Burkina Faso 2003 30 20 14 9,655 

Cameroon 1991 40 15 37 2,868 

Cameroon 1998 47 27 40 3,676 

Cameroon 2004 57 41 49 7,166 

Eritrea 1995 15 9 9 3,371 

Eritrea 2002 22 21 6 5,733 

Ghana 1988 37 23 25 3,156 

Ghana 1993 46 32 31 3,204 

Ghana 1998-99 51 38 31 3,131 

Ghana 2003 55 45 30 3,549 

Kenya 1989 45 29 24 4,765 

Kenya 1993 55 43 22 4,629 

Kenya 1998 64 53 22 4,834 

Kenya 2003 64 55 24 4,919 

Madagascar 1992 29 11 25 3,736 

Madagascar 1997 31 17 21 4,435 

Madagascar 2003-04 47 39 22 5,140 

Malawi 1992 41 19 31 3,492 

Malawi 2000 52 45 19 9,452 

Mali 1987 19 3 17 2,948 

Mali 1996 18 12 10 8,222 

Mali 2001 24 21 6 10,723 

Mozambique 1997 13 12 3 6,530 

Mozambique 2003 57 49 19 8,736 

Namibia 1992 52 47 15 2,259 

Namibia 2000 73 71 13 2,610 

Nigeria 1990 14 8 8 6,880 

Nigeria 1999 29 19 16 5,757 

Nigeria 2003 31 23 15 5,336 

Rwanda 1992 42 25 25 3,785 

Rwanda 2001 36 22 22 5,052 

Uganda 1988 22 7 17 3,180 

Uganda 1995 34 16 24 5,136 

Uganda 2000 44 37 19 4,881 

Zambia 1992 49 27 35 4,457 

Zambia 1996 59 39 40 4,902 

Zambia 2001 70 55 40 4,694 

Continued... 
25

Table 4.4—Continued

Country/year 

Any 

method 

Any 

modern 

method 

Any 

traditional 

method Number 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Egypt 1988 60 58 12 8,221 

Egypt 1992 67 65 10 9,153 

Egypt 1995 70 69 12 13,710 

Egypt 2000 77 76 9 14,382 

Egypt 2003 81 79 15 8,445 

Jordan 1990 65 52 39 6,168 

Jordan 1997 79 66 50 5,337 

Jordan 2002 81 73 44 5,706 

Morocco 1987 59 54 23 5,447 

Morocco 1992 66 63 17 5,118 

Morocco 2003 90 88 26 8,782 

Uzbekistan 1996 68 65 16 3,102 

Uzbekistan 2002 85 82 25 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 1994 66 60 25 8,840 

Bangladesh 1997 73 67 24 8,307 

Bangladesh 2000 79 72 30 9,540 

Bangladesh 2004 83 78 31 10,436 

Indonesia 1987 65 61 12 10,907 

Indonesia 1991 69 67 8 21,109 

Indonesia 1994 76 74 9 26,186 

Indonesia 1997 78 76 8 26,886 

Indonesia 2002-03 82 79 9 27,857 

Nepal 1996 38 35 6 7,982 

Nepal 2001 54 50 13 8,342 

Philippines 1993 61 45 35 8,961 

Philippines 1998 72 53 50 8,336 

Philippines 2003 71 57 41 8,671 

Vietnam 1997 84 70 35 5,340 

Vietnam 2002 91 80 46 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 1989 46 22 35 4,941 

Bolivia 1994 66 31 54 5,334 

Bolivia 1998 69 43 52 6,649 

Bolivia 2003 78 57 50 10,569 

Colombia 1986 83 75 35 2,850 

Colombia 1990 86 79 31 4,450 

Colombia 1995 92 84 52 6,097 

Colombia 2000 95 89 56 5,935 

Colombia 2005 96 93 53 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 1986 73 69 22 4,133 

Dominican Rep. 1991 79 75 27 4,083 

Dominican Rep. 1996 85 82 31 4,983 

Dominican Rep. 1999 89 88 33 728 

Dominican Rep. 2002 89 87 25 13,996 

Haiti 1994 40 28 21 3,113 

Haiti 2000 55 45 24 5,958 

Nicaragua 1997 81 79 13 8,045 

Nicaragua 2001 88 86 19 7,424 

Peru 1986 65 41 49 2,900 

Peru 1992 83 56 63 8,741 

Peru 1996 86 65 62 16,885 

Peru 2000 90 75 55 15,628 

Trends in Ever Use of Any Modern Method 

In most countries, trends in ever use of any modern method are similar to trends in ever use of 

any method. However, the rate of increase for ever use of any modern method tends to be somewhat 

steeper in most cases. In all countries except Rwanda there has been a consistent increase in the 
26

percentage of women who have ever used a modern method of contraception. Again, as with ever use of 

any method, the rate of increase in ever use of any modern method is steeper in countries with lower 

levels of ever use. 

Trends in Ever Use of Any Traditional Method 

Trends in ever use of a traditional method do not show a clear direction. While in some countries 

the percentage of women reporting ever use of a traditional method has remained fairly constant, in others 

it has fluctuated substantially. Some of these fluctuations in ever use of a traditional method may be due 

to changes in how traditional methods were defined in different surveys. 
27

5 Current Use of Contraception 

This section examines current contraceptive use among currently married women of reproductive 

age. It looks at current use of modern methods and traditional methods, differentials in current use of 

modern methods, trends in current use of modern and traditional methods, and how reliance on traditional 

methods has changed over time. It examines trends in the use of modern methods by urban-rural 

residence and level of education. It also looks at whether current users of contraceptive methods were 

informed about the possible side effects of their method, whether they were informed about other methods 

and, for sterilization users, whether they were informed that the method is permanent. 

5.1 Levels of Current Use of Contraception 

Current Use of Any Method 

Table 5.1 shows the percentage of currently married women who are currently using a method of 

contraception. In the countries surveyed, contraceptive prevalence ranges from 8 percent in Eritrea, 

Ethiopia, Mali, and Mauritania to 78 percent in Colombia and 79 percent in Vietnam. Sub-Saharan Africa 

has the lowest prevalence rates: less than 20 percent in eight of the 18 countries. Namibia has the highest 

prevalence rate (44 percent), followed by Kenya (39 percent) and Zambia (34 percent). As seen with ever 

use of contraception, in sub-Saharan Africa there is a large gap between knowledge of contraception and 

current use of contraception. 

Table 5.1 Current use of contraception 

Percentage of currently married women who are currently using any method of contraception, 

any modern method, and any traditional method, and among current users of any method, the 

percentage using a traditional method, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Country/year 

Any 

method 

Any 

modern 

method 

Any 

traditional 

method 

Any traditional/ 

any method 

(%)a

 Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 19 7 11 61 4,563 

Burkina Faso 2003 14 9 5 36 9,655 

Cameroon 2004 26 13 13 50 7,166 

Eritrea 2002 8 7 1 10 5,733 

Ethiopia 2000 8 6 2 21 9,789 

Gabon 2000 33 13 19 59 3,348 

Ghana 2003 25 19 7 26 3,549 

Kenya 2003 39 32 8 20 4,919 

Madagascar 2003-04 27 18 9 32 5,140 

Malawi 2000 31 26 5 15 9,452 

Mali 2001 8 7 1 14 10,723 

Mauritania 2000 8 5 3 35 4,541 

Mozambique 2003 26 21 5 18 8,736 

Namibia 2000 44 43 1 3 2,610 

Nigeria 2003 13 8 4 34 5,336 

Rwanda 2001 13 6 8 58 5,052 

Uganda 2000 23 18 5 20 4,881 

Zambia 2001 34 25 9 26 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 61 22 38 63 4,125 

Egypt 2003 60 57 3 6 8,445 

Jordan 2002 56 41 15 26 5,706 

Morocco 2003 63 55 8 13 8,782 

Uzbekistan 2002 68 63 5 7 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 59 48 11 18 10,436 

Cambodia 2000 24 19 5 21 9,071 

Indonesia 2002-03 60 57 4 6 27,857 

Nepal 2001 39 35 4 10 8,342 

Philippines 2003 49 33 16 32 8,671 

Vietnam 2002 79 57 22 28 5,338 

Continued... 
28

Table 5.1—Continued 

Country/year 

Any 

method 

Any 

modern 

method 

Any 

traditional 

method 

Any traditional/ 

any method 

(%)a Number 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 58 35 23 40 10,569 

Colombia 2005 78 68 10 13 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 2002 70 66 4 6 13,996 

Haiti 2000 28 23 5 19 5,958 

Nicaragua 2001 69 66 3 4 7,424 

Peru 2000 69 50 19 27 15,628 

a

 Calculated using figures rounded to one decimal place 

Current Use of Modern Methods 

Current use of modern contraceptive methods shows a pattern similar to that of current use of any 

method but, as expected, levels are somewhat lower in most countries. There are large interregional and 

intraregional variations in current use of modern methods. Rates are lower in sub-Saharan Africa, where 

they range from 5 percent in Mauritania to 43 percent in Namibia. Rates are higher in the other regions, 

with smaller yet substantial differences within regions. For example, in South/Southeast Asia, the 

percentage of women using modern methods ranges from 19 percent in Cambodia to 57 percent in 

Indonesia and Vietnam. 

Current Use of Traditional Methods 

In most countries, the percentage of women using a traditional method is lower than the 

percentage using a modern method; however, in several countries, a considerable proportion of women 

are current users of traditional methods. In 20 of the 35 countries, at least 20 percent of current users are 

using traditional methods. The share of traditional methods is particularly high in Armenia, Benin, 

Cameroon, Gabon, and Rwanda, where a majority of current users rely on traditional methods. 

Current Use of Specific Methods 

The pill, injectables, and male condoms are the most commonly used modern methods in most 

countries (Table 5.2). As with ever use, many women in Nepal and the Philippines in Asia, and in much 

of Latin America and the Caribbean (Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Peru), reported 

using female sterilization. The IUD is the most commonly used modern method in Armenia, Bolivia, 

Egypt, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. Current use of LAM is low in all countries, with the notable 

exception of Mozambique, where 9 percent of women reported using LAM. Use of male sterilization, 

implants, female condom, emergency contraception, diaphragm, and foam/jelly is rare in all countries 

except Nepal, where 6 percent of women reported that their husband was sterilized, and Indonesia, where 

4 percent of women reported using implants. 

The percentage of women currently using periodic abstinence as a method of contraception is 

highest in Bolivia (19 percent) where, among all the methods used (both traditional and modern), it is the 

most common. Periodic abstinence is also the most commonly used method in six of the 18 countries in 

sub-Saharan Africa. In the North Africa/West Asia/Europe region, withdrawal is more common than 

periodic abstinence. In Armenia, withdrawal is the most commonly used method: 32 percent of women 

reported using this method. 

Among the traditional methods, current use of periodic abstinence is more common than 

withdrawal in most of the sub-Saharan countries. However, in the North Africa/West Asia/Europe region, 

withdrawal is more common than periodic abstinence. In the other two regions, current use of periodic 

abstinence is more common than withdrawal in half of the countries, and current use of withdrawal is 

more common than periodic abstinence in the rest of the countries. 
29

Table 5.2 Current use of specific modern and traditional contraceptive methods Percentage of currently married women who are currently using specific modern and traditional contraceptive methods, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Modern method Traditional method 

Sterilization Condom 

Country/year Female Male Pill IUD 

Injectables Implants Female Male LAM EC Dia- phragm Foam/ jelly Periodic abstinencea With- drawal Other Number

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 0.3 0.0 1.8 0.8 2.1 0.3 0.0 1.3 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.1 6.9 4.3 0.2 4,563 

Burkina Faso 2003 0.1 0.0 2.2 0.4 2.5 1.2 0.0 2.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.1 0.1 1.8 9,655 Cameroon 2004 1.2 0.0 1.6 0.3 1.4 0.3 0.0 7.6 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.2 2.1 0.6 7,166 Eritrea 2002 0.2 0.0 1.4 0.4 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.6 2.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 0.1 0.0 5,733 Ethiopia 2000 0.3 0.0 2.5 0.1 3.1 0.0 u 0.3 u u 0.0b u 1.5 0.2 0.1 9,789 

Gabon 2000 1.0 0.0 4.8 0.2 0.5 0.0 0.0 5.1 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.1 15.8 1.8 1.8 3,348 Ghana 2003 1.9 0.0 5.5 0.9 5.4 1.0 0.1 3.1 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.4 5.1 0.8 0.6 3,549 Kenya 2003 4.3 0.0 7.5 2.4 14.3 1.7 0.0 1.2 u 0.0 u 0.0 6.3 0.6 0.8 4,919 Madagascar 2003-04 1.1 0.0 3.4 0.6 10.2 0.3 0.0 1.0 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.2 0.5 0.1 5,140 

Malawi 2000 4.7 0.1 2.7 0.1 16.4 0.1 0.0 1.6 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 1.5 2.1 9,452 Mali 2001 0.3 0.0 2.8 0.2 2.1 0.1 0.0 0.3 1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.5 10,723 Mozambique 2003 0.9 0.0 4.9 0.1 4.8 u u 1.1 9.1 u 0.0 0.0 3.1 0.2 1.4 8,736 Mauritania 2000 0.1 0.0 2.6 0.8 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 2.2 0.1 4,541 Namibia 2000 8.5 0.8 8.2 1.2 18.7 0.0 0.1 5.2 u 0.0 0.0b u 0.2 0.1 0.9 2,610 

Nigeria 2003 0.2 0.0 1.8 0.7 2.0 0.0 0.0 1.9 1.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 2.1 1.3 1.0 5,336 Rwanda 2001 0.8 0.0 1.0 0.1 1.9 0.1 0.0 0.4 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.0c 4.7 2.9 0.0 5,052 Uganda 2000 2.0 0.0 3.2 0.2 6.4 0.3 0.0 1.9 4.2 0.0 0.0d 0.0 2.5 1.1 1.0 4,881 Zambia 2001 2.0 0.0 11.9 0.1 4.5 0.3 0.0 3.8 2.7e 0.0 0.1b u 1.1 5.1 2.7 4,694 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 2.7 0.0 1.1 9.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 6.9 1.9 0.0 0.0 0.2 4.8 31.9 1.5 4,125 Egypt 2003 0.9 0.0 9.3 36.7 7.9 0.9 u 0.9 u u 0.1b u 0.8 0.4 2.2 8,445 

Jordan 2002 2.9 0.0 7.5 23.6 0.9 0.0 0.0 3.4 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.3 5.2 9.3 0.1 5,706 Morocco 2003 2.7 0.0 40.1 5.4 2.1 0.0 u 1.5 2.8 u 0.0 0.1 3.8 4.4 0.1 8,782 Uzbekistan 2002 2.6 0.0 1.6 51.8 2.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 3.5 0.3 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 5.3 0.6 26.4 0.6 9.8 0.8 u 4.2 u u u u 6.6 3.6 0.7 10,436 Cambodia 2000g 1.5 0.2 4.5 1.3 7.4 0.1 0.0 0.9 0.3 0.0 0.0d 0.0 2.7 2.3 0.1 9,071 

Indonesia 2002-03 3.7 0.4 13.2 6.2 27.8 4.3 u 0.9 0.1 u 0.0 u 1.6 1.5 0.5 27,857 Nepal 2001 15.0 6.3 1.6 0.4 8.4 0.6 u 2.9 u u u 0.0 1.1 2.6 0.3 8,342 Philippines 2003 10.5 0.1 13.2 4.1 3.1 0.0 0.0 1.9 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.7 8.2 0.7f 8,671 

Vietnam 2002 5.9 0.5 6.3 37.7 0.4 0.0 u 5.8 u u 0.0b u 7.5 14.3 0.1 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 6.5 0.0 3.6 10.2 8.0 0.0 0.0 3.9 2.5 0.0 u 0.2 19.3 3.8 0.3 10,569 Colombia 2005 31.2 1.8 9.7 11.2 5.8 0.3 u 7.1 0.6 0.0 u 0.5 3.8 5.7 0.6 19,762 Dominican Rep. 2002 45.8 0.1 13.5 2.2 1.9 0.5 0.0 1.3 0.4 0.0 u 0.0 1.4 1.7 0.9 13,996 Haiti 2000 2.8 0.4 2.3 0.1 11.8 2.0 0.0 2.9 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.1 3.1 0.1 5,958 Nicaragua 2001 25.3 0.5 14.6 6.4 14.3 0.0 0.0 3.3 1.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 1.0 0.0 7,424 Peru 2000 12.3 0.5 6.7 9.1 14.8 0.2 u 5.6 0.7 u u 0.6 14.4 3.2 0.9 15,628 

EC = Emergency contraception LAM = Lactational amenorrhea method u = Unknown (not available) a Rhythm b Diaphragm, foam, jelly c Spermicide included d Diaphragm/cervical cap

e Although understood as breastfeeding, this is counted as LAM in this analysis. f Knowledge of mucus/Billings/ovulation, basal body temperature, symptothermal, standard days method (47.4%) is not shown. 

g Use of “other modern” methods (2.7%) is not shown. 

29
30

5.2 Differentials in Current Use of Contraception 

Table 5.3 shows differentials in current use of modern contraceptive methods among currently 

married women age 15-49. As expected, current use is lower among younger women (age 15-24) than 

among older women in most countries. Current use of a modern method is generally highest among 

women age 25-34. As with ever use, current use of modern methods is lowest among women with no 

children. An exception is Cameroon, where it is highest among women with no children. In most 

countries, current use rises steeply among women with 1-2 children, peaks among women with 3-4 

children, and then declines slightly at higher parities. 

Current use of modern methods is positively associated with urban residence, education, media 

exposure, and household wealth status. These associations tend to be stronger in countries with lower 

levels of contraceptive use. 
31

Table 5.3 Differentials in current use of any modern contraceptive method Percentage of currently married women who are currently using a modern contraceptive method, by age, number of living children, residence, education, media exposure, and wealth status, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Age 

Number of 

living children Residence Education 

Regular media 

exposure (number 

of sources) Wealth status (quintile) 

Country/year 15-24 25-34 35-49 0 1-2 3-4 5+ Urban Rural None Primary Secondary+ 0 1 2+ Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest Total Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 6 7 8 2 7 8 9 10 6 5 9 20 5 7 13 4 3 7 8 15 7 Burkina Faso 2003 8 10 8 3 10 9 9 29 5 6 20 43 4 9 28 2 5 6 7 27 9 Cameroon 2004 15 12 13 17 13 11 13 20 6 2 11 26 6 13 26 2 5 12 20 27 13 Eritrea 2002 4 9 8 1 6 11 9 15 3 3 11 19 3 5 16 1 2 4 13 18 7 Ethiopia 2000 5 8 6 3 6 7 7 28 3 4 13 33 5 17 32 3 3 2 4 23 6 Gabon 2000 14 15 12 9 13 15 14 15 7 6 9 18 10 13 18 8 10 15 15 19 13 Ghana 2003 15 20 19 9 17 22 20 24 15 11 21 25 11 18 24 9 19 19 21 26 19 Kenya 2003 20 34 37 4 32 41 28 40 29 8 29 52 15 28 49 12 24 33 41 45 32 Madagascar 2003-04 16 21 18 2 19 23 19 27 16 5 19 28 9 20 30 7 11 18 23 30 18 Malawi 2000 20 30 29 3 22 32 38 38 24 22 27 42 21 29 42 22 20 25 23 39 26 Mali 2001 6 8 7 2 7 7 9 15 4 5 12 26 3 6 16 4 4 3 7 18 7 Mauritania 2000 4 6 5 0 5 8 6 12 1 2 8 18 4 5 9 0 1 3 7 17 5 Mozambique 2003 21 22 20 2 20 27 25 28 18 15 24 49 17 21 41 14 16 22 19 37 21 Namibia 2000 44 44 41 25 47 49 35 53 34 27 32 55 26 35 57 24 27 34 47 64 43 Nigeria 2003 6 10 9 1 7 10 11 14 6 2 11 19 4 7 16 4 3 7 9 21 8 Rwanda 2001 5 6 6 0 5 7 6 16 4 3 5 19 3 7 23 2 2 4 5 15 6 Uganda 2000 15 20 19 3 16 20 23 42 15 9 17 42 10 20 43 11 9 12 20 41 18 Zambia 2001 22 30 23 4 25 30 29 41 17 11 22 43 16 27 48 11 13 20 32 52 25 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 41 55 46 17 51 56 42 52 46 49 47 48 44 50 51 45 48 47 48 50 48 Cambodia 2000 11 21 19 1 16 24 21 24 18 16 19 23 15 19 22 13 15 20 20 25 19 

Indonesia 2002-03 57 63 52 7 63 63 45 57 57 45 58 58 47 58 60 49 58 60 59 58 57 

Nepal 2001 17 41 47 5 28 51 40 56 33 34 38 43 28 39 52 24 29 32 39 55 35 Philippines 2003 27 37 33 2 32 46 29 34 33 12 30 35 21 31 36 24 34 36 38 35 33 

Vietnam 2002 41 60 58 4 60 61 52 55 57 54 57 57 57 56 57 58 58 58 58 52 57 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 21 29 19 3 26 19 20 25 19 * * 22 14 21 26 16 21 22 22 29 22 Egypt 2003 40 59 62 0 56 70 61 62 53 54 56 59 45 56 58 49 56 55 59 64 57 Jordan 2002 25 44 45 0 28 51 52 43 36 33 35 43 37 41 42 32 39 41 46 50 41 Morocco 2003 49 61 53 10 57 64 60 56 53 54 57 56 49 56 55 52 55 56 55 57 55 

Uzbekistan 2002 47 69 66 4 62 75 65 60 65 59 63 63 u u u 61 65 62 68 55 63 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 34 39 32 12 38 40 26 40 25 18 30 46 22 27 40 23 28 32 42 49 35 Colombia 2005 58 70 71 29 67 81 67 69 66 57 68 69 u u u 60 67 69 72 72 68 Dominican Rep. 2002 45 68 76 17 56 82 79 66 66 62 66 66 60 63 67 59 65 68 67 70 66 Haiti 2000 22 29 18 8 22 30 22 23 23 19 23 30 20 27 23 17 22 26 24 24 23 Nicaragua 2001 60 70 67 27 68 76 64 71 60 50 70 69 48 60 71 50 66 71 71 71 66 Peru 2000 49 57 46 19 54 56 43 56 40 33 44 57 38 49 57 37 46 54 56 58 50 

Note: An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed. u = Unknown (not available) 

31
32

5.3 Trends in Current Use of Contraception 

Trends in Current Use of Any Method 

The percentage of women currently using any method of contraception has increased in most 

countries. The two exceptions are Rwanda, which showed a decline from 21 to 13 percent between 1992 

and 2001, and Burkina Faso, which showed a decline from 25 to 14 percent between 1992 and 2003 

(Table 5.4). In general, the rate of increase in current use of contraception has been faster in countries 

with lower levels of contraceptive use. A number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made 

considerable gains in recent years; these include Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia. However, current 

use rates have stagnated at low levels in other countries in the region, such as Eritrea, Mali, and Nigeria. 

Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, there are indications that contraceptive prevalence rates are leveling off in 

some countries with high levels of contraceptive use. 

Table 5.4 Trends in current use of contraception 

Percentage of currently married women who are currently using any contraceptive method, any 

modern method, and any traditional method; and among current users, the percentage using a 

traditional method, DHS surveys 1986-2005 

Country/year 

Any 

method 

Any 

modern 

method 

Any 

traditional 

method 

Any traditional/ 

any method 

(%)a Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 1996 16 3 13 79 4,198 

Benin 2001 19 7 11 61 4,563 

Burkina Faso 1992 25 4 21b 83 5,326 

Burkina Faso 1999 12 5 7 59 5,181 

Burkina Faso 2003 14 9 5 36 9,655 

Cameroon 1991 16 4 12 73 2,868 

Cameroon 1998 19 7 12 64 3,676 

Cameroon 2004 26 13 13 50 7,166 

Eritrea 1995 8 4 4 50 3,371 

Eritrea 2002 8 7 1 10 5,733 

Ghana 1988 13 5 8 60 3,156 

Ghana 1993 20 10 10 50 3,204 

Ghana 1998-99 22 13 9 40 3,131 

Ghana 2003 25 19 7 26 3,549 

Kenya 1989 27 18 9 33 4,765 

Kenya 1993 33 27 6 17 4,629 

Kenya 1998 39 32 8 19 4,834 

Kenya 2003 39 32 8 20 4,919 

Madagascar 1992 17 5 12 69 3,736 

Madagascar 1997 19 10 10 50 4,435 

Madagascar 2003-04 27 18 9 32 5,140 

Malawi 1992 13 7 6 43 3,492 

Malawi 2000 31 26 5 15 9,452 

Mali 1987 5 1 3 72 2,948 

Mali 1996 7 5 2 33 8,222 

Mali 2001 8 7 1 14 10,723 

Mozambique 1997 6 5 1 9 6,530 

Mozambique 2003 26 21 5 18 8,736 

Namibia 1992 29 26 3 10 2,259 

Namibia 2000 44 43 1 3 2,610 

Nigeria 1990 6 4 3 42 6,880 

Nigeria 1999 15 9 7 44 5,757 

Nigeria 2003 13 8 4 34 5,336 

Rwanda 1992 21 13 8 39 3,785 

Rwanda 2001 13 6 8 58 5,052 

Uganda 1988 5 3 2 49 3,180 

Uganda 1995 15 8 7 47 5,136 

Uganda 2000 23 18 5 20 4,881 

Zambia 1992 15 9 6 41 4,457 

Zambia 1996 26 14 12 44 4,902 

Zambia 2001 34 25 9 26 4,694 

Continued... 
33

Table 5.4—Continued

Country/year 

Any 

method 

Any 

modern 

method 

Any 

traditional 

method 

Any traditional/ 

any method 

(%)a Number 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Egypt 1988 38 36 2 6 8,221 

Egypt 1992 47 45 2 5 9,153 

Egypt 1995 48 46 2 5 13,710 

Egypt 2000 56 54 2 4 14,382 

Egypt 2003 60 57 3 6 8,445 

Jordan 1990 40 27 13 33 6,168 

Jordan 1997 53 38 15 28 5,337 

Jordan 2002 56 41 15 26 5,706 

Morocco 1987 36 29 7 19 5,447 

Morocco 1992 42 36 6 14 5,118 

Morocco 2003 63 55 8 13 8,782 

Uzbekistan 1996 56 51 4 8 3,102 

Uzbekistan 2002 68 63 5 7 3,720 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 1994 45 37 8 18 8,840 

Bangladesh 1997 50 42 8 15 8,307 

Bangladesh 2000 54 44 10 19 9,540 

Bangladesh 2004 59 48 11 18 10,436 

Indonesia 1987 48 44 4 8 10,907 

Indonesia 1991 50 47 3 5 21,109 

Indonesia 1994 55 52 3 5 26,186 

Indonesia 1997 57 55 3 5 26,886 

Indonesia 2002-03 60 57 4 6 27,857 

Nepal 1996 29 26 3 9 7,982 

Nepal 2001 39 35 4 10 8,342 

Philippines 1993 40 25 15 38 8,961 

Philippines 1998 48 28 20 41 8,336 

Philippines 2003 49 33 16 32 8,671 

Vietnam 1997 75 56 20 26 5,340 

Vietnam 2002 79 57 22 28 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 1989 30 12 18 59 4,941 

Bolivia 1994 45 18 28 61 5,334 

Bolivia 1998 48 25 23 48 6,649 

Bolivia 2003 58 35 23 40 10,569 

Colombia 1986 65 52 12 19 2,850 

Colombia 1990 66 55 12 17 4,450 

Colombia 1995 72 59 13 18 6,097 

Colombia 2000 77 64 13 17 5,935 

Colombia 2005 78 68 10 13 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 1986 50 47 3 7 4,133 

Dominican Rep. 1991 56 52 5 8 4,083 

Dominican Rep. 1996 64 59 4 7 4,983 

Dominican Rep. 1999 69 64 5 8 728 

Dominican Rep. 2002 70 66 4 6 13,996 

Haiti 1994 18 13 5 26 3,113 

Haiti 2000 28 23 5 19 5,958 

Nicaragua 1997 60 57 3 5 8,045 

Nicaragua 2001 69 66 3 4 7,424 

Peru 1986 46 23 23 50 2,900 

Peru 1992 59 33 26 44 8,741 

Peru 1996 64 41 23 36 16,885 

Peru 2000 69 50 19 27 15,628 

a Calculated using figures rounded to one decimal place b Majority is abstinence 
34

Trends in Current Use of Any Modern Method 

Trends in current use of modern methods often resemble trends in current use of any method of 

contraception, except that the rate of increase tends to be steeper for modern methods than for any 

method. There have been consistent increases in the percentage of women currently using a modern 

method in all countries except Nigeria and Rwanda. Again, as for current use of any method, the rate of 

increase in current use of any modern method has been slower in countries with higher levels of current 

use of modern methods. 

Trends in Current Use of Any Traditional Method 

There are no clear trends in the use of traditional methods of contraception. In most countries, 

prevalence rates for traditional methods have fluctuated within a narrow range. However, as use of 

modern methods increases, the share of traditional methods generally declines. Still, considerable 

proportions of women in most countries continue to rely on traditional methods. In 24 of the 30 countries 

with trend data, use of traditional methods makes up at least 10 percent of current use of contraception, 

and in 16 of the countries it is 20 percent or higher. 

Trends in Current Use of Modern Methods by Urban-rural Residence 

Figure 5.1 shows the trends in current use of modern contraceptive methods by urban-rural 

residence. In most countries the rate of increase in current use has been faster in rural areas than in urban 

areas because current use rates were already higher in urban areas. In some countries with relatively high 

rates of contraceptive prevalence—for example, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Indonesia, the 

Philippines, and Vietnam—urban-rural differences have largely disappeared. In sub-Saharan Africa, 

however, trends are less consistent where in some countries rural rates have remained unchanged or have 

declined.
35

Figure 5.1 Trends in current use of any modern method of contraception by residence, 

DHS surveys 1986-2005 

Sub-Saharan Africa

6

10

2

6

3 7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1996

2001

Benin 

17 20

29

2 3 5 4 5

9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1992

1999

2003

Burkina Faso

7

13

20

3 5 6 4 7

13

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1991

1998

2004

Cameroon 

15 15

1 3 4 7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1995

2002

Eritrea 

Ghana 

7

16 17

24

3 7 11

15

5

10 13

19

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1988

1993

1998/99

2003

Kenya 

26

38 41 40

16

25

29 29

18

27

32 32

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1989

1993

1998

2003
36

Figure 5.1—Continued 

Sub-Saharan Africa—Continued

16 18

27

3 7

16

5

10

18

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1992

1997

2003

Madagascar 

17

38

6

24

7

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1992

2000

Malawi 

Mali 

5

12 15

0 2 4

1

5 7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1987

1996

2001

17

28

2

18

5

21

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1997

2003

Mozambique 

47

53

13

34

26

43

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1992

2000

Namibia 

10

16 14

2

6 6 4

9 8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1990

1999

2003

Nigeria 
37

Figure 5.1—Continued 

Sub-Saharan Africa—Continued

20

16 13

4

13

6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1992

2001

Rwanda Uganda 

12

28

42

2 5

15

3

8

18

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1988

1995

2000

15

24

41

3

8

17

9

14

25

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1992

1996

2001

Zambia

North Africa/West Asia/Europe

Egypt 

49

5454

5962

23

3739

5053

36

4546

5457

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Urban Rural Total

1988

1992

1995

2000

2003

Jordan 

30

39

43

17

31

36

27

38 41

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Urban Rural Total

1990

1997

2002
38

Figure 5.1—Continued 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe—Continued

Morocco 

42

46

56

20

28

53

29

36

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Urban Rural Total

1987

1992

2003 50

60

52

65

51

63

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Urban Rural Total

1996

2002

Uzbekistan 

South/Southeast Asia

Bangladesh

45

53

49

52

36

41 43 46

37

42 44

48

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1994

1997

2000

2004

Indonesia 

48

51

565557

4245

51

5557

44

47

525557

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1987

1991

1994

1997

2002/03

45

56

24

33

26

35

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1996

2001

Nepal 

28 31 34

22 25

33

25

28

33

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1993

1998

2003

Philippines 
39

Figure 5.1—Continued 

South/Southeast Asia—Continued

54 55 56 57 56 57

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Urban Rural Total

1997

2002

Vietnam 

Latin America/Caribbean

18

25

32

40

5 7 11

25

12

18

25

35

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Urban Rural Total

1989

1994

1998

2003

Bolivia Colombia 

5858

636669

41

4852

58

66

5255596468

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Urban Rural Total

1986

1990

1995

2000

2005

Dominican Republic 

49

55

616366

4346

56

6666

47

52

596466

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Urban Rural Total

1986

1991

1996

1999

2002

Haiti 

20 23

10

23

13

23

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Urban Rural Total

1994

2000
40

Figure 5.1—Continued 

Latin America/Caribbean—Continued

Nicaragua 

63

71

49

60 57

66

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Urban Rural Total

1997

2001

Peru 

32

40

48

56

8

16

27

40

23

33

41

50

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Urban Rural Total

1986

1992

1996

2000
41

Trends in Current Use of Modern Methods by Education 

Current use of modern methods has generally increased more rapidly among less educated 

women (Figure 5.2). Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, current use of modern methods among women with 

secondary or higher education has remained relatively unchanged. In sub-Saharan Africa, trends in 

current use by level of education are less consistent. Among women with secondary or higher education 

in 15 sub-Saharan countries, current use has remained stable in five countries, increased in seven, and 

declined in three. In a number of countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, current use of modern methods 

remains extremely low among women with no education. Cameroon, Eritrea, Madagascar, Mali, and 

Nigeria are examples where current use of modern methods among women with no education is still 

below 10 percent. 
42

Figure 5.2 Trends in current use of any modern method of contraception by education, 

DHS surveys 1986-2005 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

2 5 7 9 11

20

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1996

2001

Benin 

2 3

6

13 13

20

32

37

43

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1992

1999

2003

Burkina Faso

1 2 2 5 7 11 12 14

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1991

1998

2004

Cameroon 

1 3

9 11

27

19

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1995

2002

Eritrea 

Ghana 

3 4

9 11

6

13 13

21

10

25

17

25

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1988

1993

1998/99

2003

Kenya 

10

15 16

8

19

26 28 29 29

45 46

52

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1989

1993

1998

2003
43

Figure 5.2—Continued 

Sub-Saharan Africa—Continued

1 2 5 4

8

19

13

21

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1992

1997

2003

Madagascar 

5

22

8

27

38

42

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1992

2000

Malawi 

Mali 

0 2 5 6

11 12

20

30

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1987

1996

2001

3

15

6

24 27

49

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1997

2003

Mozambique 

14

27

17

32

46

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1992

2000

Namibia 

1 3 2

5

10 11 14

19 19

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1990

1999

2003

Nigeria 
44

Figure 5.2—Continued 

Sub-Saharan Africa—Continued

11

3

13

5

28

19

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1992

2001

Rwanda Uganda 

1 3

9

3

8

17

11

26

42

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1988

1995

2000

3 6

11

6

11

22 24

30

43

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1992

1996

2001

Zambia

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Egypt 

26

3639

50

54

43

53

49

5656

48

5351

5859

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1988

1992

1995

2000

2003

Jordan

21

26

33 31

37 35

28

39

43

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1990

1997

2002
45

Figure 5.2—Continued 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe—Continued

Morocco

25

31

54

47 48

57

53 51

56

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1987

1992

2003

0

59

20

63

51

63

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1996

2002

Uzbekistan 

South/Southeast Asia

Bangladesh

35

40 42

49

37

44 44 47 44 46 47 48

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1994

1997

2000

2004

Indonesia 

31

3638

4345 45

48

53

5658 5654

585758

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1987

1991

1994

1997

2002/03

25

34

28

38 37

43

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1996

2001

Nepal 

7 9

12

22 25

30 28 30

35

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1993

1998

2003

Philippines 
46

Figure 5.2—Continued 

South/Southeast Asia—Continued

42

54

50

57 59 57

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

None Primary Secondary+

1997

2002

Vietnam 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 

2 3

8

18

9 12

18

30

24

30

37

46

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1989

1994

1998

2003

Colombia 

434445

5657

4952

57

62

67

6059

6366 69

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1986

1990

1995

2000

2005

Dominican Republic 

32

38

51

67

62

47

52

616466

50

54

59

64 66

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1986

1991

1996

1999

2002

Haiti

8

19

15

23 23

30

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1994

2000
47

Figure 5.2—Continued 

Latin America/Caribbean—Continued

Nicaragua

45

50

57

70

64

69

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1997

2001

Peru

8

12

19

33

17

24

35

44

36

42

49

57

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

None Primary Secondary+

1986

1992

1996

2000
48

5.4 Unmet Need for Contraception 

Unmet need measures the percentage of currently married women who are not using a method of 

contraception but want either to delay further childbearing for two years or more (spacing) or to stop 

further childbearing (limiting). For the most recent surveys, total unmet need ranges from a low of 5 

percent in Vietnam to a high of 40 percent in Haiti (Table 5.5). Overall, total unmet need is higher in subSaharan Africa than in other regions. In most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa, total unmet need is 

below 20 percent; the exceptions are Bolivia, Haiti, and Nepal. 

Table 5.5 Trends in unmet need for contraception 

Percentage of currently married women who have an unmet need for contraception, DHS surveys 1986-2005 

Unmet need for: 

Country/year Spacing Limiting 

Total 

unmet need Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 1996 17 9 26 4,198 

Benin 2001 17 10 27 4,563 

Burkina Faso 1992 19 6 25 5,326 

Burkina Faso 1999 19 7 26 5,181 

Burkina Faso 2003 22 7 29 9,655 

Cameroon 1991 17 5 22 2,868 

Cameroon 1998 14 6 20 3,676 

Cameroon 2004 14 6 20 7,166 

Eritrea 1995 22 6 28 3,371 

Eritrea 2002 21 6 27 5,733 

Ghana 1988 29 6 35 3,156 

Ghana 1993 25 12 37 3,204 

Ghana 1998-99 22 12 34 3,131 

Ghana 2003 22 12 34 3,549 

Kenya 1989 23 15 38 4,765 

Kenya 1993 21 14 35 4,629 

Kenya 1998 14 10 24 4,834 

Kenya 2003 15 10 25 4,919 

Madagascar 1992 16 16 32 3,736 

Madagascar 1997 15 11 26 4,435 

Madagascar 2003-04 12 12 24 5,140 

Malawi 1992 24 12 36 3,492 

Malawi 2000 18 12 30 9,452 

Mali 1987 17 6 23 2,948 

Mali 1996 20 6 26 8,222 

Mali 2001 21 8 29 10,723 

Mozambique 1997 5 2 7 6,530 

Mozambique 2003 10 8 18 8,736 

Namibia 1992 15 7 22 2,259 

Namibia 2000 9 13 22 2,610 

Nigeria 1990 16 5 21 6,880 

Nigeria 1999 12 5 17 5,757 

Nigeria 2003 12 5 17 5,336 

Rwanda 1992 21 18 39 3,785 

Rwanda 2001 24 12 36 5,052 

Uganda 1988 20 7 27 3,180 

Uganda 1995 18 11 29 5,136 

Uganda 2000 21 14 35 4,881 

Zambia 1992 22 9 31 4,457 

Zambia 1996 18 8 26 4,902 

Zambia 2001 16 11 27 4,694 

Continued... 
49

Table 5.5—Continued

Unmet need for: 

Country/year Spacing Limiting 

Total 

unmet need Number 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Egypt 1988 10 15 25 8,221 

Egypt 1992 7 13 20 9,153 

Egypt 1995 5 11 16 13,710 

Egypt 2000 3 8 11 14,382 

Egypt 2003 4 6 10 8,445 

Jordan 1990 8 14 22 6,168 

Jordan 1997 7 7 14 5,337 

Jordan 2002 5 6 11 5,706 

Morocco 1987 12 10 22 5,447 

Morocco 1992 9 11 20 5,118 

Morocco 2003 3 7 10 8,782 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 1994 9 9 18 8,840 

Bangladesh 1997 8 8 16 8,307 

Bangladesh 2000 8 7 15 9,540 

Bangladesh 2004 5 6 11 10,436 

Indonesia 1987 10 6 16 10,907 

Indonesia 1991 8 6 14 21,109 

Indonesia 1994 5 6 11 26,186 

Indonesia 1997 4 5 9 26,886 

Indonesia 2002-03 4 5 9 27,857 

Nepal 1996 14 17 31 7,982 

Nepal 2001 12 16 28 8,342 

Philippines 1993 13 13 26 8,961 

Philippines 1998 8 11 19 8,336 

Philippines 2003 8 9 17 8,671 

Vietnam 1997 3 4 7 5,340 

Vietnam 2002 2 3 5 5,338 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 1989 10 26 36 4,941 

Bolivia 1994 5 18 23 5,334 

Bolivia 1998 7 19 26 6,649 

Bolivia 2003 6 17 23 10,569 

Colombia 1986 5 8 13 2,850 

Colombia 1990 4 7 11 4,450 

Colombia 1995 3 5 8 6,097 

Colombia 2000 2 4 6 5,935 

Colombia 2005 3 3 6 19,762 

Dominican Rep. 1986 10 9 19 4,133 

Dominican Rep. 1991 8 9 17 4,083 

Dominican Rep. 1996 7 5 12 4,983 

Dominican Rep. 1999 8 4 12 728 

Dominican Rep. 2002 7 4 11 13,996 

Haiti 1994 18 26 44 3,113 

Haiti 2000 16 24 40 5,958 

Nicaragua 1997 7 8 15 8,045 

Nicaragua 2001 6 9 15 7,424 

Peru 1986 8 20 28 2,900 

Peru 1992 4 11 15 8,741 

Peru 1996 3 9 12 16,885 

Peru 2000 3 7 10 15,628 

Over time, the majority of countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa have experienced declines in 

total unmet need for contraception, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa total unmet need has either stalled at 

relatively high levels or increased (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, and Uganda). 
50

Unmet need for spacing remains higher than unmet need for limiting in sub-Saharan Africa. In 

the other regions, unmet need for limiting is higher than unmet need for spacing. In general, trends in 

unmet need for both spacing and limiting are similar to those for total unmet need. 

5.5 Informed Choice and Use of Contraception 

Among current users of modern methods who adopted their method in the past five years, a 

considerable proportion was not informed about the potential side effects of their method (Table 5.6). The 

percentage of women who were told about the side effects ranges from 25 percent in Morocco to 71 

percent in Cambodia. In seven of the 29 countries with information on side effects, a majority of women 

were not informed about the potential side effects of their current method. There are substantial 

intraregional differences in the percentage of women receiving information about side effects. Levels 

were not necessarily higher in countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa. 

Table 5.6 Informed choice and use of contraception 

Among currently married women who are currently using a modern method of contraception and who 

adopted the method in the past five years, percentage who were informed of the side effects of the method 

when they obtained it, and percentage who were informed of other contraceptive methods; and among 

currently married women who were sterilized in the past five years, percentage who were informed that 

sterilization is permanent, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Country/year 

Informed of 

side effects 

Informed of 

other 

methods 

Number of 

women 

Informed that 

sterilization is 

permanent 

Number of 

women 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 49 66 211 * 7 

Burkina Faso 2003 66 74 568 * 4 

Cameroon 2004 58 65 267 * 31 

Ghana 2003 64 65 433 (96) 32 

Kenya 2003 60 62 1,096 91 72 

Madagascar 2003-04 55 62 624 (95) 24 

Malawi 2000 70 62 320 91 323 

Mali 2001 62 50 453 * 16 

Mozambique 2003 64 75 812 (81) 40 

Namibia 2000 49 54 613 86 109 

Nigeria 2003 51 59 223 * 8 

Rwanda 2001 * * 9 * 9 

Uganda 2000 68 71 491 81 58 

Zambia 2001 77a

 u 782 (100) 44 

 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 69 21 46 94 46 

Egypt 2003 42 43 3,225 u 0 

Jordan 2002 63 70 1,581 97 70 

Morocco 2003 25 36 3,244 81 68 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 30 35 3,284 78 72 

Cambodia 2000 71 65 1,057 86 58 

Indonesia 2002-03 32 39 10,224 86 287 

Nepal 2001 59 45 1,266 75 457 

Philippines 2003 59 60 1,648 90 264 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 70 78 2,136 89 300 

Colombia 2005 52 61 6,274 87 2,375 

Dominican Rep. 2002 40 u 4,320 73 1,986 

Haiti 2000 53 55 979 91 58 

Nicaragua 2001 54 68 2,896 89 695 

Peru 2000 69 78 5,062 92 1,009 

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. 

u = Unknown (not available) 

a Ever told of side effects 
51

The percentage of current users of modern methods who were informed about other contraceptive 

methods ranges from 21 percent in Armenia to 78 percent in Bolivia and Peru. In six of the 27 countries 

with information, a majority of women were not informed about other methods when they adopted their 

current method. Again, the percentage of women receiving information about other contraceptive 

methods was not necessarily higher in countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Among women who 

adopted sterilization in the past five years, most were informed that sterilization is a permanent procedure. 

53

6 Sources of Contraceptive Methods 

As the demand for contraception has increased, there have been changes in the supply 

environment, including the advent of social marketing campaigns and the diversification of sources of 

supply. This section examines the patterns and differentials in sources of supply for modern contraceptive 

methods. It also looks at trends in how the share of public and private medical sectors has changed. 

6.1 Source of Current Contraceptive Method 

Table 6.1 shows the percent distribution of currently married women who were using a modern 

contraceptive method at the time of the survey, by where they obtained their method the last time. In most 

countries, the majority of women obtained their method from a public source. The percentage ranges from 

less than 30 percent in Cameroon, Haiti, and Indonesia, to 85 percent or higher in Armenia, Mozambique, 

and Vietnam. The pattern in Latin America and the Caribbean is different: the majority of women in three 

of the six countries did not obtain their method from a public source. 

Table 6.1 Sources of contraceptive methods 

Percent distribution of currently married women who are currently using a modern contraceptive 

method (excluding LAM) by source of method: public sector, nongovernmental organizations 

(NGOs), private medical sector, and other sources, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Country/year 

Public 

sector NGOs 

Private 

medical 

sector 

Other 

sources Total 

Number 

of 

women 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 59 0 21 20 100 308 

Burkina Faso 2003 71 1 8 21 100 833 

Cameroon 2004 28 0 27 45a 100 866 

Eritrea 2002 80 0 15 6 100 286 

Ethiopia 2000 81 8 7 4 100 617 

Gabon 2000 36 0 48 16 100 386 

Ghana 2003 50 0 47 3 100 649 

Kenya 2003 55 0 43 2 100 1,551 

Madagascar 2003-04 58 0 35 7 100 856 

Malawi 2000 71 12 16 2 100 2,423 

Mali 2001 57 0 32 11 100 601 

Mauritania 2000 64 6 23 7 100 230 

Mozambique 2003 85 0 9 6 100 1,011 

Namibia 2000 84 0 14 1 100 1,091 

Nigeria 2003 34 0 57 9 100 347 

Rwanda 2001 77 0 21 2 100 216 

Uganda 2000 45 0 46 8 100 671 

Zambia 2001 65 0 22 13 100 1,051 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 95 0 3 2 100 780 

Egypt 2003 56 3 39 2 100 4,777 

Jordan 2002 34 0 66 0 100 2,202 

Morocco 2003 57 0 43 0 100 4,512 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 57 6 32 5 100 4,963 

Cambodia 2000 47 0 35 18 100 1,618 

Indonesia 2002-03 28 0 63 9 100 15,747 

Nepal 2001 80 8 7 5 100 2,928 

Philippines 2003 67 0 29 3 100 2,860 

Vietnam 2002 85 0 14 2 100 3,021 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 60 4 35 1 100 3,380 

Colombia 2005 43 0 55 3 100 13,290 

Dominican Rep. 2002 44 4 51 1 100 8,915 

Haiti 2000 25 36 30 9 100 1,324 

Nicaragua 2001 65 0 33 2 100 4,744 

Peru 2000 81 2 15 1 100 7,762 

a The majority of cases are male condoms from shops, churches, or friends. 
54

There are large variations both within and across regions in use of the private medical sector as a 

source for family planning. In five of the 34 countries for which data are available—Armenia, Burkina 

Faso, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Nepal—less than 10 percent of women obtained their method from a 

private medical sector source. On the other hand, in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, 

Jordan, and Nigeria, the majority of women obtained their method from a private medical sector source. 

Haiti stands out as a country where a large proportion of women (36 percent) obtained their method from 

nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). 

6.2 Differentials in Use of Private Medical Sources 

There is no clear pattern by age in the percentage of women who obtained their current 

contraceptive method from a private medical source (Table 6.2). In most countries, however, women with 

fewer children are more likely to have obtained their method from a private medical source; and, in 

general, urban women, more-educated women, women in wealthier households, and women who are 

more exposed to mass media, are more likely to use a private medical source. An exception is Malawi, 

where rural women are more likely than urban women to use a private medical source. For other 

characteristics, differentials in the use of private medical sources to obtain family planning are small. 
55

Table 6.2 Differentials in use of the private medical sector as the source of contraceptive methods Among currently married women who are currently using a modern contraceptive method, percentage who obtained their method from the private medical sector, by age, number of living children, residence, education, media exposure, and wealth status, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Age 

Number of 

living children Residence Education 

Regular media 

exposure (number 

of sources) Wealth status (quintile) 

Country/year 15-24 25-34 35-49 0 1-2 3-4 5+ Urban Rural None Primary Secondary+ 0 1 2+ Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest Total Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 28 22 17 * 31 17 12 26 16 14 21 36 15 17 33 (9) (13) 8 24 31 21 

Burkina Faso 2003 8 8 7 * 9 6 5 12 3 3 12 16 6 3 13 (3) 8 1 3 11 8 

Cameroon 2004 25 26 30 29 27 25 26 28 22 (41) 26 27 24 22 30 (21) 20 26 25 30 27 

Eritrea 2002 (10) 18 13 * 16 18 9 14 (15) 18 8 21 * 9 16 (0) (11) (6) 12 19 15 Ethiopia 2000 9 6 7 15 8 8 5 9 5 2 8 16 5 11 16 (0) (3) (0) 8 9 7 

Gabon 2000 43 52 48 (31) 50 48 53 48 51 * 31 55 41 49 52 (42) 51 39 43 58 48 

Ghana 2003 56 50 41 (78) 54 42 42 49 45 38 45 52 41 42 55 32 43 46 50 54 47 Kenya 2003 47 42 43 * 50 40 37 51 40 27 37 52 35 36 51 32 31 34 40 59 43 Madagascar 2003-04 32 31 41 * 38 39 27 41 32 16 30 43 11 31 51 7 17 24 36 51 35 Malawi 2000 15 17 15 (16) 16 15 16 8 18 16 16 13 15 16 14 16 20 16 14 15 16 

Mali 2001 38 30 30 (28) 32 45 24 39 21 26 43 39 16 26 38 (17) 34 17 20 41 32 

Mauritania 2003 (26) 29 15 * 21 35 11 23 * 9 25 35 18 19 36 * * * 16 29 23 Mozambique 2003 8 11 7 * 11 10 5 12 4 4 7 22 3 7 17 5 4 2 3 14 9 

Namibia 2000 9 9 22 19 16 16 8 20 7 3 4 21 4 1 23 1 4 3 3 31 14 Nigeria 2003 62 61 48 * 67 53 48 57 54 (43) 58 57 53 55 57 (57) (33) (54) 68 55 56 

Rwanda 2001 23 28 13 * 29 22 12 38 5 (5) 17 32 (5) 16 41 * * * (7) 33 21 

Uganda 2000 48 53 35 * 51 50 39 52 43 35 42 55 37 45 53 (25) (28) 38 50 53 46 Zambia 2001 15 22 31 * 15 21 32 27 15 11 20 26 11 20 32 6 14 12 13 36 22 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 3 3 3 * 4 2 * 5 1 * * 3 0 3 3 3 0 4 3 5 3 Egypt 2003 36 38 41 * 42 40 32 47 32 29 33 48 28 33 42 24 30 34 39 60 39 Jordan 2002 56 67 67 * 66 72 61 70 47 51 59 68 64 63 68 48 59 64 71 82 66 

Morocco 2003 49 42 41 80 48 42 32 50 31 34 50 63 27 42 47 26 32 35 49 67 43 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 46 29 21 73 37 24 21 46 27 18 30 51 20 33 46 15 21 30 33 56 32 Cambodia 2000 39 36 33 * 35 34 35 40 34 39 33 37 32 33 38 32 35 32 34 39 35 

Indonesia 2002-03 69 67 57 64 66 59 54 69 57 49 59 70 54 63 65 48 56 63 70 75 63 Nepal 2001 19 8 3 (42) 13 5 3 20 5 4 9 22 3 7 15 1 4 4 5 16 7 Philippines 2003 31 30 28 * 36 28 20 37 21 * 18 34 13 21 33 13 19 25 32 52 29 

Vietnam 2002 16 16 12 * 16 11 7 30 10 9 15 14 8 13 15 10 9 8 13 30 14 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 34 37 34 64 42 35 21 42 15 10 28 45 13 20 41 8 18 32 39 53 35 

Colombia 2005 65 56 51 87 63 45 39 59 42 36 46 61 u u u 37 49 56 63 64 55 Dominican Rep. 2002 61 49 49 88 62 47 36 53 48 34 43 62 40 42 53 38 44 49 56 66 51 Haiti 2000 27 32 29 22 29 38 20 35 27 23 27 45 26 23 44 16 27 29 26 47 30 Nicaragua 2001 28 37 34 52 35 34 26 40 23 22 26 45 17 23 38 16 21 29 35 55 33 

Peru 2000 7 13 21 32 18 14 8 19 5 3 8 20 6 13 19 1 6 9 17 37 15 

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. u = Unknown (not available) 

55
56

6.3 Trends in Sources of Modern Contraceptive Methods 

Among women using modern contraceptive methods, there is no clear trend in the percentage 

who obtained their method from a public-sector source. In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of women 

using the public sector to obtain their current method declined in about half of the countries and increased 

or remained the same in the rest (Table 6.3). Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of women 

who obtained their method from the public sector declined in most countries in South/Southeast Asia, but 

increased in most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in North Africa/West Asia/Europe. 

Table 6.3 Trends in sources of modern contraceptive methods 

Percent distribution of currently married women who are currently using a modern 

contraceptive method by source where method was obtained (pubic sector, private 

medical sector, and other sources), DHS surveys 1986-2005 

Country/year 

Public 

sector 

Private 

medical 

sector 

Other 

sourcesa Total Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 1996 52 26 23 100 143 

Benin 2001 59 21 20 100 308 

Burkina Faso 1992 71 22 7 100 205 

Burkina Faso 1999 72 6 22 100 247 

Burkina Faso 2003 71 8 21 100 833 

Cameroon 1991 32 63 5 100 118 

Cameroon 1998 44 40 16 100 260 

Cameroon 2004 28 27 45 100 866 

Eritrea 1995 80 15 5 100 134 

Eritrea 2002 80 15 6 100 286 

Ghana 1988 39 45 16 100 158 

Ghana 1993 50 48 2 100 318 

Ghana 1998-99 51 45 4 100 396 

Ghana 2003 50 47 3 100 649 

Kenya 1989 72 27 1 100 851 

Kenya 1993 71 23 6 100 1,248 

Kenya 1998 64 33 3 100 1,519 

Kenya 2003 55 43 2 100 1,551 

Madagascar 1992 38 60 2 100 190 

Madagascar 1997 53 40 7 100 430 

Madagascar 2003-04 58 35 7 100 856 

Malawi 1992 71 28 1 100 255 

Malawi 2000 71 16 14 100 2,423 

Mali 1987 76 9 15 100 38 

Mali 1996 59 29 11 100 356 

Mali 2001 57 32 11 100 601 

Mozambique 1997 89 4 7 100 327 

Mozambique 2003 85 9 6 100 1,011 

Namibia 1992 81 18 1 100 573 

Namibia 2000 84 14 1 100 1,091 

Nigeria 1990 44 34 22 100 238 

Nigeria 1999 59 36 5 100 461 

Nigeria 2003 34 56 10 100 352 

Rwanda 1992 99 0 1 100 481 

Rwanda 2001 77 21 2 100 216 

Uganda 1988 87 10 4 100 80 

Uganda 1995 52 43 3 100 399 

Uganda 2000 45 46 9 100 671 

Zambia 1992 55 34 11 100 393 

Zambia 1996 66 26 9 100 684 

Zambia 2001 65 22 13 100 1,051 

Continued... 
57

Table 6.3—Continued

Country/year 

Public 

sector 

Private 

medical 

sector 

Other 

sourcesa Total Number 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Egypt 1988 26 26 48b 100 2,908 

Egypt 1992 35 57 8 100 4,082 

Egypt 1995 36 54 10 100 6,151 

Egypt 2000 49 44 8 100 7,748 

Egypt 2003 56 39 5 100 4,777 

Jordan 1990 24 44 32c

 100 1,654 

Jordan 1997 28 72 0 100 2,011 

Jordan 2002 34 66 0 100 2,202 

Morocco 1987 63 20 17 100 1,555 

Morocco 1992 63 36 1 100 1,818 

Morocco 2003 57 43 0 100 4,512 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 1994 38 10 52d

 100 3,197 

Bangladesh 1997 35 15 50d

 100 3,458 

Bangladesh 2000 65e

 22 13 100 4,153 

Bangladesh 2004 57e

 32 11 100 4,963 

Indonesia 1987 81 12 7 100 4,774 

Indonesia 1991 76 22 2 100 9,927 

Indonesia 1994 49 28 23 100 13,609 

Indonesia 1997 42 41 18 100 14,700 

Indonesia 2002-03 28 63 9 100 15,747 

Nepal 1996 80 8 12 100 2,050 

Nepal 2001 80 7 13 100 2,928 

Philippines 1993 72 26 2 100 2,217 

Philippines 1998 72 26 3 100 2,341 

Philippines 2003 67 29 3 100 2,860 

Vietnam 1997 87 11 1 100 2,979 

Vietnam 2002 85 14 2 100 3,021 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 1989 34 63 3 100 605 

Bolivia 1994 34 65 1 100 931 

Bolivia 1998 43 54 3 100 1,660 

Bolivia 2003 60 35 5 100 3,380 

Colombia 1986 17 82 1 100 1,471 

Colombia 1990 23 43 34c

 100 2,400 

Colombia 1995 28 43 29c

 100 3,606 

Colombia 2000 31 40 29c

 100 3,738 

Colombia 2005 43 55 3 100 13,290 

Dominican Rep. 1986 50 47 3 100 1,911 

Dominican Rep. 1991 32 66 2 100 2,093 

Dominican Rep. 1996 36 57 7 100 2,938 

Dominican Rep. 1999 41 56 3 100 464 

Dominican Rep. 2002 44 51 5 100 8,915 

Haiti 1994 57 34 10 100 408 

Haiti 2000 25 30 45 100 1,324 

Nicaragua 1997 63 36 2 100 4,549 

Nicaragua 2001 65 33 2 100 4,744 

Peru 1986 57 34 9 100 656 

Peru 1992 53 38 9 100 2,841 

Peru 1996 71 23 6 100 6,972 

Peru 2000 81 15 4 100 7,762 

a NGOs coded as “other” 

b

 Private pharmacy coded as “other” but in later surveys, coded as “private medical” c

 Majority NGOs 

d Fieldworker coded as “other” 

e Fieldworker coded as “government/public” 
58

Identifying trends in the use of private medical sources for obtaining modern contraceptive 

methods was made somewhat difficult by changes over time in the classification of providers included 

under private medical, NGOs, and other sectors within some countries. For example, in Malawi, while the 

percentage of women who reported obtaining their method from a public source remained unchanged 

between 1992 and 2000 (71 percent), use of private medical sources declined from 28 to 16 percent, and 

“other sources” increased from 1 to 14 percent during the same period. 
59

7 Contraceptive Discontinuation and Nonuse 

To promote contraceptive use and provide high-quality family planning services, it is important to 

understand why some women discontinue using contraception and others do not use contraception. While 

previous sections of this report have focused on levels and trends in contraceptive knowledge and use, 

this section looks at rates of contraceptive discontinuation, switching, and nonuse (both current nonuse 

and intended nonuse in the future). It also examines the reasons for contraceptive discontinuation and 

nonuse. 

7.1 Contraceptive Discontinuation, Switching, and Nonuse 

Discontinuation 

Table 7.1 shows levels of lifetime contraceptive discontinuation, measured as the percentage of 

currently married women who used a method of contraception in the past but were not using a method at 

the time of the survey. The discontinuation rates are highest in sub-Saharan Africa where the majority of 

women in 13 of the 18 countries have discontinued using contraception. In countries outside of subSaharan Africa, the discontinuation rates vary between 19 and 36 percent; the exceptions are Vietnam, 

which has a very low rate (13 percent), and Haiti, which has a much higher rate (49 percent). 

Table 7.1 Contraceptive discontinuation, switching, nonuse, and intended nonuse in the future 

Among currently married women who have ever used a contraceptive method, percentage who discontinued use of 

contraception; among currently married women who are currently using a contraceptive method, percentage who switched 

methods; among currently married women, percentage who are not using any method of contraception; and among 

currently married women who are not pregnant and not using contraception, percentage who do not intend to use 

contraception in the future, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Discontinued Switched Current nonuse 

Intended nonuse

in the future 

Country/year Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 63 2,300 58 848 81 4,563 36 3,715 

Burkina Faso 2003 54 2,859 41 1,330 86 9,655 29 8,325 

Cameroon 2004 54 4,056 79 1,860 74 7,166 46 5,306 

Eritrea 2002 64 1,278 52 461 92 5,733 71 5,272 

Ethiopia 2000 51 1,627 47 791 92 9,789 53 8,998 

Gabon 2000 56 2,515 84 1,096 67 3,348 50 2,252 

Ghana 2003 54 1,961 61 893 75 3,549 41 2,656 

Kenya 2003 39 3,158 62 1,934 61 4,919 38 2,985 

Madagascar 2003-04 42 2,398 55 1,395 73 5,140 47 3,745 

Malawi 2000 42 4,949 45 2,897 69 9,452 23 6,555 

Mali 2001 66 2,537 35 866 92 10,723 50 9,857 

Mauritania 2000 59 887 39 362 92 4,541 79 4,179 

Mozambique 2003 55 4,960 46 2,230 75 8,736 48 6,507 

Namibia 2000 40 1,911 55 1,142 56 2,610 37 1,468 

Nigeria 2003 59 1,640 48 672 87 5,336 64 4,664 

Rwanda 2001 63 1,793 50 669 87 5,053 39 4,383 

Uganda 2000 48 2,153 55 1,112 77 4,881 28 3,769 

Zambia 2001 51 3,286 62 1,606 66 4,694 26 3,089 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 26 3,361 57 2,496 40 4,125 47 1,629 

Egypt 2003 26 6,841 56 5,067 40 8,445 50 3,378 

Jordan 2002 31 4,613 75 3,183 44 5,706 36 2,523 

Morocco 2003 30 7,878 67 5,531 37 8,782 36 3,250 

Uzbekistan 2002 20 3,149 50 2,517 32 3,720 u u 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 30 8,677 66 6,102 42 10,436 25 4,334 

Cambodia 2000 36 3,394 26 2,160 76 9,071 45 6,912 

Indonesia 2002-03 26 22,727 52 16,806 40 27,857 42 11,051 

Nepal 2001 28 4,531 40 3,281 61 8,342 24 5,061 

Philippines 2003 31 6,121 59 4,238 51 8,671 55 4,433 

Vietnam 2002 13 4,833 56 4,192 22 5,338 37 1,146 

Continued...
60

Table 7.1—Continued

Discontinued Switched Current nonuse 

Intended nonuse

in the future 

Country/year Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 25 8,217 60 6,168 42 10,569 38 4,401 

Colombia 2005 19 19,018 89 15,452 22 19,762 28 4,310 

Dominican Rep. 2002 22 12,504 66 9,764 30 13,996 31 4,232 

Haiti 2000 49 3,264 48 1,672 72 5,958 38 4,286 

Nicaragua 2001 22 6,513 76 5,095 31 7,424 32 2,329 

Peru 2000 23 14,036 74 10,764 31 15,628 38 4,864 

u = Unknown (not available) 

Method Switching 

In most countries, the majority of current users of contraception have used at least one other 

method in the past (Table 7.1). An exception is Cambodia, where only 26 percent of current users have 

switched methods. The countries with the highest rates of method switching are Gabon and Colombia, 

where more than 80 percent of current users have used another method in the past. 

Current Nonuse 

Table 7.1 shows the percentage of currently married women who were not using a contraceptive 

method at the time of the survey. These “nonuse” rates are much higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in 

other regions. 

Intended Nonuse in the Future 

Currently married women who were not using contraception were asked if they intended to use a 

method in the future. In all regions, a substantial proportion of nonusers reported that they did not intend 

to use contraception in the future (Table 7.1). In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage ranges from 23 

percent in Malawi to 79 percent in Mauritania. In six of the 18 countries in this region, at least 50 percent 

of current nonusers said they did not intend to use contraception in the future. Given the higher levels of 

nonuse overall in sub-Saharan Africa, this information is cause for concern. In the other three regions, 

only Cambodia and (to a lesser extent) Haiti share a pattern similar to that of sub-Saharan Africa, i.e., a 

high level of current nonuse of contraception and a high level of intended nonuse of contraception in the 

future. 

7.2 Reasons for Discontinuation of Contraceptive Use 

In 12 of the 35 countries included in this analysis, women who had used a modern contraceptive 

method in the past five years, but who were not using a method at the time of the survey, were asked their 

main reason for discontinuation. A majority of the women in most countries gave a fertility-related reason 

for discontinuation of contraception. These included infrequent sex, husband was away, became pregnant 

while using, wanted to become pregnant, thought it was difficult to get pregnant, or became menopausal 

(Table 7.2). Method-related reasons were the second most frequently cited reasons for discontinuation of 

contraception. These included wanting a more effective method, health concerns, side effects, lack of 

access, cost, and inconvenient to use. In 11 of the 12 countries, one-third to one-half of women reported a 

method-related reason for discontinuing contraception. Up to 5 percent of women in each country 

reported spousal disapproval as their main reason for discontinuation. 
61

Table 7.2 Reasons for discontinuation of contraceptive use 

Percent distribution of currently married women who used a modern contraceptive method in 

the past five years but who were not using a method at the time of the survey, by main reason 

for discontinuation, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Country/year 

Fertilityrelated 

reasona Opposition 

to useb

Methodrelated 

reasonc Otherd

 Total Number 

Armenia 2000 69 4 22 5 100 1,773 

Bangladesh 2004 53 4 39 4 100 5,095 

Colombia 2005 44 2 50 5 100 9,913 

Dominican Rep. 2002 46 2 39 13 100 5,335 

Egypt 2003 53 1 44 3 100 3,902 

Indonesia 2002-03 53 0 34 12 100 9,359 

Jordan 2002 61 2 35 3 100 3,193 

Kenya 2003 50 5 38 8 100 1,761 

Morocco 2003 60 0 33 7 100 4,968 

Peru 2000 44 1 48 7 100 8,167 

Philippines 2003 52 3 37 9 100 2,561 

Vietnam 2002 62 1 34 4 100 1,910 

 

a Infrequent sex, husband away, became pregnant while using, wanted to become pregnant, 

fatalistic, difficult to get pregnant/menopausal 

b Husband/partner disapproved 

c Wanted more effective method, health concerns, side effects, lack of access/too far, costs 

too much, and inconvenient to use 

d Marital dissolution/separation, other reasons, and don’t know 

7.3 Reasons for Current Nonuse of Contraception 

Fertility-related reasons were the most commonly cited reasons for nonuse of contraception 

among current nonusers in all countries except Haiti and the Philippines, where method-related reasons 

were cited most often (Table 7.3). In 20 of the 34 countries with data available on reasons for nonuse of 

contraception, a majority of women cited fertility-related reasons for current nonuse. There were no clear 

regional patterns in the percentage of women who reported fertility-related reasons for nonuse of 

contraception. 

Method-related reasons were the second most commonly cited reasons for nonuse of 

contraception. The percentage of current nonusers reporting method-related reasons for nonuse ranged 

from 10 percent in Eritrea to 45 percent in Cambodia and Haiti. In seven of the 34 countries, at least onethird of nonusers cited method-related reasons for nonuse. 

In several countries, a sizable proportion of nonusers mentioned opposition to use as a reason for 

not using contraception. This includes: own opposition, spousal opposition, another person’s opposition, 

and religious opposition. In six of the 34 countries, at least 20 percent of nonusers cited opposition to use 

as a reason for not using contraception. 

In a number of sub-Saharan countries, a sizeable proportion of nonusers mentioned lack of 

knowledge about contraceptive methods and where to obtain them as a reason for nonuse. In 13 of 18 

countries in this region, at least 10 percent of nonusers reported lack of knowledge as a reason for nonuse. 

Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of women reporting lack of knowledge of contraceptive 

methods as a reason for nonuse of contraception was much lower, less than 10 percent in all countries 

except Bolivia (14 percent). 
62

Table 7.3 Reasons for current nonuse of contraception 

Percentage of currently married women who are not pregnant and who do not want a child in the next 24 

months and who are currently not using contraception, by reason for nonuse, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Country/year 

Fertility 

relateda Opposition 

to useb Lack of knowledgec Method 

relatedd Other/ 

don’t know Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 56 12 22 15 8 1,671 

Burkina Faso 2003 49 13 19 18 11 4,519 

Cameroon 2004 55 11 14 12 16 1,847 

Eritrea 2002 66 13 18 10 3 2,223 

Ethiopia 2000 57 16 22 18 2 4,838 

Gabon 2000 39 19 10 25 19 738 

Ghana 2003 48 7 10 36 8 1,481 

Kenya 2003 55 17 4 33 6 1,607 

Madagascar 2003-04 35 10 16 33 13 1,887 

Malawi 2000 52 23 3 31 3 3,507 

Mali 2001 30 24 19 23 11 4,424 

Mauritania 2000 44 35 17 12 14 1,624 

Mozambique 2003 64 13 9 17 8 2,274 

Namibia 2000 42 19 5 21 18 741 

Nigeria 2003 58 16 13 12 8 1,652 

Rwanda 2001 51 13 13 20 8 2,604 

Uganda 2000 44 17 12 28 9 1,900 

Zambia 2001 69 6 2 19 9 1,424 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 63 26 1 14 4 1,044 

Egypt 2003 70 5 0 26 6 1,266 

Jordan 2002e

 66 9 0 23 2 837 

Morocco 2003 72 5 0 21 6 1,135 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 73 6 0 13 15 2,086 

Cambodia 2000 49 3 6 45 10 2,746 

Indonesia 2002-03 43 5 1 31 28 5,558 

Nepal 2001 65 12 6 35 6 2,976 

Philippines 2003 36 20 2 41 13 2,411 

Vietnam 20025 68 2 2 16 12 578 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 47 10 14 27 17 2,812 

Colombia 2005 57 3 0 22 21 1,524 

Dominican Rep. 2002 51 14 1 23 16 1,636 

Haiti 2000 40 15 3 45 8 2,466 

Nicaragua 2001 43 20 3 28 18 1,208 

Peru 2000 64 11 6 24 6 2,709 

a Not having sex, infrequent sex, menopausal/hysterectomy, subfecund/infecund, postpartum amenorrheic, 

breastfeeding, and fatalistic 

b Respondent opposition, husband/partner opposition, other third party opposition, and religious prohibition c Knows no method and knows no source 

d Health concerns, fear of side effects, lack of access/too far, costs too much, inconvenient to use, and 

interferes with the body’s normal processes 

e Single response category 

7.4 Reasons for Intended Nonuse of Contraception in the Future 

Table 7.4 shows the percent distribution of currently married women who were not using a 

contraceptive method at the time of the survey and who reported that they did not intend to use a method 

in the future, by main reason for not intending to use a contraceptive method. As with reasons for nonuse 

of contraception, fertility-related reasons were the most commonly cited reasons for not intending to use 

contraception in the future, in all countries except Haiti, Mali, and Mauritania. In Haiti, method-related 

reasons were cited most often, and in Mali and Mauritania, opposition to the use of contraception was 

cited most often. In 21 of the 34 countries with data available, a majority of women mentioned fertilityrelated reasons for not intending to use contraception in the future. 
63

Table 7.4 Reasons for intended nonuse of contraception in the future 

Percent distribution of currently married women who are not pregnant, not using a contraceptive method, and who do 

not intend to use a contraceptive method at any time in the future, by main reason for future nonuse, DHS surveys 2000-

2005 

Country/year 

Fertilityrelated 

reasona Opposition

to useb Lack of knowledgec

Methodrelated 

reasond Other/ 

don’t know Total Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 50 21 8 17 4 100 1,336 

Burkina Faso 2003 50 17 10 14 8 100 2,449 

Cameroon 2004 62 17 6 9 5 100 2,420 

Eritrea 2002 72 13 8 5 1 100 3,727 

Ethiopia 2000 57 18 10 11 4 100 4,748 

Gabon 2000 48 19 6 15 11 100 1,122 

Ghana 2003 41 12 6 37 4 100 1,102 

Kenya 2003 40 31 2 24 3 100 1,130 

Madagascar 2003-04 40 14 8 31 7 100 1,747 

Malawi 2000 43 26 4 26 2 100 1,526 

Mali 2001 29 38 11 15 7 100 4,977 

Mauritania 2000 32 37 7 8 16 100 3,299 

Mozambique 2003 76 10 4 9 1 100 3,106 

Namibia 2000 53 19 4 14 10 100 550 

Nigeria 2003 51 26 9 10 4 100 2,976 

Rwanda 2001 45 20 6 23 5 100 1,700 

Uganda 2000 46 14 5 28 7 100 1,056 

Zambia 2001 63 11 3 18 5 100 814 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Armenia 2000 64 19 0 13 4 100 766 

Egypt 2003 87 2 0 9 2 100 1,687 

Jordan 2002 74 8 0 13 5 100 901 

Morocco 2003 79 6 0 12 3 100 1,159 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 2004 79 9 0 7 5 100 1,097 

Cambodia 2000 47 10 2 34 8 100 3,092 

Indonesia 2002-03 58 6 1 26 10 100 4,691 

Nepal 2001 48 16 2 29 5 100 1,220 

Philippines 2003 43 20 1 33 4 100 2,438 

Vietnam 2002 67 3 3 14 14 100 427 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 54 12 7 20 7 100 1,663 

Colombia 2005 80 2 1 10 7 100 1,204 

Dominican Rep. 2002 61 17 1 13 8 100 1,295 

Haiti 2000 30 19 1 44 5 100 1,649 

Nicaragua 2001 54 28 1 12 5 100 752 

Peru 2000 72 9 3 13 3 100 1,834 

a Not having sex, infrequent sex, menopausal/hysterectomy, subfecund/infecund, and wants as many children as possible 

b Respondent opposition, husband/partner opposition, other third party opposition, and religious prohibition c Knows no method and knows no source 

d Health concerns, fear of side effects, lack of access/too far, costs too much, inconvenient to use, and interferes with the 

body's normal processes 

Method-related reasons were the second most commonly mentioned reason for not using 

contraception in the future. In most countries, in all regions, at least 10 percent of women reported 

method-related reasons for not intending to use contraception in the future. The percentage was 

particularly high in Cambodia, Ghana, Haiti, and the Philippines, with more than one-third of women 

reporting method-related reasons for not using contraception in the future. 

Opposition to the use of contraception was mentioned by a sizeable proportion of women in most 

countries. The percentage reporting opposition to the use of contraception as a reason for not intending to 

use contraception in the future was 10 percent or more in 26 of the 34 countries, and 20 percent or more 

in nine of the 34 countries. 
64

The percentage of women reporting lack of knowledge as a reason for not using contraception in 

the future was much lower than the percentage of women reporting other reasons. However, as with 

reasons for current nonuse of contraception, women in sub-Saharan Africa were more likely than women 

in the other regions to report lack of knowledge as a reason for not intending to use contraception in the 

future. In most cases, lack of knowledge of contraception was mentioned less frequently as a reason for 

not using contraception in the future than for current nonuse. 
65

8 Discussion, Approval, and Decisionmaking about Family Planning 

Male partner’s involvement is important in contraceptive decisionmaking and in the adoption of a 

contraceptive method. This section looks at the extent to which women discuss family planning with their 

husband/partner, whether the woman and her husband/partner approve of family planning, and, for 

current users, which partner made the decision to use family planning. 

8.1 Discussion of Family Planning 

The majority of women in most countries did not discuss family planning with anyone in the few 

months preceding the survey (Table 8.1). Among women who know at least one method of family 

planning, the percentage who discussed family planning with anyone varies from 17 percent in Egypt and 

21 percent in Nigeria to 75 percent in Jordan. In general, the percentage of women who discussed family 

planning with anyone is lower in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. 

In most countries, among women who discussed family planning with anyone, the majority did 

not do so with their husband/partner. The percentage who discussed family planning with their 

husband/partner varies from less than 10 percent in Cameroon, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, 

Egypt, Eritrea, Haiti, Mali, and Nigeria, to more than 40 percent in Bangladesh, Jordan, and Vietnam. 

There is no clear trend in the percentage of women who discussed family planning with anyone. 

In 22 countries where trend data are available, the percentage of women who discussed family planning 

with anyone increased in eight countries, declined in 10 countries, and remained about the same in four 

countries. Trends in the discussion of family planning with the husband/partner are similar to those for the 

discussion of family planning with anyone. 

8.2 Approval of the Use of Family Planning 

In most countries, a large majority of women approve of couples using family planning. In subSaharan Africa, the percentage of women who approve of couples using family planning is 80 percent or 

higher in all but seven countries (Table 8.1). Women were also asked whether their husband/partner 

approves of couples using family planning. The percentage of women who reported that their 

husband/partner approves of couples using family planning is much lower than the percentage of women 

who approve. This may be due in part to some women not knowing their husband/partner’s view. Levels 

of perceived husband/partner approval are lower in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. 

In most sub-Saharan countries the percentage of women who approve of couples using family 

planning and the percentage who believe that their husband/partner approves of family planning have 

increased in recent years, with the exception of Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda. In the countries outside of 

sub-Saharan Africa, levels of approval of the use of family planning by couples have remained high for 

both women and their husband/partners. 
66

Table 8.1 Trends in discussion of family planning and approval of family planning 

Among currently married women who know a method of family planning, percentage who discussed family planning with anyone, 

and with their husband/partner in the past few months; percentage who approve of couples' use of family planning; and 

percentage who say that their husband/partner approves/disapproves of couples' use of family planning, DHS surveys 1986-

2005 

Approval of couples’ use of family planning Discussed family 

planning with: Respondent says that husband/partner: 

Country/year Anyone 

Husband/ 

partner 

Respondent 

approves Approves Disapproves 

Respondent 

does not know 

 

 

 Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 1996 29 13 68 32 22 46 3,349 

Benin 2001 29 18 76 40 26 34 4,178 

Burkina Faso 1992 u u 69 31 20 49 4,374 

Burkina Faso 1999 18 10 79 39 23 38 4,105 

Burkina Faso 2003 27 11 87 45 17 37 8,851 

Cameroon 1991 u u 59 30 44 26 1,997 

Cameroon 1998 24 8 64 36 33 31 2,838 

Cameroon 2004 29 8 64 41 26 33 6,380 

Eritrea 1995 21 13 67 34 17 50 2,155 

Eritrea 2002 26 8 58 40 38 23 5,016 

Ghana 1988 u u 74 52 26 22 2,507 

Ghana 1993 u u 90 63 14 24 2,925 

Ghana 1998-99 35 16 77 56 17 27 2,930 

Ghana 2003 32 10 87 67 18 16 3,479 

Kenya 1989 u u 88 60 19 21 4,405 

Kenya 1993 u u 90 60 18 23 4,500 

Kenya 1998 46 21 89 67 21 13 4,751 

Kenya 2003 u u 85 64 25 12 4,696 

Madagascar 1992 u u 81 58 22 20 2,489 

Madagascar 1997 48 10 74 56 25 19 3,182 

Madagascar 2003-04 44 17 78 60 23 18 4,353 

Malawi 1992 u u 93 71 13 16 3,302 

Malawi 2000 43 13 93 75 17 9 9,323 

Mali 1987 u u 71 46 19 34 1,274 

Mali 1996 34 6 71 33 29 38 5,492 

Mali 2001 36 9 69 32 33 36 8,345 

Mozambique 1997 20 5 56 35 24 41 4,047 

Mozambique 2003 26 11 77 52 18 30 8,068 

Namibia 1992 u u 75 48 29 24 2,043 

Namibia 2000 39 24 83 63 19 18 2,553 

Nigeria 1990 u u 71 46 29 25 2,999 

Nigeria 1999 30 17 57 44 28 28 3,707 

Nigeria 2003 21 7 55 36 44 21 4,186 

Rwanda 1992 u u 93 70 14 16 3,748 

Rwanda 2001 26 10 81 53 18 30 4,920 

Uganda 1988 u u 71 26 40 34 2,670 

Uganda 1995 29 8 79 46 35 20 4,796 

Uganda 2000 46 30 84 47 27 26 4,772 

Zambia 1992 u u 81 52 27 21 4,176 

Zambia 1996 53 42 85 59 23 19 4,823 

Zambia 2001 52 24 87 67 17 16 4,660 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Egypt 1988 u u 87 72 16 12 8,082 

Egypt 1992 u u 91 78 14 9 9,117 

Egypt 1995 35 6 90 83 10 7 13,685 

Egypt 2000 17 u 96 87 7 7 14,376 

Egypt 2003 u u 97 u u u 8,445 

Jordan 1997 72 52 95 81 11 8 5,335 

Jordan 2002 75 63 98 87 10 3 5,706 

Morocco 2003 44 19 98 92 4 4 8,767 

Continued...
67

Table 8.1—Continued 

Approval of couples’ use of family planning Discussed family 

planning with: Respondent says that husband/partner: 

Country/year Anyone 

Husband/ 

partner 

Respondent 

approves Approves Disapproves 

Respondent 

does not know 

 

 

 Number 

South/Southeast Asia 

Bangladesh 1994 u 68 95 82 12 7 8,818 

Bangladesh 1997 u u 94 84 11 5 8,304 

Bangladesh 2000 u u 94 83 12 5 9,536 

Bangladesh 2004 u 41 u u u u 10,435 

Indonesia 1994 49 23 u 87 9 5 25,211 

Indonesia 1997 46 21 u 87 9 4 26,129 

Indonesia 2002-03 41 21 94 90 5 5 27,483 

Nepal 1996 36 20 92 74 14 13 7,857 

Nepal 2001 38 20 94 79 11 10 8,300 

Philippines 1998 64 39 89 83 14 3 8,218 

Philippines 2003 59 25 89 85 12 3 8,594 

Vietnam 1997 60 44 96 95 1 4 5,282 

Vietnam 2002 66 59 95 93 2 5 5,317 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 1994 42 14 87 77 11 12 4,508 

Bolivia 1998 45 13 90 81 10 10 5,940 

Bolivia 2003 42 14 91 83 9 9 9,979 

Colombia 1995 66 39 97 88 8 4 6,093 

Colombia 2000 57 14 98 93 4 3 5,931 

Colombia 2005 60 9 98 93 4 3 19,748 

Dominican Rep. 1996 39 6 u 70 20 11 4,970 

Dominican Rep. 1999 44 4 89 69 16 15 728 

Dominican Rep. 2002 36 3 91 81 10 9 13,965 

Haiti 1994 u u 92 55 10 35 3,080 

Haiti 2000 30 8 88 60 15 25 5,909 

Nicaragua 1997 42 7 95 83 11 7 7,909 

Nicaragua 2001 35 10 93 82 11 8 7,367 

Peru 1996 73 34 93 85 9 6 16,516 

Peru 2000 67 36 94 u 6 56 15,468 

u = Unknown (not available) 

8.3 Decisionmaking in Family Planning 

Table 8.2 shows the percent distribution of currently married women who were using a method of 

contraception at the time of the survey, by whether the respondent herself, her husband/partner, or the 

respondent jointly with her husband/partner decided to use family planning. In most countries, a majority 

of women reported that the decision to use family planning was made jointly by the respondent (herself) 

and her husband/partner. In 18 of the 27 countries, at least 20 percent of women said that they made the 

decision to use family planning themselves. On the other hand, in four countries, at least 20 percent of 

women said that the decision to use family planning was made solely by their husband/partner. Cambodia 

stands out because only 23 percent of women in Cambodia reported that they were involved—either on 

their own or jointly with their husband/partner—in the decision to use family planning. There are no clear 

regional patterns regarding which partner makes the decision to use family planning. 
68

Table 8.2 Decisionmaking in family planning 

Among current users of any family planning method, percentage of currently married women who 

reported that they alone made the decision to use family planning; percentage who reported that the 

decision was made by their husband/partner; and percentage who reported that the decision was 

made jointly by respondent and husband/partner, DHS surveys 2000-2005 

Among current users, the decision to use 

family planning was made by: 

Country/year Respondent

Husband/ 

partner 

Respondent 

and husband/ 

partner 

Other/ 

Missing Number 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

Benin 2001 34 18 45 3 848 

Burkina Faso 2003 33 11 54 3 1,330 

Cameroon 2004 31 10 57 2 1,860 

Eritrea 2002 30 4 63 4 461 

Ethiopia 2000 24 10 66 1 791 

Ghana 2003 14 11 73 2 893 

Kenya 2003 30 11 59 1 1,934 

Madagascar 2003-04 12 16 70 3 1,395 

Malawi 2000 12 8 78 1 2,897 

Mali 2001 41 20 24 16 866 

Mozambique 2003 24 10 62 4 2,229 

Nigeria 2003 24 21 54 2 672 

Rwanda 2001 10 5 80 5 669 

Uganda 2000 38 12 45 6 1,112 

Zambia 2001 16 14 69 1 1,605 

North Africa/West Asia/Europe 

Jordan 2002 18 3 79 0 3,183 

Morocco 2003 20 3 77 1 5,531 

South/Southeast Asia 

Cambodia 2000 15 75 8 2 2,160 

Indonesia 2002-03 22 3 75 1 16,806 

Nepal 2001 19 10 71 1 3,281 

Philippines 2003 11 11 77 1 4,238 

Latin America/Caribbean 

Bolivia 2003 22 22 55 0 6,168 

Colombia 2005 25 3 72 1 15,463 

Dominican Rep. 2002 36 5 53 6 9,764 

Haiti 2000 26 9 65 1 1,672 

Nicaragua 2001 36 4 58 3 5,095 

Peru 2000 26 5 69 1 10,764 
69

9 Conclusions 

Years of investment in designing and implementing family planning programs have created a 

need for up-to-date, national-level information to measure the success of those programs. This report 

presents information on contraception in 35 countries where Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) 

were conducted between 2000 and 2005. Trend analysis is provided for countries with at least one 

previous survey. 

The data reveal that contraceptive knowledge is nearly universal in all countries, irrespective of 

place of residence, educational level, household wealth status, or other factors included in the analysis. 

The pill, injectables, and the male condom are the most commonly known modern methods. Most women 

are aware of multiple methods of contraception, though this awareness is much lower in sub-Saharan 

Africa than in the other regions. Overall, knowledge of multiple methods has increased substantially. 

Outside of sub-Saharan Africa, the large majority of women in most countries have ever used a 

method of contraception. Sub-Saharan Africa differs from the other regions; even though most women 

know of a method of contraception, relatively few have ever used one. The gap between knowledge of 

contraception and ever use of contraception remains large, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Among 

women who have ever used a method of contraception, most have used a modern method. Ever use of 

modern contraceptive methods has been increasing steadily in all countries, with the most rapid increases 

occurring in countries with low levels of ever use. A sizable proportion of women have ever used a 

traditional method. There are no clear trends in ever use of traditional methods. 

Current use of contraception remains low in a number of countries, particularly in sub-Saharan 

Africa, and particularly among rural and less-educated women. In most countries, a large majority of 

women rely on modern methods of contraception. The most commonly used modern methods are the pill, 

injectables, and the male condom. In a few countries, the IUD is the most commonly used method. 

Over time, contraceptive use rates have increased substantially in most countries. However, while 

contraceptive prevalence rates in some countries in South/Southeast Asia and Latin America and the 

Caribbean are high and leveling off, prevalence rates in several sub-Saharan countries are low and have 

remained almost unchanged. Although modern contraceptive methods account for a growing share of all 

contraceptive use, a substantial proportion of women in several countries continue to rely on traditional 

methods. The results of this study also show that urban-rural and educational differentials in the use of 

modern contraceptive methods have narrowed in most countries with high contraceptive prevalence rates. 

On the other hand, differentials remain considerable in sub-Saharan countries, where contraceptive 

prevalence rates are much lower. Unmet need (for contraception) has stalled at relatively high levels in 

sub-Saharan Africa, while in other regions unmet need has declined. 

In most countries, a sizable proportion of women who are currently using a contraceptive method 

have not been informed about other methods of contraception or about the potential side effects of their 

method. 

In most cases, public sector facilities continue to be the main source for modern contraceptive 

methods. Trends show declining use of public sources in South/Southeast Asia, and increasing use in 

Latin America and the Caribbean. There are no clear trends in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Contraceptive discontinuation rates are high, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Among current 

users of contraception, a majority of women in most countries, irrespective of region, report having 

switched methods at least once. Among women who are currently not using contraception, a substantial 

proportion report that they do not intend to use contraception in the future, even in countries that have low 
70

levels of contraceptive use. No regional patterns were seen for intention to not use contraception in the 

future. 

In most countries, fertility-related reasons are the most commonly cited reasons for contraceptive 

discontinuation, current nonuse of contraception, and intended nonuse of contraception in the future. In 

several countries, a substantial proportion of women cited method-related reasons and opposition to 

contraception as reasons for not currently using contraception and for not intending to use contraception 

in the future. 

The study also finds that most women have not discussed contraception with their 

husband/partner in the past few months; spousal discussion of family planning is particularly low in subSaharan Africa. A large majority of women approve of couples using contraception and believe that their 

husband approves as well. Among current users, a large majority of women report participation in 

contraceptive decisionmaking, either by themselves or jointly with their husband/partner. While there are 

no clear trends in the proportion of women who discussed family planning with someone, the proportion 

of women who approve of family planning has either increased or remains steady at a high level. 

In summary, this report provides information on the current status and direction of key family 

planning program indicators in developing countries. Several important findings will help in the 

evaluation of family planning programs, and assist program planners and policymakers in achieving 

national family planning objectives. In many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, greater effort 

is needed to increase women’s knowledge of multiple (modern) methods of contraception and to improve 

women’s access to family planning services. Programs should also address the needs of the many women 

who continue to rely on less-effective, traditional methods of contraception. Despite overall increases in 

contraceptive use in most countries, special efforts are needed to reach rural and less-educated women, 

who continue to have low levels of contraceptive use. Programs also need to address method-related 

reasons for discontinuing/or not adopting contraceptive methods; and, in some countries, efforts are 

needed to reduce opposition to family planning. 
71

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