Contraceptive prevalence rate (%)

Rationale for use

Contraceptive prevalence rate is an indicator of health, population, development and women's

empowerment. It also serves as a proxy measure of access to reproductive health services that
are essential for meeting many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)s, especially the
child mortality, maternal health HIV/AIDS, and gender related goals.

Definition

Contraceptive prevalence rate is the proportion of women of reproductive age who are using (or
whose partner is using) a contraceptive method at a given point in time

Associated terms

Contraceptive methods include clinic and supply (modern) methods and non-supply (traditional)
methods. Clinic and supply methods include female and male sterilization, intrauterine devices
(IUDs), hormonal methods (oral pills, injectables, and hormone-releasing implants, skin patches
and vaginal rings), condoms and vaginal barrier methods (diaphragm, cervical cap and
spermicidal foams, jellies, creams and sponges). Traditional methods include rhythm,
withdrawal, abstinence and lactational amenorrhoea.

Data sources

Household surveys [such as Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicators Cluster
Surveys (MICS)], contraceptive prevalence surveys. Estimates can also be made from service
statistics using census projections as a denominator. Such estimates however are often
expressed in terms of couple years of protection and may not always be complete.

Methods of estimation

Empirical data only.

Disaggregation

By age (adolescence), marital status, method of contraception, location (urban/rural, major

regions/provinces), and socio-economic characteristics (e.g. education level, wealth quintile)

References

- Levels and Trends of Contraceptive Use. Sales No. E.01.XIII.4. New York, United Nations, 2001:
(http://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm)

- World Contraceptive Use 2001. Wall Chart. Sales No. E.02.XIII.7. New York, United Nations,
2002. (http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/contraceptive2001/contraception01.htm)

- The World Health Report 2005: Make every mother and child count. Annex Table 8. Geneva,
World Health Organization, 2005. (http://www.who.int/whr/2005/en/index.html)

- Reproductive Health Indicators: Guidelines for their generation, interpretation and analysis for
global monitoring. (in press). Geneva, World Health Organization, 2006.

Database

38
- UN Population Division:
(http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/contraceptive2003/wcu2003.htm)

- Demographic and Health Survey (DHS): (http://www.measuredhs.com)

- UNICEF: statistics and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey: (http://www.childinfo.org)

Comments

Measures of contraceptive prevalence are usually derived from interviews with representative
samples of women of reproductive age. In many surveys, questions on current contraceptive use
are confined to married women, including those in consensual unions where such unions are
common...

39