Africa records highest jump in use of contraceptives
The FP2030 Measurement Report says Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the highest jump in use of modern contraceptives among 15–49 year-old women and girls in the past ten years.
What you need to know:
- FP2030 Measurement Report indicates that contraceptive prevalence among women in low- and lower-middle-income countries rose to 35 per cent from 31 per cent in a span of 10 years.
- In 2012, modern contraceptive prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 16.8 per cent, rising to 23 per cent in 2022.
Sub-Saharan Africa has recorded the highest jump in use of modern contraceptives among 15–49 year-old women and girls in the past decade.
This is according to the FP2030 Measurement Report, which indicates that overall contraceptive prevalence among all women in low- and lower-middle-income countries rose to 35 per cent from 31 per cent in a span of 10 years.
With a 6.2 per cent growth margin, Sub-Saharan Africa stands out as the region, which had the highest number of women and girls adopting birth control methods in the last decade.
In 2012, modern contraceptive prevalence in the region stood at 16.8 per cent, rising to 23 per cent in 2022.
It is preceded by Latin America and the Caribbean region, which realised a 4.6 per cent growth, although its prevalence is still much higher than the Sub-Saharan.
By 2012, it was 36.3 per cent compared to 40.9 per cent, nearly double the number of women on contraceptives in the African continent.
South Asia, which has a lower uptake of contraceptives than Latin America and Caribbean, was third with a leap of 3.8 percentage point increase having witnessed a jump from 36 per cent in 2012 to 39.8 per cent in 2022.
In the Middle East and North Africa, more women started using contraceptives resulting in a 3.3 per cent rise, although the prevalence still remained lower than the South Asia. As of 2022, the uptake stood at 38.2 per cent. It was 34.9 per cent in 2012.
Presently, Europe and Central Asia leads (41.6 per cent) in terms of the most number of women and girls on either form of modern contraceptive but it came second with the slowest growth (3.2 per cent) in use of the commodities.
It also topped the list in 2012 with a 38.4 per cent prevalence.
And although East Asia and Pacific had the least growth of 1.2 per cent, it sits in the highest quarters of contraceptive uptake. In 2012, the prevalence stood at 38 per cent which has since increased to 39.2 per cent.
Yet, even with the highest climb recorded in Africa, the region is yet to hit a 30 per cent mark, maintaining its bottom position from 2012 (16.8 per cent) to 2022 (23 per cent).
