The DHS Program

New Estimates of Unmet Need and the Demand for Family Planning (English) 

Document Type

Comparative Reports

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Westoff, Charles F. 2006. New Estimates of Unmet Need and the Demand for Family Planning. DHS Comparative Reports No. 14. Calverton, Maryland, USA: Macro International

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Publication Date

December 2006

Publication ID

CR14

Abstract:

This report is an update of estimates of unmet need for family planning that have been part of the ongoing DHS comparative analyses. The emphasis is on trends in unmet need and the demand for family planning in 58 developing countries. In addition to the standard measure, estimates of the unmet need for modern methods have also been included. The important finding is that the proportion of women with unmet need has declined in most countries except in sub-Saharan Africa where little change is apparent in 15 of the 23 countries with available trend data. Moreover, in the least developed countries, there are significant proportions of married women who are in need and have never used contraception, and who say that they do not intend to use any method. The proportion in this category has declined in many countries but remains a serious challenge in others. The proportion of the total demand for family planning that has been satisfied ranges from 11 percent in Chad to 94 percent in Vietnam. In sub-Saharan Africa, an average of 43 percent of demand for all methods is satisfied, while in the other regions the average is 77 percent. The total demand satisfied for modern methods ranges from 6 percent in Chad to 82 percent in Brazil.