Percentage of women using modern birth control as of 2010.[clarification needed]
6%
12%
18%
24%
36%
48%
54%
60%
66%
78%
86%
No data
Access to safe and adequate sexual and reproductive healthcare constitutes part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as upheld by the United Nations.[1]
Most of the countries in Africa have some of the lowest rates of contraceptive use; highest maternal, infant, and child mortality rates; and highest fertility rates.[2][3][4][5][6]
Approximately 30% of all women use birth control, although over half of all African women would use birth control if it were available.[7][8] The main problems that prevent the use of birth control are limited availability (especially among young people, unmarried people, and the poor), high cost, limited choice of birth control methods, lack of knowledge on side-effects, spousal disapproval or other gender-based barriers, religious concerns, and bias from healthcare providers.[9][8][10]
45% of pregnancies that occur among adolescents in Africa are unplanned.[11] It is estimated that 1 in 3 pregnancies that are unintended in Africa, occur among girls between the ages of 15 and 19.[12]
There is evidence that increased use of family planning methods decreases maternal and infant mortality rates, improves quality of life for mothers, and stimulates economic development.[13][14][15][16] However, according to CHASE AFRICA, a charitable organisation that promotes healthcare and education for women in Kenya and Uganda, approximately 1 in 5 women who want family planning cannot access it.[17]
Public policies and cultural attitudes play a role in birth control prevalence.[18][19][20][21]
^"Sexual and reproductive health and rights". OHCHR. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^"Birth Rate". World Bank. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
^"Contraceptive prevalence". World Bank. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
^"Maternal mortality ratio". World Bank. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
^"Fertility rate". World Bank. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
^"Mortality rate, under-5". World Bank. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
^Cleland, J. G.; Ndugwa, R. P.; Zulu, E. M. (2011). "Family planning in sub-Saharan Africa: Progress or stagnation?". Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 89 (2): 137–143. doi:10.2471/BLT.10.077925. PMC 3040375. PMID 21346925. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011.
^ ab"Family planning/Contraception WHO Fact Sheet". www.who.int. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
^"Self-care: Meeting contraception needs in Africa | McKinsey". www.mckinsey.com. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^DeRose, Laurie; Nii-Amoo Dodoo; Alex C. Ezeh; Tom O. Owuor (June 2004). "Does Discussion of Family Planning Improve Knowledge of Partner's Attitude Toward Contraceptives?". International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 30 (2). Guttmacher Institute: 87–93. doi:10.1363/3008704. PMID 15210407.
^Riley, Taylor; Sully, Elizabeth A.; Lince-Deroche, Naomi; Firestein, Lauren; Murro, Rachel; Biddlecom, Ann; Darroch, Jacqueline E. (2020-07-28). Adding It Up: Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health 2019—Methodology Report (Report). Guttmacher Institute. doi:10.1363/2020.31637.
^Ameyaw, Edward Kwabena; Budu, Eugene; Sambah, Francis; Baatiema, Linus; Appiah, Francis; Seidu, Abdul-Aziz; Ahinkorah, Bright Opoku (2019-08-09). "Prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country analysis of demographic and health surveys". PLOS ONE. 14 (8): e0220970. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1420970A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0220970. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6688809. PMID 31398240.
^Gyimah, Stephen Obeng (June 2003). "A Cohort Analysis of the Timing of First Birth and Fertility in Ghana". Population Research and Policy Review. 22 (3): 251–266. doi:10.1023/A:1026008912138. S2CID 189900990.
^Alvergne, A; Lawson, D. W.; Clarke, P. M.R.; Gurmu, E.; Mace, R. (2013). "Fertility, parental investment, and the early adoption of modern contraception in rural ethiopia". American Journal of Human Biology. 25 (1): 107–115. doi:10.1002/ajhb.22348. PMID 23180659. S2CID 7874148.
^Carr, Bob; Melinda French Gates; Andrew Mitchell; Rajiv Shah (14 July 2012). "Giving women the power to plan their families". The Lancet. 380 (9837): 80–82. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60905-2. PMID 22784540. S2CID 205966410. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
^"222 Million Women Have Unmet Need for Modern Family Planning". The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
^"Home". CHASE Africa. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
^Susheela Singh; Jacqueline E. Darroch (June 2012). "Adding It Up: Costs and Benefits of Contraceptive Services Estimates for 2012" (PDF). Guttmacher Institute and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 201.
^"United Nations Millennium Development Goals". UN Web Services Section, Department of Public Information.
^Bawah, AA; Akweongo P; Simmons R; Phillips JF (30 Mar 1999). "Women's fears and men's anxieties: the impact of family planning on gender relations in northern Ghana". Studies in Family Planning. 30 (1): 54–66. doi:10.1111/j.1728-4465.1999.00054.x. hdl:2027.42/73927. PMID 10216896.
^May, John F. (2017). "The Politics of Family Planning Policies and Programs in sub-Saharan Africa". Population and Development Review. 43 (S1): 308–329. doi:10.1111/j.1728-4457.2016.00165.x. ISSN 1728-4457.
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