The use of contraceptive methods has grown globally in the last 50 years, but there are still over 160 million women in the world who do not have access to the drugs and aids necessary to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Those facing the greatest difficulties are younger women and those living in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. This was stated by an international study coordinated by the University of Washington in Seattle and published in The Lancet journal.
The survey shows that the share of women of reproductive age who use modern contraceptive methods – i.e. drugs and aids – has grown from 28% in 1970 to 48% in 2019. And while in 1970 more than one in 2 women who wanted to access contraception did not find an answer, today the percentage has dropped to 21%.
Despite this positive trend, 163 million women in 2019 did not have access to contraception out of a total of 1 billion and 200 thousand who claimed to need it.
The study also finds that women in the 15-19 and 20-24 age groups had the lowest rates of met demand globally, at 65% and 72%, respectively. In practice, 43 million young women and adolescents in 2019 did not have access to the contraceptives they needed.
“Importantly, these women benefit from contraceptive use, as delaying childbirth can help them stay in school and enter the workforce,” said Annie Haakenstad of the University of Washington. “This-she added-can lead to lifelong social and economic benefits and is an essential factor for greater gender equity,” The types of contraceptive methods also vary by geographic area. The methods most used in Latin America and the Caribbean were female sterilization and oral contraceptives; the oral contraceptive pill and condoms are the most used in high-income countries. The IUD (IUD) and condoms were the most widely used methods in Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, while female sterilization accounted for more than half of the overall use of contraceptive methods in South Asia.
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