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]
^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.
^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. S2CID189900990.
^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. PMID23180659. S2CID7874148.
^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. PMID10216896.