New York (dpa) – Despite significant global progress, one study shows that more than 160 million women and young people still need unmet contraception. An international team of researchers, which published its global estimates based on more than 1,000 surveys in the specialized journal “The Lancet”, found significant regional differences. It is estimated that a total of 1.2 billion women in the world need contraception. 162.9 million of them were unable to cover their needs in 2019.
However, the use of modern contraceptives for women and young adults aged 15 to 49 has increased significantly since 1970: from 28 to 48 percent in 2019. Researchers include the pill, the coil, condoms, and voluntary sterilization.
The researchers noted the lowest available level of modern contraceptives in sub-Saharan Africa, where use was 24 percent lower and demand met only 52 percent. In contrast, in Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, two-thirds of women used it. South Sudan lags behind in modern contraceptive use at 2 percent – compared to Norway at 88 percent. According to a 2019 study, about 63 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 in Germany used modern contraceptives.
Despite the progress, there is still a long way to go
“Although we have seen tremendous progress in providing contraceptives on a global scale since the 1970s, there is still a long way to go to ensure that every woman and teenage girl benefits from the economic and social empowerment that contraception provides,” said first author Annie Hackenstad of the University of Washington. According to the study, it was teens and younger women who were sometimes affected by inadequate access to contraceptives. The predominant methods of contraception in high-income countries in 2019 were the pill and condoms. In addition, a whirlpool is often used in Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Female sterilization accounted for more than half of contraceptive use in South Asia.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 220722-99-114454 / 3
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