Projections for global population growth could be cut by as much as 1 billion over the next 15 years due to the fact that the number of women using contraceptives in developing countries has soared to record levels in recent years.
With some poorer regions recording the fastest pace of growth since 2000, the latest data by the UN show more women than ever now use family planning.
Modern or traditional forms of family planning were used by an estimated 64% of married women, or women living with a partner, aged between 15 and 49 in 2015. In 1970, the rate was 36%.
“The UN projections of population growth already give us an idea of the impact that increased access to family planning could have. If by 2030 the average family size is just one child fewer, then by 2030 the world population is estimated to be approximately 8 billion rather than 9 billion,” said Jagdish Upadhyay, head of reproductive health commodity security and family planning at the UN population fund (UNFPA).
“Evidence shows that women who have access to family planning choose to use family planning, often resulting in smaller families, higher educational achievements, healthier children [and] greater economic power as well as influence in their households and communities,” said Upadhyay.
“If all actors can work together to provide women in every country with the means, which is their right, to voluntarily exercise yet another right to freely determine their family size, then we are likely to see a significant slowing of global population growth,” he added.
An increase of one percentage point in the use of modern contraceptives would mean about 426,000 more women would be using family planning in Nigeria, one of the countries predicted to see the biggest population growth over the next few decades and with a contraceptive prevalence rate of 16%. The demographic dividend could potentially be reaped by many countries, particularly those in West Africa which has a high unmet need for contraception, Upadhyay said.
However huge and sustained, investment in family planning is needed to keep up with demand and meet the needs of women who are unable to access services despite the successes of the past 40 years, he warned.
“To impact population projections will require real commitment from countries like Nigeria to invest in high quality, voluntary family planning programmes to expand access to contraceptives. The timing, scale and pace of those efforts will determine the magnitude of impact on population projections,” said Julia Bunting, president of the Population Council.
There are 142 million women who are married or living with a partner is not able to access contraceptives even though they would like to have access to avoid pregnancy and use a modern form of contraception, say UN data. The number rises to 225 million when single women are included.
(Source:www.theguardian.com)
