Abstract:
Unmet need for family planning is defined
using survey data as the percentage of women
who do not want to become pregnant but are
not using contraception. Though the concept
seems straightforward, the calculation is
extraordinarily complex and has changed over
time. To address these issues, DHS revised
the definition of unmet need in 2012. Using
the revised definition:
- Unmet need is calculated the same way in
all DHS surveys.
- Unmet need is calculated the same way in
DHS and the Multiple Indicator Cluster
Surveys (MICS).
- Unmet need can be used to reliably track
trends over time and compare estimates across
countries.
This paper describes the rationale, process,
and results of revising the definition of
unmet need, and compares estimates of unmet
need using the original and revised
definitions for all DHS surveys from 1990-
2010. The study also estimates unmet need
for spacing and limiting, unmet need by
background characteristics, total demand for
family planning and the proportion of demand
satisfied, and unmet need for sexually active
unmarried women, all using the revised
definition.
Revising Unmet Need for Family Planning (PDF, 588K)
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