A groundbreaking international report released Monday shows the use of modern methods of contraception has increased dramatically in Uganda, as the country pursues ambitious family planning goals for 2020.
The report also shows modern contraception prevented over 1 million unintended pregnancies and 228,000 unsafe abortions between July 2017 and July 2018 in Uganda.
Despite the strong progress, nearly one-in-three married women aged 15-49 still have unmet need for modern contraception.
Beyond Uganda, the report shows more women and girls than ever before are making the voluntary choice to use contraception in the world’s 69 lowest-income countries.
The report entitled FP2020: Catalyzing Collaboration has been produced by Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) – a global partnership that supports the rights of women and girls to freely decide whether, when, and how many children they want to have. The report for the first time ever includes new data on government spending on family planning in Uganda.
The report shows that in Uganda, domestic government spending on family planning of $2.3 million (2016) – compared to $19 million in Kenya and $8.5 million in Nigeria.
Additionally, in Uganda, among women aged 15-49, an estimated 27.5% or 2.8 million are using a modern method of contraception in 2018. This is 1,076,000 more than in 2012.
In Uganda, the rate of modern contraceptive use among married women has increased to 35.1% as a result of modern contraceptive use between July 2017 and July 2018.
However, 32.6% of married women aged 15-49 have an unmet need for a modern method of contraception.
“Rights-based family planning is a catalyst that unlocks the potential of girls and women in Nigeria and around the world. Our goal is to ensure that each one is able to exercise her basic rights to self-determination, health, dignity, and equality. This is a core strategy for countries to improve the health and well-being of their citizens and economy today,” said Beth Schlachter, Executive Director of Family Planning 2020
“Women represent half the global population, and there can be no healthy population globally or in Uganda without reproductive health care. As we continue to build the framework for Universal Health Coverage (UHC), we must ensure access to full, free, voluntary contraception is included for all women and girls. As countries build UHC strategies, rights-based family planning and SRHR services must be integrated within primary health care systems,” she added.
