Unmet Need for Family Planning

In demographic surveys, unmet need for family planning refers to women who want to postpone their next birth or stop childbearing but are not using any contraceptive method. It measures the gap between a woman’s stated reproductive intention and her current contraceptive use. Survey algorithms may also classify pregnant or postpartum amenorrhoeic women according to whether their current or recent pregnancy was mistimed or unwanted.

Components of unmet need

Total unmet need is divided into two mutually exclusive components according to the woman’s fertility preference.

• Unmet need for spacing covers women who want another child later but are not using contraception.
• Unmet need for limiting covers women who want no more children but are not using contraception.
• Total unmet need is the sum of unmet need for spacing and unmet need for limiting.

How surveys identify it

The indicator applies a standard algorithm combining contraceptive use, fertility preference, pregnancy status, postpartum amenorrhoea and fecundity.

• Women classified as infecund are excluded because they are not considered in need of contraception.
• Pregnant women may be included when the pregnancy is reported as mistimed or unwanted.
• In India’s NFHS, the commonly reported indicator uses currently married women aged 15-49 years as its denominator.

What the indicator shows

A high unmet need indicates that reproductive preferences are not being translated into contraceptive practice. It does not by itself prove physical non-availability of services, because non-use may also reflect concerns about side effects, lack of information, social opposition or other barriers.

How UPSC asks this