A study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute has found that about 15 per cent of married women and 7 per cent of never-married women in developing countries have an unmet need for contraception, although these statistics vary depending on location and socioeconomic charactistics.
The authors found that young women and married women in rural areas are most likely to have unmet need and that women in Sub-Saharan Africa have a greater need than women in other regions. The reasons women do not use contraceptives most commonly include concerns about possible health and side effects and the belief that they are not at risk of getting pregnant. Few women with an unmet need indicate that they are unaware of family planning options. The situation is markedly different compared with 20 years ago, when many women with an unmet need were unfamiliar with family planning.
