Intended contraceptive use among women without an unmet need

Many women with an unmet need for contraception report that they do not intend to use a method, while others, not classified as having an unmet need, say they do intend to use. Contraceptive outreach programs have not sought out the latter group of women, who constitute a large reservoir of potential users. Demographic and Health Survey data from 25 countries show that in 15 countries, those without an unmet need who intend to practice contraception outnumber women with an unmet need who do not intend to do so; in Colombia and Zimbabwe, for example, they are four times as numerous. Among women who intend to use a method, those who have an unmet need for contraception to space the next birth are similar to those without an apparent unmet need in age and family size, and they have a similar record of past contraceptive use; however, those without an unmet need are more likely to be pregnant (34% vs. 28%) and to say they wish to defer use for at least one year (34% vs. 23%). Women with no unmet need who plan to use a method are also generally similar to current users in family size, though they are a little younger and are considerably more likely to have had a recent birth.