The Use of Traditional Methods to Avoid Pregnancies: A Global Perspective

Joseph Molitoris, United Nations Population Division
Vladimira Kantorova, United Nations
Jamaica Corker, Independent Researcher
Philipp Ueffing, European Commission - Joint Research Centre
Aisha Dasgupta, UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
Mark Wheldon, United Nations Population Division

Family planning donors, programs, and research have long centered modern methods in policy and programming, prioritizing method efficacy. While modern methods are generally more effective than traditional ones at preventing pregnancy, traditional method use has been and remains substantial in many countries and regions. To better understand global trends in traditional contraceptive use, we use data from national-level surveys to answer two key questions: 1) is the use of traditional methods declining across the world?, and 2) in which countries does traditional method use remain an important tool in the prevention of unintended pregnancies? We review population-level survey data (DHS, MICS, PMA) from 1990-2023 and model-based estimates for the period 1970-2030 for individual countries, across regions, and globally in terms of absolute number of users, prevalence rates, and the proportion of overall contraceptive use that is made up of traditional methods. Examining separately patterns of use of withdrawal and rhythm methods reveals important geographical and temporal variation in these dominant traditional methods. Last, we undertake country-level analysis of when countries reached TFR of 2.1 with high levels of traditional method use, providing the first global comparison of which countries completed their fertility transitions with high rates of traditional method use.

Keywords: Family Planning and Contraception, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

See extended abstract.