Share of women of reproductive age (15–49) whose need for family planning is satisfied with modern methods (SDG 3.7.1)

This indicator (SDG 3.7.1) measures how well countries are meeting women’s demand for family planning using modern contraceptive methods. It is defined as the proportion of women aged 15–49 years who are married or in-union and want to avoid or delay pregnancy (i.e., have “demand for family planning”), and who are using a modern method of contraception.

It is a useful, often overlooked metric because it focuses on “coverage of need” rather than simply contraceptive prevalence. Higher values generally reflect better access to quality reproductive health services, reliable supply chains, and fewer financial or social barriers to obtaining modern contraception. Values vary widely across countries and are updated as new household survey or census data become available; for many countries the most recent modeled/compiled estimate falls within 2019–2024.