Accra — Demand for family planning services worldwide is said to be growing as two trends converge: population growth and wider acceptance of contraceptive use.

Toshiko Kaneda, Co-Author of the Population Reference Bureau's new report (PRB), "Family Planning Worldwide 2008 Data Sheet", said either trend would lead to greater demand.

"The two acting together means there are likely to be huge increases in the future."

A media release stated that the PRB data sheet presents information about women, fertility rates, and contraceptive methods used in more than 140 countries.

It said that the need for family planning is likely to grow fastest in countries where contraceptive use was traditionally low but has been increasing.

In Tanzania, 20 percent of women of reproductive age use a modern method of family planning, but this is up from just 7 percent in 1991-92. As Tanzania's population continues to grow and the percent using contraception rises, the number of Tanzanian women using modern contraception will likely grow by 90 percent, from 2.0 million to 3.7 million between 2005 and 2015.

In Peru, the number of modern contraceptive users will likely grow from 3.7 million to 4.5 million over that period, primarily because of population growth. Nearly 48 percent of Peruvian women use a modern method, such as hormonal injections, sterilization, or condoms, compared with just 18 percent of women in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Nepal, where 44 percent of women use a modern contraceptive method, the number of women using a modern contraceptive is projected to increase by I million between 2005 and 2015 in Nepal, to 3.4 million.

Some women say that they would like to delay or avoid another pregnancy but are not using any method of family planning-signaling a large unmet need for family planning services.

About 22 percent of Tanzanian women reported an unmet need for family planning: 15 percent said they wanted to delay their next child and 7 percent said they did not want another child. In Peru, just 8 percent reported an unmet need for family planning.

Contraceptive use is reported for women of reproductive age who are married or in union-those most likely to become pregnant.

The share using any method ranges from less than 3 percent in Chad to more than 80 percent in China, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several other countries.

Although many women opt for traditional methods, including abstinence and withdrawal, these are not as reliable for preventing pregnancy as modern methods are more popular overall.

Female sterilization is by far the world's most common contraceptive method, used by one-fifth of women worldwide. It is less popular in sub-Saharan Africa, where hormonal injections and contraceptive pills are more commonly used.

Poverty and wealth are also associated with family planning use in some countries, according to data included in Family Planning Worldwide 2008.

In Uganda, 36 percent of the wealthiest women used family planning, compared with just 11 percent of the poorest women. In Bangladesh, about 50 percent of the wealthiest women used a method, compared with 45 percent of the poorest.