Nairobi — 377 million women aged 15-49 years of reproductive age in 85 countries are using modern birth control methods, according to a recent report by Family Planning 2030 (FP2030).

FP2030, a global initiative dedicated to promoting and expanding access to family planning services, noted a significant upsurge in the number of women and girls accessing contraception methods.

The 2023 report dubbed 'Meeting the Moment Family Planning and Gender Equality' showed that the number of women using modern contraception has grown by 92 million since 2012, while modern contraceptive prevalence has increased to 35.2 percent.

FP2030 Executive Director Samukeliso Dube revealed that long-acting implants have become the method of choice across many African countries based on the data obtained from 85 countries, including Botswana and Namibia.

He noted that the report focused on middle-income countries that have now made commitments to the FP2030 goals.

"In this report, you will hear more success stories, more people than ever before are using voluntary, rights-based contraception," said Dube, FP2030 Director.

The study, however, pointed out that 800 women die every day in childbirth, with 218 million of them being recorded in the global south due to the unmet need for modern contraception.

"The movement for rights-based family planning is an integral part of the global push for gender equality. Gender is at the root of every person's ability to make and carry out decisions about sex, contraception, and sexual and reproductive health," he added.

The report also reflected the impact of FP2030's move to decentralize from one secretariat in Washington, DC, to five regional hubs in Nairobi, Kenya, Abuja, Nigeria, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Panama City, Panama.

According to the report, postpartum family planning showed the ability to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes as well as increase uptake of contraception.