PHA-Exchange> MAJORITY OF COUPLES OF CHILD-BEARING AGE WORLDWIDE USE CONTRACEPTION, UN SAYS

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel at undp.org>

> MAJORITY OF COUPLES OF CHILD-BEARING AGE WORLDWIDE USE CONTRACEPTION, UN
SAYS
> New York, Apr 21 2004  5:00PM

> Nearly two-thirds of women of child-bearing age in marital or consensual
unions use contraception, with the highest percentage
> found in Latin America and the Caribbean and the lowest in Africa, the
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
> (DESA) <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/dev2469.doc.htm">says.
>
> In a new wall chart called "World Contraceptive Use 2003," DESA's
Population Division, assessing family planning practices in 160
> countries or areas, says contraception has been increasing steadily over
the past decade and 61 per cent of women aged 15 to 49
> years worldwide now use contraceptives.
>
> The percentage for the 170 million women in the richer countries is 69 per
cent, compared to 59 per cent of 873 million women in
> developing countries.
>
> The rate for the 117 million women in Africa is 27 per cent, compared to a
rate of 71 per cent of the 82 million women in Latin
> America and the Caribbean, the division says.