Increased use of contraception across the country has been a major contributing factor in preventing unwanted pregnancies, and in turn reducing India’s total fertility rate to below replacement level, NFHS-5 data show.
The data shows that the use of modern contraceptives for family planning increased from 47.8 percent to 56.5 percent in the five years between NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NHFS-5 (2019-20).
While 30 out of 36 states/UTs have shown an increase in contraceptive use, experts say the improvement in numbers for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar has been particularly encouraging given their large populations. In Bihar, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate has nearly doubled: from 23.3% in NFHS-4 to 44.4% in NFHS-5.
Dr Niranjan Sagurati, Director, Population Council of India, said, “Decreased fertility is a function of three main factors: contraceptive use, increased age of marriage and abortion.” “In Bihar, the age of marriage remains low, with 43% of girls married under the age of 18 in NFHS 4 falling marginally to 41% under the age of 18 in NFHS-5. But what has been successful has been an increase in modern contraceptive use. This points towards the furtherance of family planning schemes by the state government. But most importantly in the case of Bihar, there has been an increase in education, which has led to increased use of contraception and increased family planning.
Sagurati says that the good news for UP is that the age of marriage has increased. Twenty-one percent of women under the age of 18 were married, as found by the NFHS-IV, with a reduction of 5 percent in five years – 16 percent of girls under the age of 18 were married in UP , as reported in a recent survey.
“UP has also shown a very good balanced contraceptive method mix with the transition from sterilization to reversible contraception,” Sagurati said.
Of its contraceptive mix, 40% is now sterilization and 60% is the use of reversible contraceptive methods. Contraceptive use in UP has increased from 31.7 per cent in 2015-16 to 44.5 per cent in 2019-20. UP has also shown a marginal decrease of 0.4 per cent in female sterilisations. The date shows that Bihar (21%), Goa (35.3%), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (24%), Nagaland (24%) and Arunachal Pradesh (20.6%) reported the highest percentage of contraceptive use in the NFHS. More growth has been registered. -5 more than NFHS 4. Rajasthan has also shown a significant increase of 9 percent in contraceptive use.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Haryana and Goa account for 60 percent or more of contraceptive use.
Punjab and Ladakh recorded the highest reduction, while Meghalaya (22.5%) and Manipur (18.2%) recorded the lowest contraceptive use in the country.
“The data shows women want smaller families. While contraceptive use has increased, indicating improvements in the success of India’s family planning program, women would have fewer pregnancies if they increased access to contraception and made decisions. ,” said Alok Bajpai, head of knowledge management at the Population Foundation of India, India.
Professor K James, director of the International Institute for Population Sciences, an affiliate organization of the health ministry that conducted the survey, said that if TFR reform takes place in four states – Bihar, UP, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – it will set India on a certain path. Reforms for Population Control
“One of the most important contributing factors to reducing TFR is the use of modern contraceptive methods,” James said. “Despite the fact that there has not been a significant increase in the age of marriage for women in the country, with 30-40 percent of women marrying under the age of 18 in some states, family planning programs are showing results. Once Countries achieve 60 percent contraceptive use, then they reach the replacement level.
“Family planning has been the most advanced program due to continued concerns of overpopulation. But what these results have shown is that it can be achieved with increased contraception…”
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