1. Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancies
Leanne Dougherty, MPH
Knowledge Management Services Project
January 11, 2012

2. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) Sub-Saharan Africa
Total fertility rates range from 4.0 in Ghana to 6.7 in Uganda.
TFR

3. Total Fertility Rate, by Richest and Poorest Wealth Quintiles, Sub-Saharan Africa
Total fertility rates are significantly higher in the poorest quintiles as compared with the
richest quintiles.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys and Malaria Indicator Surveys for given years. Data for Sudan are unavailable.

4. Percentage of Married Women Using a Modern Method of Contraception, Sub-Saharan Africa
Use of modern contraception varies in PRH priority countries (AFR), ranging from 5.8 to 45 percent
Percent

5. Percentage of Married Women Using a Modern Method of Contraception, by Wealth Quintile, Sub-Saharan Africa
Use among poor women is consistently lower than among rich women in PRH priority countries.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. Data for Sudan are unavailable.

6. Percentage of Married Women Aged 15–49 Currently Using Various Methods of Contraception Sub-Saharan Africa
Temporary methods are most popular in almost all PRH priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the exception of DR Congo and Senegal.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. *Preliminary Report. Definition of methods: temporary (pills, injectables, and condoms), long acting (IUD and implant), permanent (male and female sterilization), fertility awareness (cycle beads and LAM), traditional (withdrawal and periodic abstinence). Data are unavailable for Sudan.

7. Percentage of Married Women Aged 15–49 Currently Using Various Methods of Contraception in Rural Areas, Sub-Saharan Africa
Temporary methods are most popular in rural areas in all PRH priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the exception of DR Congo, Mozambique, and Senegal where traditional, fertility awareness, and long-acting methods are preferred, respectively.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. *Preliminary Report. Definition of methods: temporary (pills, injectables, and condoms), long acting (IUD and implant), permanent (male and female sterilization), fertility awareness (cycle beads and LAM), traditional (withdrawal and periodic abstinence). Data are unavailable for Sudan.

8. Percentage of Married Women Aged 15–49 Currently Using Various Methods of Contraception in Urban Areas, Sub-Saharan Africa
Temporary methods are most popular in urban areas in all PRH priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa with the exception of DR Congo and Senegal where traditional and long-acting methods, respectively, are most common.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. *Preliminary Report. Definition of methods: temporary (pills, injectables, and condoms), long acting (IUD and implant), permanent (male and female sterilization), fertility awareness (cycle beads and LAM), traditional (withdrawal and periodic abstinence). Data are unavailable for Sudan.

9. Percentage of Births by Number of Months Since Preceding Birth Sub-Saharan Africa
The majority of women space their births fewer than 36 months apart. About 4.4 to 13.7 percent space their births more than 68 months apart.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. 9

10. Percentage of Births by Number of Months Since Preceding Birth Among Women Aged 15–19 Sub-Saharan Africa
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. 10

11. Percentage of Births in Fewer Than 36 Months Since Preceding Birth, by Residence Sub-Saharan Africa
On average, rural women appear to be slightly more likely to space their births fewer than 36 months apart.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. 11

12. Percentage of Births in Fewer Than 36 Months Since Preceding Birth, by Wealth Quintile Sub-Saharan Africa
In general, women in the poorest wealth quintile are more likely to space their births fewer than 36 months apart.
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys for given years. 12

13. Wanted Total Fertility Rate (TFR) Sub-Saharan Africa
Wanted total fertility rates range from 3.4 to 6.0 in PRH priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: STATcompiler – most recent Demographic and Health Surveys, Malawi DHS 2010.

14. Wanted Total Fertility Rate (TFR), by Wealth Quintile Sub-Saharan Africa
Wanted total fertility rates are consistently higher among the lowest wealth quintile in PRH priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: STATcompiler – most recent Demographic and Health Surveys, Malawi 2010.

15. Percentage of Women Aged 15–19 Who Are Mothers or Pregnant With Their First Child Sub-Saharan Africa
Adolescent pregnancy varies in PRH priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where the percentage of women aged 15–19 who are mothers or pregnant with their first child ranges from 5.7 percent in Rwanda to 41 percent in Mozambique. .
Source: STATcompiler – most recent Demographic and Health Surveys, Malawi 2010.

16. Percentage of Women Aged 15–19 Who Are Mothers or Pregnant With Their First Child, by Wealth Quintile Sub-Saharan Africa
Adolescent pregnancy is consistently higher among the lowest wealth quintile than among the highest wealth quintile in PRH priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: STATcompiler – most recent Demographic and Health Surveys, Malawi 2010.

17. Maternal Mortality Ratio Sub-Saharan Africa
The maternal mortality ratio ranges from 401 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Senegal to 994 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Liberia.
Sources: Most recent DHS survey, Ghana Maternal Health Survey 2007.

18. Proportion of Births That Are Fifth Order or Higher Sub-Saharan Africa
The proportion of births of fifth order or higher ranges from 22.8 in Ghana to 43.3 in Uganda.
Source: STATcompiler.

19. Trends in births spaced less than 36 months, Sub-Saharan Africa

20. Trends in births spaced more than 68 months, Sub-Saharan Africa