Correlates of Unmet Need for Contraception in Ethiopia: Evidence from 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

Abstract

The highest proportion of unmet need for contraception is found in sub-Saharan Africa. Although unmet need for contraception declined from 36% in 2000 to 25% in 2011 in Ethiopia, it is still far from satisfying the demand. The data for this study is obtained from the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify correlates of unmet need for contraception. Accordingly, 18% of women have unmet need for spacing and 9.6% for limiting. Age, educational level, number of children and religion were significant correlates of unmet needs for spacing and limiting. In addition, place of residence was significant correlate for spacing while age at marriage and knowledge of contraceptives were significant correlates for limiting. Expanding contraceptive accessibility and methods mix in rural areas; empowering women; and engaging religious and community leaders in educating the community about family planning (FP) are recommendations to satisfy the demand of contraception.