A comparative analysis of the determinants of contraceptive practice in Africa: evidence from Demographic and Health Surveys data

Nazrul Hoque, University of Texas at San Antonio

Africa, the huge region of vast geographical and cultural diversity is the home of 700 million of the world’s population. During 1985-1990, Africa was the fastest growing major area with a growth rate of 3.0 percent per annum. Its contraceptive prevalence rates are collectively the world’s lowest and, unlike the rates in other developing regions, show no signs of increasing at the fastest rate. Only recently, the contraceptive prevalence rate has increased considerably in Kenya from 7 percent in 1978 to 33 percent in 1993. According to Demographic and Health Surveys data, the contraceptive prevalence rate varies from 4 percent in Niger to 47 percent in Egypt. In this paper I examine the comparative determinants of the choice of a contraceptive method among African women, using data primarily from the Demographic and Health Surveys.