The Impact of Contraceptive Use and Abortion on Fertility in sub-Saharan Africa: Estimates for 2003–2014

This article, published in Population and Development Review, examines the impact of contraceptive use and abortion on the level of fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors analyze changes in these indicators from 2003 to 2014 for the region as a whole as well as each of four sub-regions. They calculate the level of modern contraceptive use and abortion in 2003 and 2014 and changes between the two years. They also present several models to quantify the expected impact of potential improvements in modern contraceptive use on the unintended pregnancy rate and its key outcomes—unplanned births and abortions—as well as overall fertility.