Contraceptive failure rates in developing countries: Evidence from the demographic and health surveys

Based on Demographic and Health Survey data, contraceptive failure rates are estimated for 15 countries in Latin America, Asia and North Africa. The results are generally consistent with those reported in other studies in developed and developing countries. Method-specific failure rates vary dramatically across regions - rates for the Asian countries are generally below those for both the North African and the Latin American countries - as well as within regions. For example, first-year life-table rates for the pill vary between 5.4 percent for Brazil and 11.8 percent for the Dominican Republic. Such variation is believed to result both from data reporting problems and from true variation in the consistency of use across societies.