Impact of contraceptive use on women’s health and socioeconomic status: evidence brief

Overview

In 2022, an estimated 874 million women of reproductive age (15–49 years) were using a modern method of contraception, reflecting the widespread normalization of contraceptive use across much of the world. To better understand the broader impact of this trend, the World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned a series of systematic reviews to evaluate both the magnitude and quality of the evidence linking contraceptive use to women’s health outcomes, socioeconomic status (SES), and empowerment.

The central question guiding these six systematic reviews was whether contraceptive use contributes to improvements in women’s health, SES, and empowerment – primarily through its influence on the number, timing, and spacing of pregnancies – as well as through other direct health and non-health benefits.

This Brief summarizes the key findings and explores their implications for advancing women’s rights, health, and autonomy.