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More married women turn to reversible contraceptives
An analysis of Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) data shows that uptake of female sterilisation dropped from 4.3 percent in 2003 to 2.3 percent in 2022—a decrease of 2 percentage points, or nearly half in proportional terms.
The number of married women choosing sterilisation as a form of contraception has fallen by 46.5 percent over the past 20 years, suggesting a shift towards long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, such as Copper Intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) and hormonal implants.
Sterilisation is a permanent surgical procedure that blocks a woman’s fallopian tube and was once a popular choice for those who had finished having children.
An analysis of Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) data shows that uptake of female sterilisation dropped from 4.3 percent in 2003 to 2.3 percent in 2022—a decrease of 2 percentage points, or nearly half in proportional terms.
This shift is mainly attributed to changing lifestyles, improved access to health information and the increased popularity of long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as implants and IUDs, which provide years of protection without the permanence of surgery.
Injectables remain a trusted choice for many women who prefer shorter-term solutions, although their use dipped slightly in recent years, from a high of 26.4 percent in 2014 to 19.9 percent in 2022. Pills have remained steady at about eight percent.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, around 1.9 million people adopted modern contraceptives in 2024, up from 1.7 million the year before—an 11.6 percent increase that points to a rising demand for reliable family planning options.
In the same period, injections and implants continued to lead, attracting 692,850 new users in 2024, while 713,784 women chose implants—confirming their position as Kenya’s most popular long-acting method.
The use of the IUD increased by five percent, while the use of the progestogen-only pill decreased by 1.7 percent. In contrast, male participation remains very low.
Only 380 men underwent vasectomy in 2024, down from 389 the previous year—a 2.3 percent drop, underscoring ongoing cultural and social barriers around male involvement in family planning.
Health experts attribute this trend to changing priorities among women. Many are delaying childbirth, spacing their pregnancies, and balancing career aspirations, leading them to choose methods that offer control and reversibility.
Kenya’s modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) among married women has nearly doubled in two decades, rising from 31.5 percent in 2003 to 56.9 percent in 2022.
Meanwhile, the unmet need for family planning—women who want to delay or stop childbearing but are not using contraception—has fallen from 27 percent to 14 percent.
