General attitude and awareness of

people about family planning in Pakistan

FAMILY PLANNING - Definition Family planning allows individuals and couples to anticipate
and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births. It is achieved
through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility. A womans ability to
space and limit her pregnancies has a direct impact on her health and well-being as well as on the
outcome of each pregnancy.

Importance FAMILY PLANNING directly promotes Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Millennium Development Goals 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Millennium Development Goals 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Millennium Development Goals 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Millennium Development Goals 5: Improve Maternal Health
Millennium Development Goals 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
Millennium Development Goals 7: Ensure Environmental Stability
Millennium Development Goals 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

FERTILITY DECLINE At the inception of population program Pakistans fertility decline rate (6.6
births per woman) was between Indias (5.9) and Irans (7) but experienced fertility decline the
slowest in the region (1990s). Pakistans total fertility rate (TFR) is one birth more than India and
Bangladesh and two births more than Irans TFR. With current TFR rate Pakistan is set to reach the
proposed 2020 goals ten years even later.
FERTILITY REGULATION Contraceptive Prevalence: Contraceptive Prevalence rates in Pakistan
remained relatively below 10 % during the seventies but increased significantly by 1990s to almost
28 %. CPR increased from 21 % in 1991 to 49 % in 2007 amongst married women. Use of
contraceptives in rural areas has increased over the past two decades still lacks behind significantly.
FERTILITY REGULATION The Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) is 30% in Pakistan a figure
that has virtually remained the same over the last decade which is considerably low as compared
to other Muslim countries. Iran has 74 % CPR, Turkey 71%, Morocco 63%, Indonesia 61%, Egypt
60%, Bangladesh 56% and Malaysia, 55%. SOURCE: Sadiah Ahsan Pal. Family planning: Pakistan
still has a long way to go.