Rethinking family planning indicators: findings from a global expert consultation

Abstract

The global family planning field has long relied on a few standard measures to assess program effectiveness and population-level outcomes, such as modern contraceptive prevalence, unmet need for family planning, and demand satisfied. Recognizing that these measures have substantial limitations, we led a global consultative process to identify priority overarching measurement factors, and priority qualities for global and programmatic measurement. This undertaking was part of a larger, coordinated effort to understand and improve family planning measurement. The International Union for the Scientific Study of Population’s Panel on Rethinking Family Planning Measurement administered a global online survey to a range of family planning professionals in late 2024 and offered it in four languages (English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese). We obtained more than 150 responses. We then led a convening of approximately 60 experts from across geographies in 2025 to interpret the survey findings. The priority measurement factors identified by respondents were measuring “contraceptive agency/autonomy/empowerment” and measuring “alignment between contraceptive use desires and actual use.” The most frequently cited qualities for global measurement were indicators that are “focused on a person’s self-identified needs, desires, and wants,” are “comparable across country contexts,” “are measured among users and non-users,” and “capture dimensions of equity.” The collaborative work of the Panel represents the field’s collective commitment to ensuring that family planning measures – and by extension, family planning programs – reflect rights, justice, and person-centered principles. With massive cutbacks in family planning programs, it is important to measure and learn more accurately what strategies are impactful so that programs and governments can be more effective at meeting the needs of individuals and communities. Our findings support adopting person-centered, rights-based and justice-informed indicators that measure individual reproductive agency and preference alignment. Recommendations for next steps include testing measures and questions that align with these priorities, and examining their performance across settings and over time going forward. Most importantly, we urge the field to avoid stagnation by adopting person-centered, rights-based, and justice-informed indicators and approaches, particularly as we head into the post-Sustainable Development Goal period.