Intended and Unintended Pregnancies Worldwide in 2012 and Recent Trends

TLDR

The London Summit on Family Planning aims to reduce unwanted and mistimed pregnancies in the coming years. The study seeks to estimate global unintended pregnancy incidence and trends for 2012, 2008, and 1995 using multiple data sources. The authors combined data from several sources to calculate pregnancy incidence by intention status and outcome at worldwide, regional, and subregional levels for 2012 and compared these with previous estimates. In 2012, 213 million pregnancies occurred—slightly up from 211 million in 2008—with the global pregnancy rate falling only slightly from 2008 to 2012 after a larger decline from 1995 to 2008; 85 million pregnancies (40 %) were unintended, half ending in abortion, 13 % in miscarriage, and 38 % in unplanned birth, and unintended pregnancy rates declined in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Abstract

Periodic estimation of the incidence of global unintended pregnancy can help demonstrate the need for and impact of family planning programs. We draw upon multiple sources of data to estimate pregnancy incidence by intention status and outcome at worldwide, regional, and subregional levels in 2012 and to assess recent trends using previously published estimates for 2008 and 1995. We find that 213 million pregnancies occurred in 2012, up slightly from 211 million in 2008. The global pregnancy rate decreased only slightly from 2008 to 2012, after declining substantially between 1995 and 2008. Eighty-five million pregnancies, representing 40 percent of all pregnancies, were unintended in 2012. Of these, 50 percent ended in abortion, 13 percent ended in miscarriage, and 38 percent resulted in an unplanned birth. The unintended pregnancy rate continued to decline in Africa and in the Latin America and Caribbean region. If the aims of the London Summit on Family Planning are carried out, the incidence of unwanted and mistimed pregnancies should decline in the coming years.