A Decade of Monitoring Contraceptive Security and Measuring Successes and Opportunities around the World

Dana Aronovich, John Snow, Inc.
Ariella Bock, John Snow, Inc.
Marie Tien, John Snow, Inc.
Emma Stewart, John Snow, Inc.
Ellie Bahirai, John Snow, Inc.

Without a reliable supply of contraceptives, family planning programs cannot provide quality services to clients. Critical to this is contraceptive security (CS)—where every person is able to choose, obtain, and use quality contraceptives. The Contraceptive Security Index measures countries' level of CS through a set of 17 indicators covering five strategic areas for over 60 countries. With new data collected in 2012, this represents a decade of scores since 2003. This decade corresponds to significant efforts by global donors to improve CS throughout the world. Results show global progress toward CS, with the highest component scores in supply chain, but most progress in finance. Notably, countries with the lowest scores in 2003 made the most progress, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite these achievements, challenges remain. The index can be used to advocate for CS, set priorities, improve resource allocation, and monitor progress toward achieving a secure supply of quality contraceptives.