Fertility Preferences, Contraceptive Use, and the Unmet Need for Contraception in Papua New Guinea: Key Findings From 1996 to 2016.

Expanding access to reliable contraception is a global priority in the fight to lower maternal morbidity and mortality. Papua New Guinea (PNG) continues to face significant challenges in enhancing contraceptive services for women. PNG Demographic Health Survey (DHS) has been undertaken every 10 years since 1996 and describes the major trends in crude birth rates, fertility rates and preferences, contraceptive use, and the unmet needs for contraception. The latest survey in 2016 means that there are now 20 years of data available. Between 1996 and 2016, modern contraceptive prevalence increased from 14% to 29% with a preference for longer acting reversible contraception, though the unmet need for contraception persisted at 32% with minimal change since 1996. Rurally dwelling women as well as those with low literacy, who make up the majority of reproductive age women in PNG, were consistently the least likely to use contraception. Expanding access to reliable contraception should therefore be prioritized for these women.