Mapping Unmet Need for Family Planning and Contraceptive Use Among Married Women in India: A Scoping Review of Recent Evidence
Keywords:
Contraception; Family planning services; Unmet needsAbstract
Background: India has reduced unmet need for family planning and increased contraceptive use, but national averages can conceal geographic, socioeconomic, method-choice and autonomy gaps. Aims & Objectives: To map recent evidence on unmet need, contraceptive use, method choice and related determinants among married women in India. Material and Methods: A PRISMA-ScR-guided scoping review used a structured PubMed search, Google Scholar as a supplementary sensitivity source, and a preliminary-scoping known-item set. PubMed identified 41 records; two superseded preprints were removed, 39 records were screened and 14 studies met the eligibility criteria. Of 35 known-item candidates, five overlapped with the PubMed set and ten additional unique 2024–2025 primary studies met identical eligibility criteria, yielding 24 included studies. Results: Evidence showed declining national unmet need but persistent local inequality, a sterilization-heavy method mix, socioeconomic differences in reversible-method use, gaps in continuation and post-abortion care, and important roles for spousal communication, agency and informed choice. Heterogeneity precluded meaningful statistical pooling. Conclusion: Family-planning progress should be assessed through equitable access, continuation support and voluntary, preference-concordant choice as well as coverage.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Pushkal Singh (Author); Aastha Kalra (Corresponding Author); Nirpal Kaur, Manish Kumar Singh (Author)
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