The original version of this article, by Kate Gilles and Marissa Pine Yeakey, appeared on the Population Reference Bureau’s Behind the Numbers blog.

World Contraception Day “centers around a vision for a world where every pregnancy is wanted,” with a goal of enabling “young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.”

Access to contraception is a global issue, for women and men of all ages. Meeting the contraceptive needs of young people is especially important because they are at a critical transitional stage. Providing young people with youth-friendly reproductive health information and services, including comprehensive contraceptive services, will empower them to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. These services are especially critical in sub-Saharan Africa, where the need for contraception and other sexual and reproductive health services is among the highest in the world, yet access is among the lowest.

PRB’s recent ENGAGE presentation, “The Time is Now: Invest in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Young People,” makes the case for investing in youth sexual and reproductive health in a persuasive 15-minute presentation with compelling data:

• There are 280 million young people (ages 10-to-24) in sub-Saharan Africa today, and the region has the fastest growing youth population in the world.
• Two out of every three married adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa have an unmet need for family planning, meaning that she and her partner do not want to become pregnant, but are not using any form of contraception.
• More than 4 out of every 10 sexually active, unmarried adolescent girls have an unmet need for contraception.

Continue reading on Behind the Numbers

Photo Credit: Girls attending school in Sam Ouandja, courtesy of  flickr user hdptcar.