Birth control jumps 11pc to 1.9 million new users

The number of people seeking modern birth control procedures in Kenya rose by 11.6 percent last year, highlighting the economic pressures of starting a family as people seek to improve their financial stability.

Official economic data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that 1,902,696 new people adopted various modern contraceptive methods in 2024, an increase from 1,705,095 in 2023, representing an additional 197,601 users.

Modern contraceptives are methods used by individuals or couples to control the number and timing of their children.

They include hormonal options such as the pill, implants and hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs). Barrier methods include male and female condoms, while permanent options include tubal ligation for women and vasectomy for men for those who no longer wish to have children.

The data shows that family planning injections remained the most popular method of contraception, with 692,850 new users in 2024, up from 626,472 the previous year, an increase of 10.6 percent and cementing its position as the most preferred choice since 2020.

IUD insertions showed a modest increase of five percent, while female sterilisation (bilateral tubal ligation) rose slightly by 2.9 percent, indicating continued interest in permanent methods for women.

"Usage of other contraceptive methods increased in 2024, with the exception of progestin pills and vasectomy sterilisation among new clients. Family planning injections were the most popular contraceptive method with 3.3 million clients, followed by IUDs, which had the highest number of new clients with 713,784 during the period," the report said.

Implant insertion attracted the highest number of new users over the period, with 713,784, an increase of 3.8 percent from 687,954 users, reflecting continued confidence in long-acting reversible contraception.

A similar trend was seen in the use of combined oral contraceptive pills, which more than doubled from 191,487 in 2023 to 294,172 in 2024, an increase of 53.7 percent.

In contrast, the use of progestogen-only pills fell slightly, by 1.7 percent from 121,609 uses in 2023 to 119,522 uses in 2024.The number of men choosing vasectomy remained very low, falling by 2.3 percent from 389 in 2023 to 380 in 2024.

This highlights ongoing cultural and social barriers affecting male participation in family planning, and reveals gaps in male participation that require targeted awareness campaigns.

"The number of men who underwent vasectomy for sterilisation continued to decline from 389 in 2023 to 380 in 2024," the KNBS data showed.

Kenya's population growth rate has been gradually slowing, partly due to women's empowerment and increased awareness of family planning, which has contributed to lower birth rates.

The country recorded its slowest population growth rate of 2.2 percent in 2019, down from 2.9 percent in 2009, according to the Kenya Population and Housing Census. The population grew from 37.7 million in 2009 to 47.6 million in 2019.

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