Impact of Socio-Economic and Cultural Determinants of Contraceptive Method Choice in India: Evidence from NFHS-5

Socio-economic and cultural factors play a crucial role in shaping contraceptive method choice in India. While contraceptive prevalence has increased, the method mix remains heavily skewed toward female sterilization, with a relatively low use of reversible spacing methods. This study examines the socio-economic and cultural determinants of contraceptive method choice in India using data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21). The analysis focused on the use of permanent, modern, and traditional methods among currently married women aged 15-49 years. The findings show that female sterilization dominates India’s contraceptive landscape, accounting for 67.2% of all methods, with an overall modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) of 56.5%. The choice of method varies markedly by age, place of residence, education, wealth, religion, and caste. Adolescents and young married women predominantly use condoms, pills, and injectables, whereas older married women mainly rely on sterilization. Urban, more educated, and wealthier women are more likely to adopt spacing methods, while rural, less educated, and poorer women disproportionately depend on sterilization. Hindu women are more likely to use permanent methods, whereas Muslim women show higher use of spacing and some traditional methods. The multivariate regression results confirm these patterns with statistical significance. This study highlights the need to diversify India’s contraceptive method mix, strengthen access to high-quality spacing methods, and design culturally sensitive and equity-oriented family planning strategies.

Female Sterilization, Modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (mCPR), family planning (FP), Family Planning Method-Mix, Socio-Economic Determinants, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), Modern Spacing Methods, Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

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