About the Data

The tools on this site all use the Contraceptive Calendar from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. Please see below for descriptions of the Calendar and the DHS Program itself.

What is the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program?

  • The DHS Program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), conducts nationally-representative household surveys every 5 years and collects data for a wide range of indicators in the areas of population, health, and nutrition.
  • These surveys allow researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to evaluate, monitor, and impact individual countries and also make cross-country comparisons.
  • Additionally, these surveys have large sample sizes (5,000-30,000 people) and are open to women 15-49 years old.

What is the Women's Questionnaire and Contraceptive Calendar?

  • Surveys conducted by the DHS Program consists of 3 questionnaires: the Household Questionnaire, the Women’s Questionnaire, and the Men’s Questionnaire.
  • Our tools mainly utilize data from the Women's Questionnaire, which inquires about:
        • Knowledge of contraceptive methods
        • Use of specific contraceptive methods
        • Source of contraceptive methods
        • Exposure to family planning messages
        • Informed choice
        • Unmet need for family planning
  • The DHS Contraceptive Calendar is one part of the Women's Questionnaire. It records a month-by-month account of certain key events in the respondent's reproductive history throughout the year of the survey plus the preceding five years.
        • The Calendar consists of 2 columns:
              • (1) Births, pregnancies, terminations, and contraceptive use (if applicable)
              • (2) Reasons for discontinuation of contraceptive use (if applicable)