Ensuring reproductive rights for all

Feature

Unsafe, unreliable: Dangerous pregnancy-prevention methods

Around the world, people are resorting to dangerous, ineffective methods to prevent pregnancy – an indication of the enormous need for family planning access and education.

News

Balloons, disinfectant, brandy used in attempts to prevent pregnancy

World Population Day celebrates the 50th anniversary the right to family planning. On this day, UNFPA is also calling...

read story >

News

Midwives deployed to remote Afghanistan to lower maternal death rate

By midnight, Khurshid, 35, was in serious trouble. Five months pregnant and bleeding heavily, she had passed out at...

read story >

News

After ‘Volcano of Fire’ eruption, women and girls face heightened risks

UNFPA is working with the government, partners and community members to improve safety, care and health services for...

read story >

Donate

With your donation, you help UNFPA in its mission to end maternal death, end unmet need for family planning, and end gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child marriage and female genital mutilation.
Speak Out

Raise your voice in support of women and girls. Join us on social media and spread the word that reproductive rights are human rights, no woman should die while giving life, and gender-based violence must end once and for all.
Work with Us

Join our dynamic, creative, international workplace! UNFPA works in more than 150 countries, and every role helps advance our mission to protect and promote human rights. Here, you truly can make a difference.

Ending preventable maternal deathLearn more

Health workers rush to assist Salima Khatum at the Nayapara refugee camp maternity centre. © UNFPA Bangladesh/Allison Joyce

News

Sexual and reproductive health needs immense among Rohingya refugees

Salima Khatum burst into the Nayapara refugee camp maternity centre, very close to giving birth.

read story >

Najat suffered a traumatic birth injury, and nearly died, after her in-laws refused to take her to a hospital during labour. © National Midwives Association/UNFPA

News

Midwife escapes death after being denied maternal health care

Najat knew the dangers of childbirth. But when her own needs clashed with her husband’s traditional ideas, she suffered...

read story >

Feature

Join Ashley Judd and help save Rohingya mothers

There are 64,000 pregnant Rohingya women in Bangladesh, who urgently need vital maternal health care.

see photo feature >

Ending unmet need for family planningLearn more

Young people from the Kakheti region of Georgia participate in peer education training on gender equality and reproductive health and rights. © UNFPA Georgia

News

Breaking taboos around sexual and reproductive health in rural Georgia

Education initiatives in and outside of schools help overcome stigma and inequities in access to information and...

read story >

Hannah Gumaro chose to receive a contraceptive implant at a UNFPA-supported family planning session. © UNFPA Philippines/Mario Villamor

News

Expanding family planning choices for women in the Philippines

Access to a wide range of contraceptive options is critical to fulfilling the human right to family planning.

read story >

Video

Family planning at 50

On 13 May 1968, family planning was officially recognized as a human right at the International Conference on Human

watch video >

Ending gender-based violence and harmful practicesLearn more

(Right to left) UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem and United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed meet with one-stop centre staff. © UNFPA South Sudan/Arlene Alano

News

One-stop care centre helps women amid South Sudan’s epidemic of violence

Violence against women is epidemic in South Sudan, but survivor services are often difficult to reach. “Women should...

read story >

Menstrual health is a serious, but overlooked, issue among vulnerable women. Refugees in Louva, Angola, receive UNFPA-distributed dignity kits, which include sanitary napkins, soap, laundry detergent and other essential hygiene supplies. © UNFPA/Tiril Skarstein

News

Period shame, misinformation linked to serious human rights concerns

A new report from Eastern and Southern Africa links shame and misinformation around menstruation to gender...

read story >

Resources

Child marriage - Frequently Asked Questions

How common is child marriage? How is child marriage connected to teen pregnancy?

view resource >

UNFPA Transformative Results

END MATERNAL DEATH

Since 1990, maternal death has declined by 44 per cent. Still, some 830 women...Read more

Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births

Actual
UNFPA vision
SDG Target

Assuming all the maternal deaths are preventable

END UNMET NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING

Family planning is central to women’s empowerment and sustainable...Read more

Unmet need for family planning

Actual
UNFPA vision
Projection

Women with unmet need are those, aged 15-49, who are married or in a union and want to stop or delay childbearing but are not using any method of contraception

END GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND ALL HARMFUL PRACTICES

Violence against women and girls remains a global pandemic. One in...Read more

Ending Child Marriage

Per cent of girls married/in union before age 15

Per cent of girls married/in union after age 15 but before age 18

Actual
UNFPA vision
SDG Target

Actual
UNFPA vision
SDG Target

ENDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND HARMFUL PRACTICES

Violence against women and girls remains a global pandemic. One in...Read more

Global prevalence of female genital mutilation

Actual
UNFPA vision
SDG Target

ENDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND HARMFUL PRACTICES

Violence against women and girls remains a global pandemic. One in...Read more

Prevalence of recent intimate partner violence

UNFPA vision
SDG Target

Per cent of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months

view more >

Data Portal Dashboards