Rwanda’s latest demographic health survey (RDHS 2025) shows that family planning use among married women has continued to rise, with 69% now using some form of contraception and 64% relying on modern methods such as implants, injectables and pills, this reflects both shifting preferences toward smaller families and stronger health system support.
Over the years Rwanda has invested heavily in reproductive health. Family planning services are integrated into routine maternal care and provided at health facilities across all provinces this expansion has made contraceptives more available to women in both urban and rural areas helping raise uptake steadily.
RDHS 2025 shows that nearly half of women say they do not want children anymore, while many others wish to delay their next birth reflecting changing in family size preferences.
Back in the days, women used to stay at home and take care of the children while men were the only ones working to nourish the family, this days things have changed even women participate in economy of the house that triggers most of them to adopt family planning because with many kids, having jobs can be rare and probably not possible.
Many women choose family plan to improve maternal and child health, to make their economy stable, to study or find opportunities, according to NISR many women still wish to have kids just in a way that suits their lives ,family well being and that matches their economy.
Speaking to pureafricanews.com, Umutoni Assoumpta a resident of Kabuga cell spoke about how family planning has helped her in pursuing her dreams and why she chose to use it.
“Family planning has been useful to me ,as I have been able to pursue my jobs of retailer ,before I used it, things were not easy ,I used to beget children every year ,now I have my third kid within 7 years only ,so through all this years I have not been able to work ,I would stay home and take care of my little kids ,but now that I am using family planning my third kid is 3 years and I am now able to move and work and participate in my house’s development ,so I really can’t live without using family planning method .”She narrated.
While releasing RDHS 2025, The Director General of NISR Yvan Murenzi mentioned the issue of increase in the sexual intercourse in unmarried person calling on increase on the use of family planning to reduce unwanted conception.
“3% people are not in marital union, but they are sexually active, what we mean by sexually active is anyone who have had sexual intercourse in the last 30 days of the survey. The expectation is if you are not in marital union and sexually active, are you using family planning? And the answer is that only 54% sexually active were using any method of birth control. My observation was if somebody is sexually active but not married, I really want them all to do family planning, 54% sexually active, more should be using family planning.” Said Yvan.