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Interwoven lives, threads of hope

What have we achieved?

In the wider European region*, fewer women die giving birth, have children when they are still teenagers, and face problems with access to contraceptives, according to a recent regional review report:

Maternal mortality halved

Maternal mortality almost halved from an average of 22 to 12 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2020

Maternal mortality halved

Teenage pregnancy down

Adolescent birth rates dropped by nearly 50 per cent from an average of 20.3 to 12.6 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years between 2000 and 2020

Teenage pregnancy down

Unmet need for family planning reduced

The share of reproductive-age women who have their needs for family planning satisfied with modern methods increased from a median value of 66.7 per cent in 2000 to 75.9 in 2022

Unmet need for family planning reduced

Photo: UNFPA Türkiye/Eren Korkmaz

Where is progress stalling?

Maternal mortality

Progress in reducing maternal mortality has slowed in the wider European region, and there has been an increase in maternal deaths between 2015 and 2020 in 18 of 52 countries with data

Maternal mortality

Modern contraceptive use

The use of modern contraceptives remains extremely low in parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia; in five countries more than half of women do not use any form of contraception

Modern contraceptive use

Bodily autonomy

One in four women of reproductive age cannot exercise autonomy in making decisions about their bodies and health

Bodily autonomy

HIV epidemic

160,000 people were newly infected with HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in 2022, a 49 per cent increase since 2010 and the largest increase of any region in the world during this period

HIV epidemic

Women with disabilities

Women and girls with disabilities are up to 10 times more likely to experience gender‐based violence, including sexual violence

Women with disabilities

Gender-based violence

The share of individuals believing it is justifiable for a man to beat his wife has increased over time in half of countries in the region with data, especially among younger people

Gender-based violence

Stories from the region

Download the report

Interactive global report