Needs and Costs
Reproductive health expenditures encompass a range of services, including prenatal, obstetric and post-abortion care, contraception and funding for research and policy activities.1 Maternal health funds and basic reproductive health funds are often lumped together, as are funds for STIs and HIV/AIDS; all funding here is presented in constant 2008 U.S. dollars.
Global need. In 2008, $20 billion is needed for the basic package of interventions, of which donors and governments are expected to meet only 50 percent.1, 2
- The basic package does not include costs to increase education and vocational training and improve the status of women and girls, all of which engender good sexual and reproductive health.
- The expansion of coverage of skilled maternal and birth care included in a package of 67 interventions in the 75 highest mortality countries would require an additional $3 billion dollars in 2008.3 The extent to which this more comprehensive package overlaps with the basic package is unclear.
Global expenditures in 2007. International assistance for basic reproductive health and family planning activities totaled $3.4 billion, of which donor countries provided $2.7 billion through bilateral sources.2
- The majority (85 percent) of expenditures for reproductive health and family planning were from developing countries.
- Out-of-pocket expenditures made up more than half of total expenditures, or $11.8 billion; while developing country governments contributed $6.6 billion or less than one-third.
U.S. expenditures. In fiscal year 2008 total family planning funding was $493 million; $395 million of which was allocated through USAID.
- Despite the need to expand critical reproductive health programs, U.S. funding for family planning has declined by 20 percent over the past decade.4
- Although fiscal year 2008 marked the first increase since fiscal year 2001, the $395 million appropriation for family planning was far less than the record high of $542 million in fiscal year 1995.5
The Global Health Council calls on the United States, developing country governments and other public and private donors to increase funding of maternal and newborn health initiatives by investing $6.7 billion each – for a total of $20 billion in global investments per year, to meet the global need.
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This section is under development.
| 1 |
UN Millennium Project. 2006. Public choices, private decisions: sexual and reproductive health and the Millennium Development Goals. New York: U.N. Millennium Project. |
| 2 |
United Nations Economic and Social Council. 2008. Flow of financial resources for assisting in the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development: report of the Secretary-General. Available from: http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N08/206/75/PDF/N0820675.pdf?OpenElement |
| 3 |
World Health Organization. 2005. World health report 2005: make every mother and child count. Geneva: WHO. Available from: www.who.int/whr/2005/en/ |
| 4 |
Global Health Council. 2008. U.S. investments in global health. Available from: http://www.globalhealth.org/ |
| 5 |
Levine R. 2007. USAID's track record in family planning. Available from: www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/11864 |
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