Colombia 1995: results from the Demographic and Health Survey
Studies in Family Planning 28(1): 67-71
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 9097388 DOI: 10.2307/2137973Document Number: 267074
This summary report consists of tables and charts from the 1995 Colombia Demographic and Health Survey. The sample included 11,140 women aged 15-49 years. In 1995, population was an estimated 29.5 million. Life expectancy was 67.7 years. 3.8% had no education, 36.5% had a primary education, and 59.7% had a secondary or higher education. Fertility during 1990-95 was 3 children/woman compared to 2.9 during 1985-90. Fertility ranged from 4.3 in rural areas to 2.5 in urban areas, and from 5.0 among uneducated women to 2.5 among women with a secondary or higher education. The mean ideal number of children ranged from 2.2 among women aged 15-19 years to 3.1 among women aged 45-49 years and from 2.1 among women with no children to 3.9 among women with 6 or more children. 40.9% desired a stop to childbearing. The proportion desiring a stop to childbearing hovered between 50.8% among women with 2 children and 46.5% among women with 6 or more children. 54.4% of births were wanted, 24.4% were wanted later, and 21.1% were unwanted. Contraceptive use stood at 59.3% for modern methods and 12.9% for traditional methods; 67.0% in rural areas and 74.4% in urban areas. The proportion of use ranged from 26.2% among women with no children to 82.5% among women with 3 children. Knowledge of modern and traditional methods was high. 13.0% of never users and 17.7% of previous users did not intend to use. 26.3% of nonusers were sterilized or infecund, 31.9% were menopausal or had hysterectomies, and 9.6% desired more children. 9.7% were nonusers due to infrequent sexual intercourse. 32.2% were single, and 54.7% were in a union. The median age at first birth was 22.1 years. Infant mortality had declined. 1.4% of children were moderately to severely acutely undernourished, and 15.0% were moderately to severely chronically undernourished. 3.5% were severely chronically undernourished.