PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has among the highest rates in South-East Asia for unmet family planning - a situation where women don’t want to get pregnant but are not using contraception, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy.

Lack of interest in using contraceptives and the fear of its side effects are top reasons why women don’t want to use them, according to early findings of a government study last year.

It is also aiming to get men to step up too, by encouraging shared responsibility in family planning.

“Our priority is to ensure every woman and family has access to accurate information, appropriate support, and the ability to make informed decisions about family planning,” it said when contacted.

The ministry said it was exploring structural frameworks like advocating for better family and workplace support systems.

"By doing so, the ministry aims to foster a culture of shared responsibility within families, where both partners are equally involved in making informed decisions on family planning," it said.

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In Malaysia, some 26.7% of women in the reproductive age who do not want to become pregnant are not using contraception, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025.

This was the highest percentage among Asean countries, except for Brunei, Singapore and Myanmar which data was not available in the report.

The report, by the World Economic Forum, uses the standard international reproductive age bracket of between 15 and 49.

Calling our high percentage a “significant gap” in Malaysia, the ministry said the unmet need for family planning was defined as women who are fertile but are not currently using any method of contraception, despite expressing a desire to delay childbearing through spacing or limit it altogether.

The ministry said such a trend was highest among women aged 35 and above, based on the Malaysia Population and Family Survey 2014.

It was statistically more common among women aged 45 to 49 (26.9%), followed by those aged 40 to 44 (15.8%).

“This might be because women in this age bracket may incorrectly assume their fertility is naturally declining and therefore stop using protection prematurely,” it said.

Last year, early findings from a study commissioned by the National Population and Family Development Board to Universiti Malaya, also revealed that lack of interest in using contraceptives (25.2%) and fear of side effects (20.8%) were the main reasons for non-use of contraceptives.

“Accessibility to family planning services in Malaysia is generally good with a wide range of contraceptive options available through public and private healthcare facilities.

“But availability alone does not fully address this need due to a complex interplay of socioeconomic and psychological factors,” the ministry said.

It said data showed that most women make family planning decisions with their husbands at 55.6%, according to the 2014 survey.

This is followed by 33.6% of women who make such decisions on their own, as shown in the graphic below:

“With only 8.8% of decisions made by the husband alone, the focus remains on enhancing this existing autonomy through targeted educational outreach that dismantles misinformation and universal fertility myths,” the ministry said.

On whether the ministry will consider amending laws to ensure men take equal responsibility for unplanned pregnancies, it said the government maintains a policy of empowerment, rather than legal coercion.

“This approach focuses on education, awareness, and mutual support, ensuring that family wellbeing is strengthened through partnership and understanding, rather than through legal enforcement,” the ministry said.