A higher proportion of the world’s population has access to modern contraceptives than ever before, a UN report has found.

Reporting on progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it highlights the achievements in improving reproductive health – a pillar of the health targets.

Most notably, the proportion of women using modern contraception in the world’s least developed countries has increased from 39.4 per cent in 2000 to 58.5 per cent in 2018.

This compares to the global rate of 74.9 per cent in 2000 to 77.4 per cent in 2018.

More women are also giving birth with the help of a skilled healthcare professional – considered one of the most critical interventions for improving maternal and newborn health. This has seen the number of assisted live births increase from 62 per cent globally in 2000-2005, to 80 per cent in 2012-2017.

It is pleasing to see that teen birth rate has continued to decline in almost all regions.

Towards the goal of achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, there are promising reports on increasing female representation in parliament, from 19 per cent in 2010 to around 23 per cent in 2018. However the Pacific (excluding New Zealand and Australia) holds the lowest rate globally, with just 5.6 per cent of representatives being female.

The report also points to the prevalence of intimate partner violence, including that experienced by young women. Based on data from 2005 to 2016, 1 in 5 adolescent girls aged 15-19 have already experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months.