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Bangladesh’s once enviable national success in family planning is now at risk of fading. Due to negligence, inattention and a lack of urgency within the relevant government ministries and departments, the entire birth control system is effectively on “red alert”. Stocks of contraceptives—including pills and condoms—have nearly run out, reaching a critically dangerous level.
The Directorate General of Family Planning’s Supply Chain Management Portal (SCMP) monitoring dashboard shows red indicators across almost all upazilas, signalling that stocks of condoms, oral pills, implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs) are nearly exhausted at the field level.
According to Md Abdur Razzaq, Director (Logistics and Supply) at the Directorate, a “red” signal means stocks are either unavailable or sufficient for less than three months. A “yellow” signal indicates supplies for three to five and a half months, while “green” denotes more than six months of stock.
Data from the SCMP dashboard show that the crisis has intensified over the past year and a half, an abnormal and worrying trend.
Experts warn that Bangladesh risks losing its long-standing achievements in population control. At the same time, the shortage could lead to an increase in unintended pregnancies and disrupt safe motherhood services.
According to the latest data from the Directorate, condoms are unavailable in 394 upazilas, while 337 upazilas have no oral contraceptive pills. Emergency contraceptive pills are absent in 468 upazilas, implants—providing three to five years of protection—are unavailable in 358 upazilas, and IUDs—effective for up to ten years—are out of stock in 392 upazilas. Injectable contraceptives have run out in 271 upazilas. Essential maternal health supplies, including misoprostol, oxytocin, iron-folic acid and magnesium sulphate, are also nearly depleted nationwide.
As of the night of 20 April, SCMP data show that only 1.795 million condoms remain, enough for a maximum of 36 days. Oral pills number 2.963 million, sufficient for about 40 days. There are 16,000 IUDs, enough for two months, and 1.013 million injectable doses, also sufficient for roughly two months. There are no implants in stock.
Officials and public health experts attribute the prolonged crisis to disruptions in procurement. Previously, contraceptives and maternal health supplies were purchased under the Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Programme (HPNSP) through its operational plan. The interim government abruptly discontinued this plan in 2025, leading to delays in preparing new project documents, approvals, appointments and fund disbursement.
Director General Ashrafi Ahmed said the problem began in late 2023 when approval for a major procurement was withheld. The situation worsened after the operational plan was scrapped in June 2024, halting purchases entirely, and the crisis deepened throughout 2025. A full procurement cycle requires at least 120 days, which could not be initiated in time. Limited supplies are now being arranged from revenue funds, and essential items are expected to arrive by May.
Dr Monjur Ahmed, focal person of the Maternal and Child Health Services Unit, said no new supplies have been procured for two years and no major allocations have been made. Even under emergency measures, it would take two to two and a half months to receive supplies due to government procedures. He described the situation bluntly: “Everything is red—there is a severe vacuum in stock.”
He added that a one-month disruption in supply can translate into a loss of fourteen dollars in investment for every dollar’s worth of supply interrupted, pushing the country towards long-term economic setbacks.
The government’s target to expand institutional delivery services is also under threat, partly due to delays in recruiting skilled personnel such as midwives.
Data indicate that Bangladesh’s total fertility rate, which declined from 5.07 in 1981 to 2.3 in 2012 and remained stable until 2022, has now risen to 2.4, according to the latest survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF. Experts say this increase is directly linked to the shortage of contraceptives, particularly as rural populations depend heavily on government supplies.
Professor Mohammad Moinul Islam of Dhaka University said declining contraceptive use and rising fertility rates clearly indicate that family planning programmes are not functioning effectively at the grassroots level. He warned that the crisis would disproportionately affect low-income groups, who cannot afford to buy contraceptives from the market, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancies.
Public health expert Professor Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed described the situation as a major setback for the health sector during the interim period, noting that abrupt policy decisions severely disrupted ongoing programmes, including family planning. He warned that the lack of contraceptives could lead to unsafe abortions, posing serious risks to women’s health and lives.
At the field level, family welfare assistants—who provide door-to-door services and operate from community clinics—report severe shortages. Many are forced to advise people to purchase contraceptives from pharmacies. However, in many cases, women report that their husbands are unwilling to buy them.
Bangladesh currently has around 28.18 million eligible couples who depend on these services. Yet the system is under strain not only from supply shortages but also from a severe staffing crisis. Of 54,226 approved posts in the Directorate, 14,981 remain vacant—nearly 28 percent.
Among family welfare assistants, 4,188 out of approximately 23,500 posts are vacant, leaving 18 percent of areas without frontline services. Similarly, 373 unions lack family planning inspectors, and 878 out of around 2,500 sub-assistant medical officer posts—about 35 percent—are vacant. Of 6,361 family welfare visitor posts, 2,845 (45 percent) are unfilled.
In total, 8,293 frontline positions directly linked to service delivery remain vacant, further undermining the effectiveness of the family planning system.
Meanwhile, 282 officials and employees under the Fourth Sector Programme have gone without salaries and allowances for 22 months, while operational costs—including fuel, vehicle maintenance and utility bills—remain unpaid. This has placed both staff livelihoods and the entire service delivery system under severe pressure.