Contraceptive access in displacement settings: a quantitative study of Syrians displaced to Türkiye

Access to contraception for displaced populations is both lifesaving and a right. This paper argues that displacement demands a separate analytical lens from other mobilities and crisis contexts. I offer a framework, based on established concepts and available evidence, to understand different aspects of contraceptive access in displacement. I then use the case study of Syrians displaced to Türkiye, a population for whom data quality and availability is comparably better than other displacement settings, as a worked example to test the framework using empirical analysis of nationally representative survey data. I analyse contraceptive use and reasons for non-use as a proxy for access among married women, optimising data from the Syrian sample of the 2018 Türkiye Demographic and Health Survey (n = 1,736) and the 2006 Syria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (n = 13,619). The results show that the most relevant dimensions of the framework that constrained access to displaced women’s preferred methods of contraception were cognitive accessibility and perceived quality of care, specifically fear of side effects and other health concerns. A minority of women who were currently using contraception still faced barriers in accessing their preferred method, suggesting limits to contraceptive autonomy. This case study offers theoretically transferable findings about data and evidence for other displacement settings. Notably, the present data landscape on the sexual and reproductive health of displaced populations does not adequately capture issues around contraceptive access and understandings will remain partial with the currently available metrics.