- Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean launches an open data platform on sexual and reproductive health with information disaggregated by year, state and age group.
- The tool offers access to consolidated information from public, reliable and contextualized sources for the analysis and coverage of key sexual and reproductive rights issues.
Accessing clear and up-to-date information on sexual and reproductive health in Mexico used to require consulting multiple sources, reports and databases. To change this reality, Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean (Ipas LAC) has developed a new open data platform that systematizes that systematizes and makes publicly available key indicators from the country’s 32 states.
Available at: https://datos-abiertos-ipas.shinyapps.io/salud_reproductiva/, this site is a tool designed for civil organizations, journalists, activists, researchers, students and citizens in general, so that they can analyze local realities and propose evidence-based solutions.
“This platform is the result of an effort to make information not only available, but also useful for decision-making, research, activism and rights enforcement. We wanted to create a space where the data speaks clearly about what still needs to be done in each territory”, says Biani Saavedra Avendaño, Ipas LAC Research Coordinator.
The platform concentrates reliable information on topics such as:
- Population histories
- Fertility and birth rates
- Use of contraceptive methods
- Hospital discharges due to obstetric causes and abortions
- Contraceptive methods after obstetrical delivery
- Maternal mortality rate
- Types of gender violence in women over 15 years of age
Each indicator is disaggregated by year, state and age group, making it possible to identify patterns, inequalities and specific needs in each context.Each indicator is disaggregated by year, state and age group, allowing us to identify patterns, inequalities and specific needs in each context.
In addition, the tool has a “downloadable “Factsheetswhich present in visual format the complete picture of sexual and reproductive health for the selected state and year.
When data tell stories
The data reveal realities that call for action: in 2024, Mexico City registered more than 60 thousand birthsof which 10.8 % (6 611) corresponded to adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age. In Chiapas, the percentage was almost double: 20.9 %or, 11,769 of the more than 56,000 births that occurred in that state were to adolescents.. This difference clearly shows where it is urgent to reinforce health services and comprehensive sexual education to reduce adolescent pregnancy.
The indicators also make visible issues such as child pregnancy and the age gap between girls and men who appear as fathers in the records. These figures not only inform, they denaturalize structural violence and support the demand for access to justice.
Data to transform policies
Beyond offering hard data, the platform becomes a strategic tool for those seeking to guarantee access to sexual and reproductive rights. By presenting disaggregated data, it makes it possible to identify gaps and barriers between different population groups. For example:
- Analysis of contraceptive use of contraceptive methods allows us to measure the demand for contraceptives.
- The data on hospital admissions for abortion provide a broader view of reproductive health care, especially in the face of obstetric emergencies. These indicators make it possible to monitor both the type of abortion procedure performed in the public sector and inequalities between states. For example: In 2024, in the state of Hidalgo, 68.2% of abortions performed in public hospitals were performed using safe methods recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), while in Aguascalientes only 12.9% used a method considered safe. This gap clearly illustrates the differences in access and quality of care between regions of the country.
This evidence is key to designing public policies, prevention strategies and actions that guarantee timely and quality medical care for all women and people with the possibility of gestation.
With this platform, Ipas LAC provides a tool that not only systematizes data, but also transforms information into a lever for social change. Making visible what is happening in each state is the first step in demanding fair and effective public policies.