This publication is an outcome of one of several recommendations provided by the participants attending the Workshop on Reproductive Health Indicators and RH Indicators Database Development, held at Seoul from 13 to 17 November 2000. The Workshop was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, with financial support provided by the Government of the Republic of Korea.

The main objective of this Handbook is to provide a list of reproductive health indicators that are essential to assess, monitor and evaluate reproductive health programmes. An attempt has been made to provide for selected indicators simple definitions, data requirements, data sources, and usefulness and limitations. It is hoped that this Handbook will be useful for planners, policy makers and researchers who are involved in the implementation of reproductive health programmes at the national and subnational levels.