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In general, the relative standard error for most estimates for the country as a whole is small,
except for estimates of very small proportions. There are some differentials in the relative standard error
for the estimates of sub-populations. For example, for the variable using any contraceptive method, the
relative standard errors as a percent of the estimated mean for the whole country, for urban areas, and
for rural areas are 5.7 percent, 5.2 percent, and 9.2 percent, respectively.
The confidence interval (e.g., as calculated for the variable using any method can be interpreted
as follows: the overall national sample proportion is 0.081 and its standard error is 0.005. Therefore,
to obtain the 95 percent confidence limits, one adds and subtracts twice the standard error to the sample
estimate, ie. 0.081±2×0.005. There is a high probability (95 percent) that the true proportion of all
women 15-59 using a contraceptive method is between 7.2 and 9.0 percent.
Appendix B* 191