PIP: A field sample survey was conducted in rural Egypt at the end of 1980 to collect current information about levels of contraceptive knowledge; to provide data on fertility levels, desired family size, and the affecting factors; to detect the rural inhabitants' knowledge of the availability and accessibility of family planning services; and to offer the base data needed for evaluation of the Population and Development Project (PDP) in some of the villages in which the PDP functioned. The sampling plan was based on the selection of a self-weighted sample representing all currently or ever married women between the ages of 15-60 living in rural Egypt. A total of 5049 households from the selected households were actually contacted, and 5313 eligible women were successfully interviewed. About 83% of the sample married before age 18. The mean preferred age of marriage was 17.4 years among the respondents, slightly higher than the mean age (16.6) at which these women actually married. Women in Lower Egypt preferred to delay marriage longer than women in Upper Egypt. The average number of live births among ever married women between the ages of 15-45 years in all of rural Egypt was 7.4; the average number of live births among ever married women in the entire sample was 4.6. The average number of surviving children was 3.3. Women in rural areas showed a tendency towards limiting family size. About 45% of the women desired more sons than daughters. 91% of the sample had knowledge of at least 1 contraceptive method. Oral contraception (OC) was the most familiar method in rural Egypt, followed by the IUD. About 79% of all ever married women approved of contraceptive use. 71% of all ever married women in rural Egypt were able to mention at least 1 source of modern contraceptive methods. About 35% were currently or had ever used contraception. 24% of the respondents used OC. Women who used prolonged breastfeeding to stop childbearing amounted to 11%. In Lower Egypt the percentage of current users was 25% in contrast to 8% in Upper Egypt. Percentage of users was 3% for women in the age cohort 15-19 years, 27.4% for those 35-39, and 9.9% for those 45-49 years. Controlling for other differentials, current use in rural Egypt was directly related to number of surviving children. Increased educational status of both respondent and husband had a direct positive effect on contraceptive usage. More than half of the current contraceptive users in rural Egypt depended on governmental sources, 35% on pharmacies, and 12% on doctors, private clinics, and other nongovernmental sources.