UN DESA Population Division · Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method)
Contraceptive use by country
What share of women use any method of contraception?
Of the 196 countries compared in 2023, Finland had the highest reading, 78.7%, and South Sudan had the lowest reading, 6.6%. In the middle country the figure was 41.3%. Among the 196 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 29.5% to 41.3%.
Share
Contraceptive use · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 196Finland
78.7%012023 · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 196 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2023
South Sudan6.6%
Somalia7.1%
Chad7.4%
This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
02Every measured country
Contraceptive use on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 6.6–26.5%
- 26.7–37.6%
- 37.9–47.0%
- 47.2–54.8%
- 55.1–78.7%
- No reading in 2023
- Europe
55.0%
the middle country, of 38 measured · 49 members
Finland78.7%
Montenegro22.6%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
49.8%
the middle country, of 41 measured · 48 members
Canada72.6%
Guyana28.2%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
37.5%
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
China67.2%
Maldives16.5%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
28.4%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 21 members
New Zealand64.0%
Samoa13.8%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
27.5%
the middle country, of 53 measured · 55 members
Botswana57.6%South Sudan6.6%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
64.5%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Switzerland72.8%
Germany54.8%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
63.0%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 13 members
Finland78.7%
Lithuania47.0%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- South America
55.5%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Brazil66.6%Guyana28.2%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Eastern Europe
53.3%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Bulgaria65.9%
Moldova48.5%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Africa
50.9%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana57.6%
Eswatini46.6%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Eastern Asia
50.6%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
China67.2%
Mongolia41.3%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Central America
50.3%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Nicaragua58.9%
Guatemala41.8%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Southern Europe
47.0%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Spain63.2%Montenegro22.6%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Caribbean
44.2%
the middle country, of 19 measured · 24 members
Cuba63.2%
Haiti28.8%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Asia
42.0%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Iran57.1%Maldives16.5%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
36.1%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Vietnam58.0%
Timor-Leste19.4%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Central Asia
36.0%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Uzbekistan47.2%
Tajikistan22.9%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Western Asia
34.4%
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Türkiye43.1%
Oman21.2%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Africa
31.9%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt41.2%
Sudan11.2%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Eastern Africa
31.6%
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Zimbabwe50.6%South Sudan6.6%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Micronesia
30.0%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 7 members
Marshall Islands38.9%
Kiribati23.5%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Middle Africa
23.9%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Republic of the Congo41.9%Chad7.4%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
22.2%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde44.1%
Mauritania11.1%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand64.0%
Australia57.9%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu37.6%
Solomon Islands23.6%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada72.6%
United States60.4%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
Cook Islands48.2%Samoa13.8%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
196 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 41.3%; a quarter are above 52.3%, and a quarter below 29.3%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 196 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end is better: how many women use contraception depends on how many want to avoid a pregnancy. A high figure built largely on traditional methods is a different situation from the same figure built on modern ones, which is why modern-method use is published beside this statistic.
Showing 25 of 196 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2023 · 34 reference years
Over time
Each point is the UN's model estimate for one year, 1990 to 2023, with its 95% uncertainty interval. Where a country has had surveys the line follows them; after the last one it is the model's projection, and the interval widens.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 196 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 196 | 41.3% | 29.3% – 52.3% | 41.3% |
| 2022 | 196 | 41.1% | 28.9% – 51.9% | 41.1% |
| 2021 | 196 | 40.9% | 28.3% – 51.8% | 40.9% |
| 2020 | 196 | 40.7% | 27.9% – 51.8% | 40.7% |
| 2019 | 196 | 40.3% | 27.4% – 51.7% | 40.3% |
| 2018 | 196 | 40.1% | 26.7% – 51.4% | 40.1% |
| 2017 | 196 | 39.9% | 26.9% – 51.0% | 39.9% |
| 2016 | 196 | 39.7% | 26.6% – 50.8% | 39.7% |
| 2015 | 196 | 39.7% | 26.3% – 50.7% | 39.7% |
| 2014 | 196 | 39.5% | 25.9% – 50.7% | 39.5% |
| 2013 | 196 | 39.2% | 25.7% – 50.8% | 39.2% |
| 2012 | 196 | 39.0% | 25.6% – 50.5% | 39.0% |
| 2011 | 196 | 38.8% | 25.5% – 50.4% | 38.8% |
| 2010 | 196 | 38.3% | 25.7% – 50.5% | 38.3% |
| 2009 | 196 | 37.9% | 25.1% – 50.4% | 37.9% |
| 2008 | 196 | 37.5% | 25.3% – 50.2% | 37.5% |
| 2007 | 196 | 37.0% | 24.9% – 49.9% | 37.0% |
| 2006 | 196 | 36.5% | 24.5% – 49.7% | 36.5% |
| 2005 | 196 | 36.6% | 24.2% – 49.6% | 36.6% |
| 2004 | 196 | 36.1% | 23.4% – 49.4% | 36.1% |
| 2003 | 196 | 36.5% | 23.6% – 49.1% | 36.5% |
| 2002 | 196 | 36.5% | 23.1% – 48.9% | 36.5% |
| 2001 | 196 | 36.3% | 22.2% – 48.8% | 36.3% |
| 2000 | 196 | 35.9% | 21.5% – 48.2% | 35.9% |
| 1999 | 196 | 35.2% | 20.8% – 47.7% | 35.2% |
| 1998 | 196 | 34.7% | 20.3% – 47.5% | 34.7% |
| 1997 | 196 | 33.9% | 19.7% – 47.0% | 33.9% |
| 1996 | 196 | 33.2% | 19.3% – 46.7% | 33.2% |
| 1995 | 196 | 32.6% | 19.0% – 46.7% | 32.6% |
| 1994 | 196 | 32.3% | 18.5% – 46.2% | 32.3% |
| 1993 | 196 | 32.0% | 18.1% – 45.5% | 32.0% |
| 1992 | 196 | 31.5% | 17.4% – 45.3% | 31.5% |
| 1991 | 196 | 30.5% | 16.6% – 44.5% | 30.5% |
| 1990 | 196 | 29.5% | 16.2% – 44.1% | 29.5% |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after
Côte d’Ivoire27.1% → 28.0%+0.9
Saudi Arabia21.3% → 22.2%+0.9
Uganda38.6% → 39.5%+0.9
Burkina Faso30.4% → 31.2%+0.8
Afghanistan18.4% → 19.1%+0.7
196 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Contraceptive use in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
78.8%
Share of all women aged 15–49 using any contraceptive method (%)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 3 times by 2 countries — shared, so no holder is named
3.0%
Share of all women aged 15–49 using any contraceptive method (%)
Biggest rise between editions
+3.3
16.8% → 20.1%
Biggest fall between editions
−1.9
16.0% → 14.1%
Biggest change since first measured
+39.4
9.8% → 49.2%
Highest most often
25 of 34
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About contraceptive use
The share of all women aged 15 to 49, married or not, who are using any method of contraception, modern or traditional. It is the broadest measure of contraceptive use, and the gap between it and modern-method use shows how far a country relies on traditional methods such as withdrawal or periodic abstinence.
What the number is: Share of all women aged 15–49 using any contraceptive method (%).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Health & Wellbeing and People & Population, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Health & WellbeingPeople & PopulationWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where contraceptive use is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Modern Contraceptive PrevalenceUN DESA Population Division · 196 countries in commonρ 0.95
- Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 196 countries in commonρ 0.87
- Women's Empowerment IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 111 countries in commonρ 0.73
Moves against
Where contraceptive use is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Average Household SizeUN DESA Population Division · 131 countries in commonρ −0.80
- Social Institutions and Gender IndexKeyOECD · 140 countries in commonρ −0.70
- Climate Vulnerability (ND-GAIN)KeyNotre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 182 countries in commonρ −0.69
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 380 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
11Questions
Contraceptive use: questions and answers
Which country has the highest contraceptive use?
Finland, at 78.7%, among the 196 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest contraceptive use?
South Sudan, at 6.6%, among the 196 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method) cover?
196 in 2023.
What is the world average contraceptive use?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 196 compared in 2023, the figure was 41.3%.
Is this UN DESA Population Division’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method) published?
This site holds 34 reference years, 1990–2023, all recalculated in UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 report on one method — not 34 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN DESA Population Division, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From the UN Population Division's Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2024, a model fitted to the household surveys in its World Contraceptive Use database, read from the Division's own download. Each value keeps the Division's note on whether it falls between two surveys or beyond them. Years after 2023 are forecasts and are excluded. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method) — UN DESA Population Division
From the UN Population Division's Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2024, a model fitted to the household surveys in its World Contraceptive Use database, read from the Division's own download. Each value keeps the Division's note on whether it falls between two surveys or beyond them. Years after 2023 are forecasts and are excluded.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2024. New York: United Nations.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Contraceptive use by country: Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method), data from UN DESA Population Division. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/contraceptive-prevalence