UN DESA Population Division · Modern Contraceptive Prevalence
Modern contraceptive use by country
What share of women use a modern method of contraception?
Of the 196 countries compared in 2023, Finland had the highest reading, 73.8%, and Somalia had the lowest reading, 2.0%. In the middle country the figure was 35.4%. Among the 196 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 21.7% to 35.4%.
Share
Modern contraceptive use · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 196Finland
73.8%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
Somalia2.0%
South Sudan6.0%
Chad6.8%
This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
02Every measured country
Modern 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.
- 2.0–20.2%
- 20.5–29.5%
- 30.0–41.3%
- 41.6–49.6%
- 50.0–73.8%
- No reading in 2023
- Europe
48.0%
the middle country, of 38 measured · 49 members
Finland73.8%
Kosovo10.9%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
45.4%
the middle country, of 41 measured · 48 members
Canada70.2%
Trinidad and Tobago25.1%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
29.8%
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
China65.0%
Maldives13.0%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
25.0%
the middle country, of 53 measured · 55 members
Botswana56.4%Somalia2.0%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
24.8%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 21 members
New Zealand60.1%
Samoa13.1%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
61.7%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Switzerland68.4%
Germany53.8%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
58.8%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 13 members
Finland73.8%
Lithuania38.6%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- South America
52.2%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Brazil65.1%
Guyana26.8%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Africa
50.6%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana56.4%
Eswatini45.8%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Central America
47.0%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Nicaragua56.8%
Guatemala35.6%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Asia
46.4%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
China65.0%
Mongolia37.6%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
44.8%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia56.5%
Moldova38.9%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Caribbean
42.1%
the middle country, of 19 measured · 24 members
Cuba61.9%Trinidad and Tobago25.1%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Asia
37.1%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Iran45.7%Maldives13.0%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Central Asia
33.9%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Uzbekistan44.8%
Tajikistan21.2%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Southern Europe
32.5%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Spain61.2%Kosovo10.9%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- South-eastern Asia
32.1%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Vietnam48.4%
Timor-Leste17.6%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Northern Africa
27.6%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Egypt39.8%
Sudan10.2%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Eastern Africa
26.1%
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Zimbabwe50.0%Somalia2.0%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Micronesia
25.7%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 7 members
Marshall Islands36.1%
Kiribati19.5%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Western Asia
25.7%
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Israel31.0%
Azerbaijan14.6%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Western Africa
20.7%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde43.0%
Mauritania10.2%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Middle Africa
16.2%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe34.9%Chad6.8%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand60.1%
Australia56.0%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.
Vanuatu32.3%
Solomon Islands19.5%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada70.2%
United States52.8%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
4 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.
Cook Islands42.9%Samoa13.1%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 35.4%; a quarter are above 46.6%, and a quarter below 23.3%. 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. Low use is expected where many women want children soon, and high use says nothing about whether women could choose the method they wanted. Whether women's needs are met is measured by demand for family planning satisfied, 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 | 35.4% | 23.3% – 46.6% | 35.4% |
| 2022 | 196 | 34.9% | 22.7% – 46.4% | 34.9% |
| 2021 | 196 | 34.3% | 22.3% – 46.3% | 34.3% |
| 2020 | 196 | 33.8% | 22.0% – 46.3% | 33.8% |
| 2019 | 196 | 33.5% | 21.7% – 46.3% | 33.5% |
| 2018 | 196 | 33.4% | 21.5% – 46.2% | 33.4% |
| 2017 | 196 | 33.3% | 21.5% – 46.0% | 33.3% |
| 2016 | 196 | 32.9% | 21.3% – 45.8% | 32.9% |
| 2015 | 196 | 32.7% | 21.1% – 45.5% | 32.7% |
| 2014 | 196 | 32.7% | 20.7% – 45.2% | 32.7% |
| 2013 | 196 | 32.6% | 20.0% – 45.0% | 32.6% |
| 2012 | 196 | 32.4% | 19.4% – 44.5% | 32.4% |
| 2011 | 196 | 31.7% | 19.0% – 44.1% | 31.7% |
| 2010 | 196 | 31.3% | 18.4% – 43.6% | 31.3% |
| 2009 | 196 | 30.5% | 17.6% – 42.5% | 30.5% |
| 2008 | 196 | 30.2% | 17.0% – 42.2% | 30.2% |
| 2007 | 196 | 30.2% | 16.6% – 41.8% | 30.2% |
| 2006 | 196 | 29.9% | 16.2% – 41.5% | 29.9% |
| 2005 | 196 | 29.6% | 16.3% – 41.3% | 29.6% |
| 2004 | 196 | 29.1% | 15.6% – 41.1% | 29.1% |
| 2003 | 196 | 28.8% | 15.4% – 40.5% | 28.8% |
| 2002 | 196 | 28.9% | 15.2% – 39.9% | 28.9% |
| 2001 | 196 | 28.2% | 15.1% – 39.3% | 28.2% |
| 2000 | 196 | 27.9% | 14.8% – 38.7% | 27.9% |
| 1999 | 196 | 26.9% | 14.0% – 38.5% | 26.9% |
| 1998 | 196 | 25.9% | 13.4% – 37.7% | 25.9% |
| 1997 | 196 | 25.4% | 13.0% – 37.0% | 25.4% |
| 1996 | 196 | 25.3% | 12.3% – 35.9% | 25.3% |
| 1995 | 196 | 24.6% | 12.0% – 34.8% | 24.6% |
| 1994 | 196 | 24.3% | 11.5% – 34.3% | 24.3% |
| 1993 | 196 | 23.6% | 10.7% – 33.7% | 23.6% |
| 1992 | 196 | 22.8% | 10.1% – 32.9% | 22.8% |
| 1991 | 196 | 22.2% | 9.3% – 32.3% | 22.2% |
| 1990 | 196 | 21.7% | 8.6% – 31.7% | 21.7% |
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
Uganda33.8% → 34.7%+0.9
Côte d’Ivoire22.5% → 23.4%+0.9
Burkina Faso28.3% → 29.1%+0.8
Madagascar34.5% → 35.2%+0.7
Afghanistan16.2% → 16.9%+0.7
196 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Modern 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
73.9%
Share of all women aged 15–49 using a modern contraceptive method (%)
Lowest reading on record
0.5%
Share of all women aged 15–49 using a modern contraceptive method (%)
Biggest rise between editions
+3.4
11.4% → 14.8%
Biggest fall between editions
−1.9
14.5% → 12.6%
Biggest change since first measured
+42.9
5.5% → 48.4%
Highest most often
20 of 34
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About modern contraceptive use
The share of all women aged 15 to 49, married or not, who are using a modern method of contraception. It describes how widely modern family planning is used, which depends both on access and on how many women want to avoid a pregnancy at all.
What the number is: Share of all women aged 15–49 using a modern 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 modern contraceptive use is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Contraceptive Prevalence (Any Method)UN DESA Population Division · 196 countries in commonρ 0.95
- Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 196 countries in commonρ 0.95
- State Capacity IndexJonathan K. Hanson (University of Michigan) and Rachel Sigman (Naval Postgraduate School) · 165 countries in commonρ 0.67
Moves against
Where modern contraceptive use is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Average Household SizeUN DESA Population Division · 131 countries in commonρ −0.74
- Social Institutions and Gender IndexKeyOECD · 140 countries in commonρ −0.64
- Climate Vulnerability (ND-GAIN)KeyNotre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), University of Notre Dame · 182 countries in commonρ −0.62
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
Modern contraceptive use: questions and answers
Which country has the highest modern contraceptive use?
Finland, at 73.8%, among the 196 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest modern contraceptive use?
Somalia, at 2.0%, among the 196 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Modern Contraceptive Prevalence cover?
196 in 2023.
What is the world average modern 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 35.4%.
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 Modern Contraceptive Prevalence 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
Modern Contraceptive Prevalence — 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). Modern contraceptive use by country: Modern Contraceptive Prevalence, data from UN DESA Population Division. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/modern-contraceptive-prevalence