Contraception & Family Planning
Across the world an estimated 874 million women of reproductive age use a modern contraceptive method, yet 164 million who want to avoid pregnancy still have an unmet need. These charts track contraceptive prevalence, the decades-long rise in modern-method use, regional gaps and the most-used methods, drawing on the UN Population Division's World Family Planning data.
Key Family Planning Insights
Modern use has nearly doubled since 1990
The number of women of reproductive age using a modern contraceptive method rose from 467 million in 1990 to 874 million in 2021, driven by both population growth and rising prevalence.
Sub-Saharan Africa lags furthest behind
Just 56% of demand for family planning is satisfied with modern methods in sub-Saharan Africa, against 87% in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia and over 80% in Europe, Northern America and Latin America.
164 million women still have unmet need
Of the roughly 1.1 billion women with a need for family planning, 164 million want to delay or avoid pregnancy but use no method at all, often due to access barriers, side-effect concerns or opposition.
A handful of methods dominate
Female sterilization (23% of users), the male condom (22%), the IUD (17%) and the pill (16%) together account for roughly three quarters of all contraceptive use worldwide.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied with Modern Methods, by Region
Share of women aged 15-49 whose need for family planning is met with modern methods (SDG indicator 3.7.1), by world region in 2022.
Key Finding: Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (87%) and the high-income regions exceed 80%, while sub-Saharan Africa (56%) and Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand (52%) remain lowest.
The Rise of Modern Contraceptive Use
Number of women of reproductive age using a modern contraceptive method worldwide, selected years 1990 to 2021.
Key Finding: Modern-method users climbed from 467 million in 1990 to 663 million in 2000, 851 million in 2020 and 874 million in 2021 - nearly a doubling over three decades.
Contraceptive Prevalence: Any vs Modern Methods
Contraceptive prevalence among married or in-union women aged 15-49: any method over time, and modern methods in 2022.
Key Finding: Prevalence of any method among married women rose from 55% in 1990 to 65% in 2022; modern methods accounted for 58.7% in 2022.
Met and Unmet Need for Family Planning
Women of reproductive age with a need for family planning in 2021, split between modern-method users, traditional-method users and those with unmet need.
Key Finding: Among women with a need for family planning, 874 million use modern methods and 92 million traditional methods, while 164 million have unmet need.
Most-Used Contraceptive Methods
Share of all contraceptive users by method worldwide, around 2020.
Key Finding: Female sterilization (23%) and the male condom (22%) lead, followed by the IUD (17%) and the pill (16%); traditional methods make up about 9% of use.
Understanding Family Planning Data
Contraceptive prevalence
Contraceptive prevalence is the percentage of women of reproductive age (usually aged 15-49) who are using - or whose partner is using - a contraceptive method. It is most often reported for women who are married or in a union, the population for which survey coverage is strongest. In 2022 global prevalence among married or in-union women was about 65% for any method and 58.7% for modern methods.
Modern versus traditional methods
Modern methods include female and male sterilization, the IUD, implants, injectables, the pill, male and female condoms, and emergency contraception. Traditional methods - mainly the rhythm or calendar method and withdrawal - are generally less effective at preventing pregnancy. Of roughly 966 million users worldwide, about 874 million rely on modern methods and 92 million on traditional methods.
Unmet need for family planning
Unmet need counts women who are fecund and sexually active, want to delay or avoid childbearing, but are not using any contraceptive method. Globally about 164 million women had an unmet need for family planning. Barriers include limited access and choice, concerns about side effects, cost, and social or partner opposition - not simply a lack of desire to plan.
Demand satisfied and survey caveats
Demand satisfied with modern methods (SDG indicator 3.7.1) is the share of total demand for family planning - current modern-method use plus unmet need - that is met by modern methods; it reached about 77% globally in 2022. Figures rest on household surveys such as DHS and MICS, which differ in timing, definitions and coverage across countries, so global and regional totals are model-based estimates rather than exact counts.