Share of women using contraceptives in Nepal
Nepal: Share of women using contraceptives was 57.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Share of women using contraceptives in Nepal, 1976–2022
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of women ages 15-49.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women using contraceptives in Nepal is 57.2%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.6% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women using contraceptives in Nepal peaked at 57.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1976.
That places Nepal 57th out of 116 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Share of women using contraceptives in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 2.4% | — |
| 1981 | 6.8% | +183.3% |
| 1986 | 15.1% | +122.1% |
| 1992 | 24.1% | +59.6% |
| 1996 | 28.5% | +18.3% |
| 2000 | 37.3% | +30.9% |
| 2001 | 39.3% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 38.3% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 48.0% | +25.3% |
| 2011 | 49.7% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 49.6% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 52.6% | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 46.7% | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 57.2% | +22.6% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 57.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 54.0%, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 57.2% is below the median for South Asia, which is 64.0%, 89% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of women using contraceptives in Nepal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +183.3% | 2.4% | 6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 10.9% | 6.8% | 15.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.3% | 24.1% | 28.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 40.7% | 37.3% | 48.0% | 4 |
| 2010s | 49.6% | 46.7% | 52.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 57.2% | 57.2% | 57.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More gender data for Nepal
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 7,927 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.7039 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 22,583 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 22,583 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.5 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 264,089 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 273,367 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 265,882 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 274,092 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 268,570 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women using contraceptives in Nepal?
- Share of women using contraceptives in Nepal was 57.2% in 2022, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 57.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1976.
- How does Nepal rank for share of women using contraceptives?
- Nepal ranks 57th out of 116 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of women using contraceptives rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women using contraceptives. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Contraceptive prevalence rate is the percentage of women who are practicing, or whose sexual partners are practicing, any form of contraception. It is usually measured for women ages 15-49 who are married or in union.