Share of women using contraceptives in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of women using contraceptives was 21.6% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Share of women using contraceptives in Nigeria, 1982–2021
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
Nigeria recorded 21.6% for share of women using contraceptives in 2021.
That represents a change of up 30.1% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women using contraceptives in Nigeria peaked at 22.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1990.
Nigeria ranks 104th of 116 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of women using contraceptives in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 6.8% | — |
| 1990 | 6.0% | -11.8% |
| 1999 | 15.2% | +153.2% |
| 2003 | 12.6% | -17.1% |
| 2007 | 14.7% | +16.5% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | +20.2% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | -23.1% |
| 2013 | 15.1% | +11.9% |
| 2016 | 22.1% | +46.5% |
| 2017 | 13.4% | -39.5% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | +23.9% |
| 2021 | 21.6% | +30.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.8% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.6% | 6.0% | 15.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 12.6% | 14.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.4% | 13.4% | 22.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 21.6% | 21.6% | 21.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 101 Togo 23.8% compare
- 102 Afghanistan 22.5% compare
- 103 Benin 22.4% compare
- 105 Guinea-Bissau 21.2% compare
- 106 Sierra Leone 21.2% compare
- 107 Cameroon 19.3% compare
More gender data for Nigeria
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 99,803 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6887 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 3.55 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 3.66 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 3.45 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 3.54 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 3.38 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 3.46 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 3.30 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 3.38 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women using contraceptives in Nigeria?
- Share of women using contraceptives in Nigeria was 21.6% in 2021, 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1990.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of women using contraceptives?
- Nigeria ranks 104th out of 116 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of women using contraceptives rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 — 13 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.