Share of women using contraceptives in Senegal
Senegal: Share of women using contraceptives was 26.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of women using contraceptives in Senegal, 1978–2023
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
Senegal recorded 26.5% for share of women using contraceptives in 2023.
The figure is up 48.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women using contraceptives in Senegal peaked at 27.8% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1978.
That places Senegal 98th out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of women using contraceptives in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 3.9% | — |
| 1986 | 11.3% | +189.7% |
| 1993 | 7.5% | -33.6% |
| 1997 | 12.9% | +72.0% |
| 1999 | 10.5% | -18.6% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +12.4% |
| 2011 | 13.1% | +11.0% |
| 2013 | 17.8% | +35.9% |
| 2014 | 22.2% | +24.7% |
| 2015 | 23.3% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 25.1% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 27.8% | +10.8% |
| 2018 | 27.1% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 26.9% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | -1.5% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 26.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 54.0%, 49% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 26.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.5%, 93% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of women using contraceptives in Senegal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +189.7% | 3.9% | 11.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 1 |
| 1980s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.3% | 7.5% | 12.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 11.8% | 11.8% | 11.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 22.9% | 13.1% | 27.8% | 8 |
| 2020s | 26.5% | 26.5% | 26.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
- 95 Tajikistan 29.3% compare
- 96 Burundi 28.5% compare
- 97 Democratic Republic of Congo 28.1% compare
- 99 Mozambique 26.4% compare
- 100 East Timor 26.0% compare
- 101 Togo 23.8% compare
More gender data for Senegal
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 7,600 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.35 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 13,563 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 13,563 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.69 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 263,002 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 269,605 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 257,895 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 263,988 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 250,294 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women using contraceptives in Senegal?
- Share of women using contraceptives in Senegal was 26.5% in 2023, 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 Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1978.
- How does Senegal rank for share of women using contraceptives?
- Senegal ranks 98th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of women using contraceptives rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Senegal 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 — 15 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.