Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Ghana
Ghana: Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age was 23.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Ghana, 1988–2022
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 married women ages 15-49.
Analysis
In 2022, unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Ghana stood at 23.4%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Ghana peaked at 37.3% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 2022.
Ghana ranks 12th of 58 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of married women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 35.2% | — |
| 1993 | 36.9% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 34.7% | -6.0% |
| 2003 | 34.5% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 35.7% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 26.4% | -26.1% |
| 2013 | 37.3% | +41.2% |
| 2014 | 29.9% | -19.8% |
| 2015 | 28.8% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 32.3% | +12.1% |
| 2017 | 25.1% | -22.3% |
| 2018 | 33.6% | +34.0% |
| 2022 | 23.4% | -30.3% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 23.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.2%, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 23.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.0%, 1.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 35.2% | 35.2% | 35.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 35.8% | 34.7% | 36.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.1% | 34.5% | 35.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 25.1% | 37.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 23.4% | 23.4% | 23.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More gender data for Ghana
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 12,710 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.3902 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 25,512 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 25,512 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.34 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 428,908 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 442,748 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 424,540 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 437,618 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 420,712 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Ghana?
- Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Ghana was 23.4% 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 unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 37.3% in 2013.
- What is the lowest unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 2022.
- How does Ghana rank for unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age?
- Ghana ranks 12th out of 58 countries with data for 2022.
- Is unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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 Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age. 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
Fertile, married women of reproductive age (ages 15-49) who do not want to become pregnant and are not using contraception.