Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Nigeria
Nigeria: Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age was 23.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Nigeria, 1990–2021
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 married women ages 15-49.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 23.9% for unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 26.2% on the previous year and up 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Nigeria peaked at 27.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 16.1%, in 2013.
Nigeria ranks 11th of 58 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of married women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 21.5% | — |
| 1999 | 19.9% | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 17.5% | -12.1% |
| 2008 | 20.2% | +15.4% |
| 2011 | 19.4% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 16.1% | -17.0% |
| 2016 | 27.6% | +71.5% |
| 2017 | 27.6% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 18.9% | -31.5% |
| 2021 | 23.9% | +26.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 23.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.2%, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 23.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.7% | 19.9% | 21.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 17.5% | 20.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 21.9% | 16.1% | 27.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 23.9% | 23.9% | 23.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 8 Timor-Leste 25.3% compare
- 9 Sierra Leone 24.8% compare
- 10 Mali 23.9% compare
- 12 Ghana 23.4% compare
- 13 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 23.2% compare
- 14 Cameroon 23.0% 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)
- Population 162,578 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 162,578 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.75 % 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Nigeria?
- Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age in Nigeria was 23.9% 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 unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 2016.
- What is the lowest unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.1% in 2013.
- How does Nigeria rank for unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age?
- Nigeria ranks 11th out of 58 countries with data for 2021.
- Is unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.9%. 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 Unmet need for contraception among married women of reproductive age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Fertile, married women of reproductive age (ages 15-49) who do not want to become pregnant and are not using contraception.