Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive in Nigeria

Nigeria: Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive was 23.85 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
23.85
Change on year
up 26.2%
World rank
11th
of 58 countries
All-time high
27.62
in 2016
All-time low
16.1
in 2013
Years of data
10
1990–2021

Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive in Nigeria, 1990–2021

01020301990200520211990: 21.51999: 19.92003: 17.52008: 20.22011: 19.42013: 16.12016: 27.62017: 27.62018: 18.92021: 23.9

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 23.85 for unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive 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 share of married women of reproductive in Nigeria peaked at 27.62 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 share of married women of reproductive in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive age in Nigeria, 1990 to 2021.
Year Value 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 27.62 +71.5%
2017 27.6 -0.1%
2018 18.9 -31.5%
2021 23.85 +26.2%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 23.85 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.25, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 23.85 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.95, 1.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 20.7 19.9 21.5 2
2000s 18.85 17.5 20.2 2
2010s 21.92 16.1 27.62 5
2020s 23.85 23.85 23.85 1

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 8 East Timor 25.3 compare
  2. 9 Sierra Leone 24.8 compare
  3. 10 Mali 23.9 compare
  4. 12 Ghana 23.4 compare
  5. 13 Bolivia 23.2 compare
  6. 14 Cameroon 23 compare

See the full ranking of 58 places →

More gender data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive in Nigeria?
Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive in Nigeria was 23.85 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 27.62 in 2016.
What is the lowest unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 16.1 in 2013.
How does Nigeria rank for unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive?
Nigeria ranks 11th out of 58 countries with data for 2021.
Is unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/unmet-need-for-contraception-share-of-married-women-of-reproductive-age/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Unmet need for contraception share of married women of reproductive age
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
58 places, 438 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed