Of the 1.9 billion women of reproductive age worldwide in 2021, around 807 million had no need for family planning and therefore did not use contraceptives. Among the 1.1 billion women who had a need for family planning, 874 million used modern contraceptive methods and 92 million used traditional methods of contraception. There remained 164 million women with an unmet need for family planning in 2021. These were women who wanted to avoid pregnancy but did not use any contraceptive method. This statistic shows the number of women of reproductive age worldwide using modern or traditional contraceptive methods or with an unmet need for contraceptives in 1990 and 2021.
Number of women of reproductive age worldwide using modern or traditional contraceptive methods or with an unmet need for contraceptives in 1990 and 2021*
(in millions)
** Women who want to avoid pregnancy and do not use any contraceptive method are considered to have an unmet need for family planning, which is defined as the number of women that want to stop or delay childbearing but are not using any method of contraception to prevent pregnancy, including also pregnant women whose pregnancies were unwanted or mistimed at the time of conception, and postpartum amenorrhoeic women who are not using family planning and whose last birth was unwanted or mistimed.
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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). (December 23, 2022). Number of women of reproductive age worldwide using modern or traditional contraceptive methods or with an unmet need for contraceptives in 1990 and 2021* (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 05, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235124/women-contraception-use-and-unmet-need-worldwide/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). "Number of women of reproductive age worldwide using modern or traditional contraceptive methods or with an unmet need for contraceptives in 1990 and 2021* (in millions)." Chart. December 23, 2022. Statista. Accessed January 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235124/women-contraception-use-and-unmet-need-worldwide/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). (2022). Number of women of reproductive age worldwide using modern or traditional contraceptive methods or with an unmet need for contraceptives in 1990 and 2021* (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235124/women-contraception-use-and-unmet-need-worldwide/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). "Number of Women of Reproductive Age Worldwide Using Modern or Traditional Contraceptive Methods or with An Unmet Need for Contraceptives in 1990 and 2021* (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Dec 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235124/women-contraception-use-and-unmet-need-worldwide/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Number of women of reproductive age worldwide using modern or traditional contraceptive methods or with an unmet need for contraceptives in 1990 and 2021* (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235124/women-contraception-use-and-unmet-need-worldwide/ (last visited January 05, 2025)
Number of women of reproductive age worldwide using modern or traditional contraceptive methods or with an unmet need for contraceptives in 1990 and 2021* (in millions) [Graph], United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), December 23, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235124/women-contraception-use-and-unmet-need-worldwide/
