Contraceptive use — all countries

Contraceptive use — Low-income countries

Contraceptive use in low-income countries in 2010 — 23%. Since 2006, the indicator has fallen by 3.4 pp.

2010 23% −3.4 pp vs 2006
World rank
Period maximum 26.4%2006
Period minimum 23%2010

Trend over time

2006–2010 · % of women aged 15–49

Contraceptive use — Low-income countries, 2006–2010222324252627200620072008200920102006: 26.4%2010: 23%
Change over the period: −3.4 pp Annual average: -0.86 pp

Comparison, 2010

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Low-income countries

Low-income countries 23%
World 55.9%
Contraceptive use — Low-income countries, by year Low-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2010 23
2006 26.4

About the indicator

The share of women aged 15–49 who are married or in a union and use any method of contraception. The indicator explains fertility better than income or education taken separately: in most countries the fall in fertility followed the rise of this share rather than the other way around. All methods are counted, including traditional ones, so the value is higher than the share using modern means.

Important: Only women in a marriage or a union — unmarried women are not in the denominator, and in countries where marriage comes late this noticeably changes the picture. The data come from household surveys, and the years are intermittent.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.