Modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women in Japan
Japan: Modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women was 52.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women in Japan, 1961–2021
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 women ages 15-49.
Analysis
In 2021, modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women in Japan stood at 52.8%.
That represents a change of up 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women in Japan peaked at 62.7% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 33.1%, in 2015.
Japan ranks 45th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 39.2% | — |
| 1963 | 43.8% | +11.7% |
| 1965 | 54.1% | +23.5% |
| 1967 | 49.1% | -9.2% |
| 1969 | 52.1% | +6.1% |
| 1971 | 52.6% | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 59.3% | +12.7% |
| 1975 | 60.5% | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 62.2% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 57.3% | -7.9% |
| 1986 | 62.7% | +9.4% |
| 1988 | 51.7% | -17.5% |
| 1990 | 52.5% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 57.0% | +8.6% |
| 1994 | 52.8% | -7.4% |
| 1996 | 50.6% | -4.2% |
| 1998 | 48.0% | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 48.3% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 44.4% | -8.1% |
| 2005 | 44.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 39.0% | -12.1% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | -15.2% |
| 2021 | 52.8% | +59.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.7% | 39.2% | 54.1% | 5 |
| 1970s | 58.6% | 52.6% | 62.2% | 4 |
| 1980s | 57.2% | 51.7% | 62.7% | 3 |
| 1990s | 52.2% | 48.0% | 57.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 45.7% | 44.4% | 48.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 36.1% | 33.1% | 39.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 52.8% | 52.8% | 52.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More education data for Japan
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.50 million (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (1999)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.25 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0502 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women in Japan?
- Modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women in Japan was 52.8% 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 modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 62.7% in 1986.
- What is the lowest modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.1% in 2015.
- How does Japan rank for modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women?
- Japan ranks 45th out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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 Modern contraception usage vs. average years of schooling for women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of married or co-habiting women who use at least one modern method of contraception vs. the average years of formal education that women between 15-64 years have attended.