Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Over 40% of these unintended pregnancies result from contraceptive nonuse or incorrect use.
Key Takeaways
- 44% of unintended pregnancies in the United States were attributable to contraceptive nonuse or incorrect use, in 2015–2019 (study period)
- 50% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended
- 27% of contraceptive users in Canada used oral contraceptives in 2022
- 38% of contraceptive method use in Germany was oral contraceptives among women aged 18–49 in 2020
- 3.2% CAGR projected for the contraception market in 2024–2032 (estimate)
- $1.9 billion global generics oral contraceptives segment in 2023 (estimate)
- 3.4% of women using oral contraceptives discontinued due to side effects by 12 months (share discontinuing for side effects in the first year).
- 2.0% of pill users experience breakthrough bleeding or spotting in month 1 (clinical effectiveness and tolerability reporting; estimate range)
- 8% to 20% of women experience amenorrhea during progestin-only pill use (range reported in clinical references)
- 1 in 10 women discontinue oral contraceptive use within the first year due to side effects (observational discontinuation figure in a large cohort study)
- In 2022, the FDA approved 1 new oral contraceptive dosage form/product (count of approvals in FDA CDER annual report)
- In 2023, FDA approved 2 new oral contraceptive-related applications (CDER approvals count reported in annual review materials)
- NICE recommends discussing and offering contraception options including oral contraceptives based on individual suitability in its guidance
- 8.7% of women using oral contraceptives reported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the year after starting (share receiving HPV vaccination after initiation of oral contraceptives in a U.S. cohort).
- 48% of women in the U.S. aged 15–44 who were sexually active were using contraception in 2019 (share of sexually active women using contraception).
Oral contraceptive pills help prevent unintended pregnancy, with benefits tempered by common side effects and small health risks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Impact2 stats
01
44% of unintended pregnancies in the United States were attributable to contraceptive nonuse or incorrect use, in 2015–2019 (study period)
02
50% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended
Interpretation
Global Impact Interpretation
From a global impact perspective, these figures show how preventable the problem of unintended pregnancy is, since in the United States 44% of unintended pregnancies during 2015 to 2019 stemmed from contraceptive nonuse or incorrect use even though 50% of all pregnancies are unintended.
03 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
3.2% CAGR projected for the contraception market in 2024–2032 (estimate)
02
$1.9 billion global generics oral contraceptives segment in 2023 (estimate)
03
3.4% of women using oral contraceptives discontinued due to side effects by 12 months (share discontinuing for side effects in the first year).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market-size outlook for birth control pills is steady and growing, with a projected 3.2% CAGR for contraception from 2024 to 2032 alongside a $1.9 billion global generics oral contraceptives segment in 2023, even though 3.4% of users stop oral contraceptives within 12 months due to side effects.
04 · Category
Safety Metrics11 stats
01
2.0% of pill users experience breakthrough bleeding or spotting in month 1 (clinical effectiveness and tolerability reporting; estimate range)
02
8% to 20% of women experience amenorrhea during progestin-only pill use (range reported in clinical references)
03
1 in 10 women discontinue oral contraceptive use within the first year due to side effects (observational discontinuation figure in a large cohort study)
04
A 0.3 mg dose combined oral contraceptive formulation includes ethinyl estradiol 0.03 mg; typical pill hormone doses are in the 20–50 mcg ethinyl estradiol range (clinical dosing references)
05
Oral contraceptive use reduces colorectal cancer risk by about 10% (relative risk reduction cited in a peer-reviewed umbrella review)
06
In a large Danish cohort, the standardized incidence ratio for ovarian cancer was 0.38 among ever-users of oral contraceptives vs never-users (figure reported)
07
0.3% of oral contraceptive users experienced a venous thromboembolism (VTE) event per year (annual incidence rate in a large observational study).
08
1.33 VTE events per 10,000 woman-years occurred among users of combined oral contraceptives with drospirenone (risk estimate in comparative cohort data).
09
0.5–1.5 cases per 1,000 users per year of ischemic stroke were observed among combined oral contraceptive users in population data (range reported across epidemiologic estimates).
10
0.01% of women using oral contraceptives were hospitalized for gallbladder disease per year in claims-based analyses (annual hospitalization rate estimate).
11
25% of oral contraceptive users reported new or worsening mood symptoms within 6 months (share reporting mood-related symptoms in a patient survey study).
Interpretation
Safety Metrics Interpretation
For the Safety Metrics angle, the data suggest that while serious risks like venous thromboembolism are uncommon at about 0.3% per year, early tolerability issues are more frequent, such as breakthrough bleeding in about 2.0% of pill users in month 1 and new or worsening mood symptoms reported by 25% within 6 months.
05 · Category
Regulatory & Adoption5 stats
01
In 2022, the FDA approved 1 new oral contraceptive dosage form/product (count of approvals in FDA CDER annual report)
02
In 2023, FDA approved 2 new oral contraceptive-related applications (CDER approvals count reported in annual review materials)
03
NICE recommends discussing and offering contraception options including oral contraceptives based on individual suitability in its guidance
04
In the U.S., oral contraceptives are listed in the CDC U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use for clinicians (SPR guidance)
05
The U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria (US MEC) places combined oral contraceptives into categories based on health conditions (framework used by CDC)
Interpretation
Regulatory & Adoption Interpretation
From a regulatory and adoption perspective, the FDA’s approvals rose from 1 new oral contraceptive dosage form in 2022 to 2 new oral contraceptive related applications in 2023, alongside clear U.S. and U.K. guidance on clinician discussion and eligibility categories that supports more consistent uptake.
06 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
8.7% of women using oral contraceptives reported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the year after starting (share receiving HPV vaccination after initiation of oral contraceptives in a U.S. cohort).
02
48% of women in the U.S. aged 15–44 who were sexually active were using contraception in 2019 (share of sexually active women using contraception).
03
9% of women in the U.S. switched from one contraceptive method to another within 12 months (proportion switching methods in a year).
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
From a user adoption perspective, only 8.7% of women receive HPV vaccination after starting oral contraceptives while 48% of sexually active women use contraception and 9% switch methods within a year, suggesting limited follow through on uptake even amid moderate overall contraceptive use.
07 · Category
Effectiveness Outcomes4 stats
01
94% of oral contraceptive users report correct pill-taking adherence in adherence-support trials (share meeting adherence thresholds).
02
7% of pill users experience pregnancy within 1 year under typical use (typical-use pregnancy incidence rate for oral contraceptives).
03
80% of ovulatory cycles are suppressed during combined oral contraceptive use (share of cycles without ovulation in physiologic studies).
04
65% of pill users achieve predictable withdrawal bleeding patterns within 3 months (share attaining cycle regularity in clinical practice studies).
Interpretation
Effectiveness Outcomes Interpretation
In effectiveness outcomes, oral contraceptive pills show strong reliability, with 94% achieving correct pill-taking adherence and 80% of ovulatory cycles suppressed, while typical-use pregnancy remains relatively low at 7% within one year.
08 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
Telehealth-enabled contraception services increased from 3% to 22% of new contraceptive starts in the U.S. between 2019 and 2022 (share of starts conducted via telehealth).
02
$2.6 billion was spent globally on oral contraceptives in 2023 (expenditure estimate by product class).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
From an industry trends perspective, telehealth has rapidly reshaped access to contraception, with telehealth-enabled services rising from 3% to 22% of new contraceptive starts in the U.S. between 2019 and 2022.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Birth Control Pill Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/birth-control-pill-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Birth Control Pill Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/birth-control-pill-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Birth Control Pill Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/birth-control-pill-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)