Prescription Status of Birth Control Pills around the World

Of 135 countries, representing 95.79% of the 2017 global population, for which information is available, 39 countries (15.48% of the population) require a prescription, including the United States; 10 (4.31%) formally required a health screening but no prescription; 36 (51.23%) have formal policies that do not not require a prescription or a health screening; and 50 (24.75%) have informal policies making birth control pills available without a prescription. Overall, 80.29% of the world’s population has access to birth control pills without a prescription.

	Country	Rx Required	Available without Rx (health screening required)	Available without Rx (no health screening required)	Informally Available without Rx	2017 Population (millions)	Percent of Global Population
	Totals	39	10	36	50	7,213.69	--
	Percent of Global Population	15.48%	4.31%	51.23%	24.75%	--	95.79%
1	Afghanistan			X		35.53	0.47%
2	Albania				X	2.87	0.04%
3	Algeria				X	41.32	0.55%
4	Angola			X		39.78	0.53%
5	Argentina				X	44.27	0.59%
6	Armenia				X	2.93	0.04%
7	Australia	X				24.60	0.33%
8	Austria	X				8.81	0.12%
9	Azerbaijan	X				9.86	0.13%
10	Bahamas				X	0.40	0.01%
11	Bahrain				X	1.49	0.02%
12	Bangladesh			X		164.70	2.19%
13	Belarus	X				9.51	0.13%
14	Belgium	X				11.37	0.15%
15	Belize			X		0.37	0.00%
16	Bhutan				X	0.81	0.01%
17	Bolivia				X	11.05	0.15%
18	Bosnia & Herzegovina			X		3.51	0.05%
19	Botswana	X				2.30	0.03%
20	Brazil				X	209.30	2.78%
21	Bulgaria	X				7.10	0.09%
22	Burkina Faso	X				19.19	0.25%
23	Cambodia			X		16.01	0.21%
24	Cameroon				X	24.05	0.32%
25	Canada	X				36.71	0.49%
26	Cape Verde	X				0.55	0.01%
27	Chad				X	14.9	0.20%
28	Chile				X	18.05	0.24%
29	China			X		1,386.40	18.41%
30	Colombia				X	49.07	0.65%
31	Costa Rica				X	4.91	0.07%
32	Croatia	X				4.13	0.05%
33	Cuba			X		11.48	0.15%
34	Czech Republic	X				10.59	0.14%
35	Democratic Congo				X	81.34	1.08%
36	Denmark	X				5.77	0.08%
37	Djibouti			X		0.96	0.01%
38	Dominican Republic			X		10.77	0.14%
39	Ecuador				X	16.62	0.22%
40	Egypt			X		97.55	1.30%
41	El Salvador			X		6.38	0.08%
42	Equatorial Guinea				X	1.00	0.01%
43	Estonia	X				1.27	0.02%
44	Ethiopia			X		104.96	1.39%
45	Finland	X				5.51	0.07%
46	France	X				67.12	0.89%
47	Gabon				X	2.03	0.03%
48	Georgia				X	3.72	0.05%
49	Germany	X				82.70	1.10%
50	Ghana		X			28.83	0.38%
51	Greece			X		10.76	0.14%
52	Guatemala			X		16.91	0.22%
53	Guinea		X			12.72	0.17%
54	Haiti			X		10.98	0.15%
55	Honduras			X		9.27	0.12%
56	Hungary	X				9.78	0.13%
57	Iceland	X				0.34	0.00%
58	India			X		1,339.18	17.78%
59	Indonesia				X	264.00	3.51%
60	Iran				X	81.16	1.08%
61	Ireland	X				4.81	0.06%
62	Israel	X				8.71	0.12%
63	Italy	X				60.55	0.80
64	Ivory Coast				X	24.30	0.32%
65	Jamaica		X			2.89	0.04%
66	Japan	X				126.79	1.68%
67	Jordan	X				9.70	0.13%
68	Kazakhstan				X	18.04	0.24%
69	Kenya			X		49.70	0.66%
70	Kuwait			X		4.14	0.05%
71	Laos				X	6.86	0.09%
72	Lesotho				X	2.23	0.03%
73	Liberia				X	4.73	0.06%
74	Lithuania	X				2.83	0.04%
75	Macedonia				X	2.08	0.03%
76	Madagascar				X	25.57	0.34%
77	Malawi			X		18.62	0.25%
78	Malaysia		X			31.62	0.42%
79	Mali				X	18.54	0.25%
80	Mexico				X	129.16	1.72%
81	Moldova				X	3.55	0.05%
82	Mongolia				X	3.10	0.04%
83	Morrocco				X	35.74	0.47%
84	Mozambique				X	29.67	0.39%
85	Namibia	X				2.53	0.03%
86	Nepal		X			29.30	0.39%
87	Netherlands	X				17.13	0.23%
88	New Zealand	X				4.79	0.06%
89	Nigeria				X	190.89	2.53%
90	Norway	X				5.28	0.07%
91	Pakistan			X		197.02	2.62%
92	Palestine				X	4.68	0.06%
93	Panama				X	4.10	0.05%
94	Paraguay			X		6.81	0.09%
95	Peru				X	32.17	0.43%
96	Philippines				X	104.92	1.39%
97	Poland	X				37.98	0.50%
98	Portugal				X	10.29	0.14%
99	Romania				X	19.59	0.26%
100	Russia				X	144.5	1.92%
101	Rwanda		X			12.21	0.16%
102	Saudi Arabia	X				32.94	0.44%
103	Senegal			X		15.85	0.21%
104	Serbia			X		7.02	0.09%
105	Slovakia	X				5.44	0.07%
106	Slovenia				X	2.07	0.03%
107	South Africa	X				56.72	0.75%
108	South Korea			X		51.45	0.68%
109	Spain	X				46.57	0.62%
110	Sri Lanka			X		21.44	0.28%
111	Sudan			X		40.53	0.54%
112	Swaziland			X		1.37	0.02%
113	Sweden	X				10.07	0.13%
114	Switzerland	X				8.47	0.11%
115	Syria			X		18.27	0.24%
116	Taiwan				X	23.63	0.31%
117	Tajikistan				X	8.92	0.12%
118	Tanzania		X			57.31	0.76%
119	Thailand			X		69.04	0.92%
120	Togo				X	7.80	0.10%
121	Trinidad & Tobago			X		1.37	0.02%
122	Tunisia		X			11.53	0.15%
123	Turkey				X	80.75	1.07%
124	Turkmenistan			X		5.76	0.08%
125	Uganda		X			42.86	0.57%
126	Ukraine			X		44.83	0.60%
127	United Arab Emirates			X		9.40	0.12%
128	United Kingdom	X				66.02	0.88%
129	United States	X				325.72	4.33%
130	Uruguay				X	3.46	0.05%
131	Venezuela			X		32.00	0.42%
132	Vietnam		X			95.54	1.27%
133	Yemen				X	28.25	0.38
134	Zambia				X	17.09	0.23%
135	Zimbabwe	X				16.53	0.22%

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