Emergency Contraceptive Statistics 2026

Although it’s rarely talked about openly, emergency contraception is more widely used than many might think. 

Few topics in sexual health carry as much stigma as emergency contraception. Despite being a safe, legal, and widely used option, many people still feel uncomfortable asking for it – or even talking about it. That silence has real consequences.

At Click2Pharmacy, we want to encourage open discussions about sensitive topics, particularly sexual health. We’ve explored the latest statistics and trends around emergency contraception use in England for 2026 to shed light on the reality of emergency contraception use in the UK.

To find this data, we collected emergency contraception statistics from multiple sources. This includes NHS statistics on Sexual and Reproductive Health and OpenPrescribing. 

What is Emergency Contraception?

Emergency contraception is a method of contraception used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. People often use emergency contraception in situations where their regular contraceptive method failed or wasn’t used.

Since 2001, emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) has been available for purchase over the counter from UK pharmacies without a prescription for women aged 16 and above.

There are two main methods of emergency contraception:

Emergency Contraceptive Pills: These are taken after sex and work best when taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. Common emergency contraception pills are Levonorgestrel and ellaOne. 

Copper IUD: This is a small device that a GP or nurse places in the womb. It can be used as emergency contraception and for regular contraception for long-term pregnancy prevention.

Oral contraceptives are the most used form of emergency contraception, making up 90% of emergency contraception prescriptions.

Our Findings

We detail all our emergency contraception statistics findings in this blog post, but if you’re looking for a summary, here’s what we learned:

• 92,109 items of emergency contraception were issued in 2025, a significant rise from 55,960 in 2024
• SRH-issued emergency contraception has fallen 73% since 2014, driven by a shift towards online pharmacies, GPs, and community pharmacies
• As of October 2025, 10,000 NHS pharmacies across England offer the morning after pill free of charge
• Women aged 20-24 are the most likely to be prescribed emergency contraception
• 51% of women in contact with SRH services in 2024/25 were using a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC)
• Ulipristal is the most prescribed emergency contraceptive in the UK, with 23,324 prescriptions in 2025
• “Morning after pill” is searched 90,500 times per month in the UK

Emergency Contraceptive Statistics 2026

According to NHS Digital, 4 per 1,000 of the female population were provided emergency contraception by a Sexual Reproductive Health service in 2025, with 92,109 items of emergency contraception issued*. When reviewing the data for previous years, we found that:

• In 2014, 204,047 items were prescribed by Sexual Health and Reproductive Healthcare Services 
• 9 years later, this was 73% lower, with 65,623 emergency contraceptive items provided
• In 2024, 55,960 items were prescribed (-15% from 2023)

The decline in SRH-issued emergency contraception isn’t a sign that fewer people are using it. It’s a sign that people are getting it elsewhere.

Online pharmacies, GPs, and community pharmacies have made access to emergency contraception faster and more discreet than ever before. No appointment, no waiting room, no need to visit a sexual health clinic.

As of October 2025, 10,000 NHS pharmacies across England now offer the morning after pill for free to tackle the “postcode lottery” that had previously left many women without affordable access.

Online pharmacies also mean people can order emergency contraception discreetly from home and have it delivered quickly, removing both the cost and the practical barriers that made access difficult for some women.

Source: NHS Digital

There were 594,677 live births in England and Wales in 2024, the first increase since 2021.

Birth rates had been falling steadily in the years prior, which raises an interesting question about what was driving the decline in emergency contraception use over the same period. A drop in births alongside a drop in emergency contraception prescriptions points less to reduced access and more to reduced sexual activity overall.

The 2024 rise suggests that, as social and economic conditions stabilised post-pandemic, conception rates followed suit. Whether emergency contraception use will reflect this shift in the data from SRH services and other sources remains to be seen.

Emergency Contraception by Age

The likelihood of a female obtaining emergency contraception varies with age.

When reviewing this data, we discovered that:

• Women between the ages of 20-24 are most likely to be prescribed emergency contraception*
• Women aged 45 and over are the least likely to be prescribed emergency contraception*

Based on our findings, we explored other age-related data for emergency contraception and found women aged 25-34 are the most likely to contact an SRS for emergency contraceptives, but are the fourth most likely to be provided emergency contraceptive prescriptions. 

We could infer from this that women of this age group:

• Decided against the use of emergency contraceptives, e.g. chose to go through with the pregnancy
• No longer required the use of EC, e.g. were not pregnant or lost their pregnancy
• Choose to source their EC from somewhere else, e.g. an online pharmacy, their GP or community pharmacy

The most likely explanation is the latter. Women aged 25-34 are more likely to be digitally confident, financially independent, and aware of alternative access routes. The same age group also has the highest LARC uptake, meaning fewer need EC at all – but those who do appear to be bypassing SRH services in favour of more discreet, convenient options.

Which method of emergency contraception is used the most?

Since 2004, the rates of oral emergency contraception items provided to women have fallen consistently. The number of emergency contraceptive prescriptions issued in 2024/25 (84,100) is over half that in 2004/05 (174,000). 

When reviewing this data, we found that: 

• In 2008/09 and 2009/10, there was a spike in the number of emergency contraceptives provided to women. This could be explained by Ulipristal acetate, also known as ellaOne, which was approved for use in Europe in 2009.
• In 2015, emergency contraceptives were licensed for under-16s in the UK, which caused controversy in the UK due to campaigners’ opinion that children should not have access to them. However, the statistics show that the number of emergency contraception items fell after 2015.
• There was a dramatic fall in oral contraceptives being dispensed in 2020/21, which we can assume was due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
• IUDs for emergency contraceptives have risen, with their peak in 2019/20.
• Since 2017, the copper IUD has been available to use as a form of emergency contraception in the UK, which is evident from the rates steadily increasing since then.
• Emergency contraception figures have risen again from 2022/23 into 2024/25, likely reflecting the return of normal social and sexual activity post-pandemic.
• In 2023, ellaOne was reclassified as a pharmacy medicine, removing the need for a pharmacist consultation before purchase and making it considerably easier to obtain without barriers.
• The expansion of free emergency contraception through NHS pharmacies from 2025 may also be contributing to the upward trend in figures.

Could greater contraceptive use explain the decline in emergency contraception?

Based on our findings, we explored prescription data from NHS Digital for normal contraception to see if we could find an explanation for why emergency contraception rates have fallen so dramatically in recent years. 

In 2024/25, 51% of women in contact with SRH services were using a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC), with the remaining 49% having a user-dependent main method, e.g. oral contraceptive pills, condoms, or the contraceptive patch or vaginal ring.

Almost all contraceptives provided to men by SRH services were male condoms (99%). 

Contraception Methods by Age

From this chart, it can be seen that user-dependent contraceptives, like oral contraceptive pills, are more frequently used by those 24 years old and younger, and LARCs, such as IUDs, are used more regularly by those 25 and older. This can be due to the side effects of user-dependent contraceptive methods (e.g. increased chance of pregnancy and hormonal imbalances) and LARCs (longevity and reduced human error).

How often are women using emergency contraception in the UK?

A 2025 study using 2023 data found that the majority of users received EC once in the year (69.63%), while 29.80% received it more than once. A very small number, 0.57%, received it more than 10 times.

Ulipristal acetate accounted for 90% of prescriptions, confirming its position as the go-to oral option over levonorgestrel.

The data suggests that for most women, emergency contraception is genuinely an emergency measure used occasionally rather than a routine form of contraception. The small proportion of frequent users may indicate a need for better access to long-term contraceptive options.

What is the most popular emergency contraception in the UK?

There are three main options for those who wish to use emergency contraception in the UK: 

1. Levonorgestrel pill: An emergency contraceptive pill, also known as Levonelle or LoviOne, containing the hormone levonorgestrel, taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.
2. Ulipristal acetate pill: Known as ellaOne, this emergency contraceptive pill is effective if taken up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex.
3. Copper IUD (Intrauterine Device): A device inserted into the uterus by a GP or pharmacist, effective if used within 5 days after unprotected sex.

We wanted to find out which type of emergency contraception is the most popular in the UK. To do this, we used Open Prescribing to analyse prescription rates for ‘Levonorgestrel’, ‘Ulipristal’, and ‘Copper Intrauterine Contraceptive Device’ in the UK in 2025.

• Ulipristal – available as the branded ellaOne or in generic form – is the most popular emergency contraceptive in the UK, with 23,324 prescriptions in 2025 (17,377 generic + 5,947 ellaOne).
• Levonorgestrel is the second most used emergency contraceptive, with 14,654 prescriptions in 2025.

When considering Copper IUD use as an emergency contraceptive, there is no distinction in prescription between those having a copper IUD fitted as their usual method of contraception or as an emergency contraceptive, so we have not included this data, as it would not be accurate for emergency contraception use cases only.

How often Emergency Contraception Was Searched for in the UK in 2025

We used SE Ranking to explore search volume data for popular emergency contraception search terms, such as “emergency contraceptive pill” and “morning-after pill.” 

In 2025, these terms were searched a combined 140,000 times per month in the UK, with “morning after pill” alone accounting for 90,500 of those searches.

We also found that “can you buy morning after pill online” receives 390 searches per month, compared to “can you buy the morning after pill over the counter,” which receives 320 searches per month.

While the gap is smaller than in previous years, online searches still edge ahead. This could reflect the shame and stigmatisation that women face when looking for emergency contraception, with some preferring to research their options privately rather than asking in person.

The volume of UK users searching to buy emergency contraception online also suggests that the true figures for EC use could be significantly higher than NHS data alone captures, given the number of women sourcing it through private prescribers and online pharmacies.

More Facts & Figures about Emergency Contraception 

• Levonorgestrel is known to be less effective in women over 70kg or with a BMI of 26 or above. Women in this category are advised to use ellaOne or a copper IUD instead for greater efficacy. 
• Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent up to over 95% of pregnancies when taken within 5 days after intercourse.
• EC can be used in the following situations: unprotected intercourse, concerns about possible contraceptive failure, incorrect use of contraceptives, and sexual assault without contraception coverage.
• While trials for the morning-after pill took place in the 70s, it wasn’t until 1984 that the emergency contraceptive was finally licensed for use and made available from pharmacies.

*: This analysis doesn’t represent the full amount of emergency contraceptives provided to the population of the UK. Emergency contraceptives can be obtained from other sources, like GPs and, since 2001, directly from pharmacies without a prescription (for women aged 16 and over).