BACKGROUND:
Adolescent marriage remains widespread in Nigeria, placing married girls aged 15–19 years at high risk of early and repeated pregnancies. Despite their vulnerability, contraceptive uptake remains extremely low, contributing to significant burden of unmet need for family planning. This study aims to assess the extent of unmet contraceptive needs among married adolescent girls aged 15–19 years in Nigeria.

METHODS:
Data for this retrospective study was obtained through secondary analysis of the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2023/2024. Descriptive statistics were used to examine unmet contraceptive needs among n=1,455 married adolescents aged 15–19. Analysis was conducted using STATA version 19.

RESULTS:
Contraceptive use among married adolescents is extremely low, with only 4.3% using any contraceptive method and 3.3% using a modern method. Among the commonly used methods are injectables 0.3%, implants 0.8%, pills 0.2%, any traditional method 1.0% and emergency methods 0.1%. Interestingly, the unmet need for married adolescent girls is 15.8%. While 95.7% are not using any method, indicating a profound unmet need for pregnancy prevention or spacing. Factors contributing to this gap include pressure to prove fertility early in marriage and inadequate access to adolescent-friendly reproductive services. Rural residence and Northern geopolitical zones further amplify the level of unmet need.

CONCLUSIONS:
The profound gap between contraceptive need and use among married Nigerian adolescents highlights a critical failure in health equity. Current family planning interventions often overlook the specific “fertility-proving” pressures married adolescents face. To achieve equitable access, Nigeria must expand contraceptive access through the implementation of targeted culturally sensitive community advocacy and strengthened adolescent-friendly reproductive services, particularly for underserved Northern rural communities.