Prevalence
It is estimated that 2–3% of the world's reproductive age population relies on periodic abstinence to avoid pregnancy. However, what portion of this population should be considered NFP users is unclear. Some Catholic sources consider couples that violate the religious restrictions associated with natural family planning to not be NFP users.
There is little data on the worldwide use of natural family planning. In Brazil, NFP is the third most popular family planning method. The "safe period" method of fertility awareness is the most common family planning method used in India, although condoms are used by some.
Use of NFP in developed countries is low, even among Catholics. While Catholics made up 24% of the U.S. population in 2002, of reproductive age American women using birth control, only 1.5% were using periodic abstinence.
Use of NFP is not restricted to Catholic couples. In 2002, Sam and Bethany Torode, then a Protestant Christian couple, published a book advocating NFP use. (Five years after writing the book, the Torodes retracted their advocacy of pure NFP and also supported barrier methods as moral; the couple also converted from Protestantism to the Eastern Orthodox Church.) In addition, many NFP clinics and teaching organizations are not specifically associated with the Catholic Church. It has also been shared by members of the Latter-Day-Saints and some members of the Muslim faith.
Read more about this topic: Natural Family Planning
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