The percentage of girls who said they used a condom the last time they had sex dropped from 63% to 57%. Read more
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday there has been a significant decline in condom use among sexually active teenagers in Europe over the past decade and that rates of unprotected sex are “alarmingly high.”
“This puts young people at significant risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies,” WHO Europe said in a statement.
Data from a survey of 242,000 young people aged over 15 in 42 of the 53 countries that make up the WHO European Region, including in Central Asia, showed that the proportion of sexually active teenage boys who used a condom the last time they had sex fell from 70% in 2014 to 61% in 2022.
The percentage of girls who said they used a condom the last time they had sex fell from 63% to 57%.
Nearly one-third of teens say they didn't use a condom or contraception the last time they had sex, roughly unchanged from 2018.
Contraceptive use also remained relatively stable from 2014 to 2022, with 26% of 15-year-olds reporting that they or their partner used contraception the last time they had sex.
The report also showed that teens from low-income families were more likely to not use condoms or the pill, with 33% saying they hadn't used either the last time they had sex, compared to 25% of teens from more affluent families.
“Comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education remains undervalued in many countries and, where it is provided, has come under increasing attack in recent years on the false assumption that it encourages sexual behaviour,” Hans Kluge, WHO's European director, said in a statement.
“The truth is that equipping young people with the right knowledge at the right time leads to optimal health outcomes coupled with responsible behavior and choices,” he said.
As well as increasing sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies, poor sex education also leads to higher health costs and disrupted educational and career paths for young people, the WHO said.
“We are suffering the bitter consequences of these reactionary efforts and the situation will continue to worsen unless governments, health authorities, the education sector and other key stakeholders truly acknowledge the root causes of the current situation and take corrective measures,” it said.
The organization called on policymakers, educators and health care providers to invest in comprehensive sex education, improve access to sexual health services, foster dialogue and improve training for educators.
