An alarming decline in condom use is putting young people's health at risk, the World Health Organisation has warned.
A WHO survey of around 250,000 15-year-olds in 42 countries and territories across Europe and Canada found that condom use has declined significantly among sexually active adolescents between 2014 and 2022, putting them at significant risk of sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
Nearly one-third of 15-year-olds reported not using condoms or taking contraceptives. Sexual activity rates remained relatively stable, with 20% of boys and 15% of girls reporting having sex in 2022, but the proportion of boys who used a condom the last time they had sex decreased from 70% to 61% and for girls from 63% to 57%.
The UK has one of the lowest rates of condom use, with teenagers in Wales and Scotland reporting the biggest decline in use of any country surveyed.
Bar graph of condom use among teenagers
Just 37% of girls in Scotland and 40% in Wales said they had used a condom the last time they had sex – a significant drop from 2014, when 60% and 57% respectively said they had used a condom.
The number of boys using contraception is also falling, with fewer than half of boys in Scotland (47%) and Wales (46%) saying they will have used condoms in 2022, down from 59% and 69% in 2014. In England there has been a slight decrease, from 62% to 61%.
By contrast, more than two-thirds of girls and almost three-quarters of boys in France and Spain said they used condoms in 2022. In Germany, the figures were just under 60% for both sexes. The highest rates were in Armenia, Switzerland and Greece, where almost three-quarters of adolescents used condoms.
The report calls on governments to ensure access to quality sex education and make contraceptive services more accessible to young people.
“The report's findings are disappointing but not surprising,” said Dr Hans-Henri P. Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe.
“Comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education remains undervalued in many countries and, in those where it is provided, has come under increasing attack in recent years on the false assumption that it encourages sexual behaviour. But the truth is that giving young people the right knowledge at the right time leads to optimal health outcomes that lead to responsible behaviour and choices.”
“We are suffering the bitter consequences of these reactionary efforts and it will only get worse unless corrective measures are taken by governments, health authorities, the education sector and other key stakeholders.”
Lisa Hallgarten, policy and communications director at sexual health charity Brook, said its data showed a “worrying reliance on abortion laws in the UK that do not help to prevent STIs and are extremely dangerous for preventing pregnancy”.
“With sexually transmitted infection rates soaring, it is more important than ever to create a culture of condom use,” she said. In addition to quality relationship and sex education, she called for “a national public health campaign on safe sex and condoms, and adequate funding for sexual health services so that condoms are available free of charge to everyone who needs them.”
“This report should be a wake-up call for European governments,” Amelia Whitworth, head of policy, campaigns and research at children's charity Plan International UK, said.
“We are seeing an alarming rise in anti-human rights movements that seek to strip girls and women of their existing legal rights. From stripping women of their abortion rights to restricting what girls can be taught about their bodies, important hard-won rights are being eroded.”
“We must ensure that all children and young people have access to comprehensive sex education – learning about their bodies, their sexuality and what healthy relationships look like. Without meaningful action, we risk denying girls and young women the right to choose their futures.”
Dr Janet Barter, dean of sexual and reproductive medicine, said the report showed a “worrying trend” and that people at highest risk of unwanted pregnancy were even less likely to use contraception.
She said: “Young people deserve high-quality, evidence-based education on all sexual and reproductive health issues so they can make healthy reproductive choices for themselves and their partners. Anything less is a failure for young people and future generations.”
A Government spokesman said: “We know there is much more to do to ensure everyone has timely access to sexual health services. We are determined to shift the focus from treatment to prevention and reduce the inequalities that lead to poor health.”
“Consultation on proposed changes to statutory guidelines on the teaching of relationships, health and sex education has concluded and the Government will carefully consider next steps.”
