The World Health Organization has warned that an alarming drop in condom use is harming the health of young people.
A WHO survey of nearly 250,000 15-year-olds in 42 countries and regions in Europe and Canada found that the proportion of sexually active adolescents using condoms dropped significantly between 2014 and 2022, putting them at great risk of sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion.
Nearly a third of 15-year-olds said they had not used condoms or taken birth control pills. While rates of sexual activity remained relatively stable, with 20% of boys and 15% of girls saying they had had sex in 2022, the percentage of boys who used a condom the last time they had intercourse dropped from 70% to 61% and girls from 63% to 57%.
The UK has one of the lowest rates of condom use, with Wales and Scotland showing the most significant falls in condom use among teenagers of all the countries surveyed.
Just 37% of girls in Scotland and 40% in Wales said they used a condom the last time they had sex, a sharp drop from 60% and 57% in 2014.
The number of boys using protection also fell, with boys in Scotland (47%) and Wales (46%) saying they had used a condom in 2022, down from 59% and 69% in 2014. In England, the proportion fell slightly, from 62% to 61%.
In contrast, in France and Spain, more than two-thirds of girls and about three-quarters of boys said they used condoms in 2022. In Germany, the figure was just under 60% for both boys and girls. The highest rates of use were in Armenia, Switzerland and Greece, where about three-quarters of adolescents used condoms.
The report calls on governments to ensure young people have access to high-quality sex education and to make contraceptive services more accessible.
“While the reported findings are discouraging, they are not surprising,” said Dr. Hans-Henry P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
“Age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education is still neglected in many countries. Even where such education exists, it has come under increasing attack in recent years on the grounds that it encourages sexual behaviour. The fact is that providing young people with the right knowledge at the right time leads to the best health outcomes related to responsible behaviour and choices.”
“We are reaping the consequences of these reactionary efforts, and unless the government, health authorities, education sector and other key stakeholders…take corrective measures, the situation will be even worse in the future.”
Lisa Hallgarten, director of policy and public affairs at sexual health charity Brook, said its own data showed “worrying levels of reliance on withdrawal in the UK, which does not protect against STIs and is extremely unsafe as a contraceptive”.
She said: “In an era when rates of sexually transmitted infections are soaring, we need to build a culture of condom use more than ever.” In addition to high-quality relationships and sex education, she called for “a national public health campaign on safe sex and condom use, and proper funding for our sexual health services to ensure condoms are available free of charge to everyone who needs them”.
Amelia Whitworth, director of policy, campaigns and research at children’s charity Plan International UK, said: “This report should be a wake-up call for governments across Europe.
“We are seeing an alarming growth in anti-rights movements that seek to strip girls and women of existing legal rights. From denying women the right to abortion to limiting what girls can know about their own bodies, hard-won, fundamental rights are being eroded.
“We must ensure all children and young people have access to comprehensive sexuality education and learn about their bodies, sexuality and healthy relationships. Without meaningful action, girls and young women risk being denied the right to choose their own future.”
Dr Janet Batt, dean of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, said the report marked a “worrying trend” with those at highest risk of unplanned pregnancy even less likely to use contraception.
“Young people deserve high-quality, evidence-based sexual and reproductive health education so they can make healthy reproductive choices for themselves and their partners,” she said. “Anything less than this will fail our young people and future generations.”
A government spokesperson said: “We know there is still work to do to ensure everyone has access to sexual health services and we are determined to shift the focus from treatment to prevention and reduce the inequalities that lead to poor health.
“The consultation on proposed changes to statutory guidance on teaching relationships, health and sex education has now closed and the government will carefully consider the next steps.”