Condom use in adolescents has fallen notably since 2014, warns WHO

The World Health Organization has urged governments to tackle a sharp decline in condom use among adolescents that is increasing their risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies.

From 2014 to 2022 the proportion of sexually active adolescents who reported having used a condom the last time they had intercourse fell from 70% to 61% among boys and from 63% to 57% among girls, found a report by WHO.1

Almost a third of adolescents (30%) reported using neither a condom nor the contraceptive pill at last intercourse, a figure that has barely changed since 2018.

The data were published as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged …