Table 1.
Sample characteristics and prevalence of students who had ever had sex in the Global School-based Student Health Surveys (n = 244,863)
| Country | Survey year | Response rates | Sample size | Ever had sexual intercourse % (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | Age 12–15 | Age 16+ | ||||
| Africa | ||||||
| Benin | 2016 | 78 | 2536 | 49.9 (45.7–54.1) | 23.5 (18.3–28.7) | 58.6 (54.7–62.5) |
| Botswana | 2005 | 95 | 2197 | 19.2 (16.9–21.6) | 14.7 (12.5–17) | 27.4 (23–31.9) |
| Ghana | 2012 | 77 | 3632 | 31.7 (27.2–36.3) | 24.6 (18.9–30.3) | 37.7 (32.8–42.6) |
| Kenya | 2003 | 84 | 3691 | 27.0 (24.4–29.7) | 24.6 (22.3–26.9) | 39.2 (34.1–44.4) |
| Malawi | 2009 | 94 | 2359 | 22.9 (18.2–27.6) | 22.8 (18.1–27.5) | 49.6 (20.8–78.4) |
| Mauritania | 2010 | 70 | 2063 | 29.7 (25.1–34.3) | 26.9 (21.3–32.6) | 33.8 (28.8–38.7) |
| Mauritius | 2017 | 84 | 3012 | 19.7 (16.3–23) | 14.9 (12.4–17.5) | 27.5 (21.4–33.7) |
| Namibia | 2013 | 89 | 4531 | 47.1 (43.8–50.5) | 31.9 (28.7–35.2) | 57.8 (54.3–61.4) |
| Senegal | 2005 | 60 | 3154 | 22.0 (17.3–26.6) | 19.2 (15.3–23) | 43 (37.7–48.3) |
| Seychelles | 2015 | 82 | 2540 | 37.9 (34.4–41.4) | 34 (30.4–37.7) | 55.2 (48.6–61.8) |
| Swaziland | 2013 | 97 | 3680 | 26.0 (23.6–28.4) | 13.4 (11.5–15.4) | 33.6 (30.4–36.8) |
| Uganda | 2003 | 69 | 3215 | 20.4 (17.5–23.2) | 15.4 (12.9–18.0) | 28.4 (24.4–32.3) |
| United Republic of Tanzania | 2014 | 87 | 3793 | 19.0 (16.7–21.2) | 17.7 (15.1–20.2) | 24.2 (20.8–27.5) |
| Zambia | 2004 | 70 | 2257 | 22.4 (19.9–24.9) | 19.9 (16.7–23.2) | 26.6 (22.5–30.6) |
| Liberia | 2017 | 71 | 2744 | 49.8 (46.4–53.2) | 30.7 (26–35.3) | 56.1 (52.6–59.5) |
| Mozambique | 2015 | 80 | 1918 | 50.7 (43.5–57.9) | 38.2 (30.3–46) | 63.9 (58.6–69.1) |
| Africa total | – | – | 47,322 | 28.6 (26.8–30.4) | 21.8 (20.2–23.4) | 42 (39.4–44.6) |
| Region of Americas | ||||||
| Anguilla | 2016 | 88 | 813 | 32.2 (26.9–37.5) | 27.6 (21.8–33.3) | 44.2 (36.5–51.9) |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 2009 | 67 | 1266 | 33.9 (29.4–38.5) | 33.9 (29.3–38.4) | 37.6 (12.4–62.9) |
| Argentina | 2012 | 71 | 28,368 | 40.0 (37.2–42.9) | 34.6 (31.4–37.8) | 62.3 (59.4–65.2) |
| Barbados | 2011 | 73 | 1629 | 33.3 (29.6–37) | 32 (28.2–35.7) | 49.2 (37–61.4) |
| Belize | 2011 | 88 | 2112 | 23.5 (19.9–27.2) | 19.1 (16.2–21.9) | 44.1 (36.6–51.6) |
| Bolivia | 2012 | 88 | 3696 | 24.9 (21.5–28.2) | 19.6 (17.6–21.7) | 41.4 (35.2–47.6) |
| British Virgin Islands | 2009 | 90 | 1664 | 37.8 (37.8–37.8) | 30.5 (30.5–30.5) | 58.6 (58.6–58.6) |
| Cayman Islands | 2007 | 79 | 1299 | 37 (37–37) | 35.9 (35.9–35.9) | 44.7 (44.7–44.7) |
| Chile | 2013 | 60 | 2049 | 37.9 (32.6–43.2) | 23.5 (20.1–26.9) | 56.8 (48.7–65) |
| Costa Rica | 2009 | 72 | 2679 | 23.5 (19.3–27.7) | 18 (15.8–20.1) | 51.4 (42.1–60.7) |
| Dominica | 2009 | 84 | 1642 | 45 (40.3–49.6) | 39.4 (35.3–43.5) | 67.4 (60.8–74) |
| Grenada | 2008 | 78 | 1542 | 42.6 (37.6–47.6) | 36 (32.9–39) | 73.3 (65–81.5) |
| Guatemala | 2015 | 82 | 4374 | 19.5 (16.2–22.8) | 15.4 (12.9–17.9) | 38.6 (29.3–47.9) |
| Guyana | 2010 | 76 | 2392 | 31.8 (27–36.7) | 29.3 (25.1–33.5) | 45.8 (36.4–55.3) |
| Honduras | 2012 | 79 | 1779 | 24.7 (22.2–27.3) | 21.4 (18.8–24) | 45.6 (40–51.3) |
| Jamaica | 2017 | 60 | 1667 | 46.8 (40.6–53) | 36.9 (30.8–43) | 58.1 (51.3–64.9) |
| Peru | 2010 | 85 | 2882 | 19.4 (16.7–22) | 16.8 (14.6–19) | 32.1 (25.5–38.6) |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2011 | 70 | 1740 | 36.1 (36.1–36.1) | 30.8 (30.8–30.8) | 59.6 (59.6–59.6) |
| Saint Lucia | 2007 | 77 | 1276 | 34.2 (29.8–38.5) | 30.6 (26.2–34.9) | 53.5 (45–62.1) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2007 | 84 | 1333 | 39.9 (33.7–46.1) | 37.8 (31.2–44.4) | 61.7 (52.8–70.6) |
| Suriname | 2016 | 83 | 2126 | 32.3 (23.4–41.2) | 19 (14.1–23.9) | 60.6 (52–69.1) |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2017 | 89 | 3869 | 26.2 (22.4–30) | 21.7 (18.5–25) | 39.1 (31–47.3) |
| Uruguay | 2012 | 77 | 3524 | 33.7 (30.6–36.9) | 27.5 (24.9–30.1) | 64.2 (58.9–69.6) |
| Bahamas | 2013 | 78 | 1357 | 28.2 (24–32.4) | 26.4 (22.8–30.1) | 71.8 (47.3–96.3) |
| El Salvador | 2013 | 88 | 1915 | 22.4 (19.2–25.7) | 18.6 (16–21.1) | 45.8 (36.7–54.9) |
| Curacao | 2015 | 83 | 2765 | 36.9 (32.3–41.5) | 18.7 (16–21.3) | 55.7 (51.1–60.2) |
| Paraguay | 2017 | 87 | 3149 | 28.6 (24.4–32.8) | 16.8 (14.3–19.3) | 47.4 (42.5–52.2) |
| Dominican Republic | 2016 | 63 | 1481 | 40.7 (32.8–48.5) | 32.4 (26.2–38.7) | 48.3 (37.5–59.1) |
| Americas total | – | – | 86,388 | 30.5 (28.9–32.1) | 23.2 (22.1–24.3) | 50.6 (47.4–53.8) |
| Eastern Mediterranean region | ||||||
| Tajikistan | 2006 | 80 | 9714 | 8.7 (6.9–10.6) | 9.2 (7–11.3) | 7.1 (5–9.2) |
| Macedonia | 2007 | – | 2114 | 15.9 (11.8–19.9) | 12.4 (9.4–15.4) | 29 (21.3–36.6) |
| Djibouti | 2007 | 83 | 1777 | 34.7 (31.7–37.8) | 29.7 (25.6–33.8) | 39.4 (36.2–42.7) |
| Eastern Mediterranean total | – | – | 13,605 | 10.9 (9.2–12.6) | 10.2 (8.5–12) | 12.8 (10.1–15.5) |
| South-East Asian region | ||||||
| Indonesia | 2015 | 94 | 11,142 | 5.8 (4.7–6.9) | 6 (4.7–7.2) | 4.6 (3.4–5.9) |
| Thailand | 2015 | 89 | 5894 | 19.1 (17.2–20.9) | 14.8 (12.3–17.4) | 28.4 (23.5–33.3) |
| Bangladesh | 2014 | 91 | 2989 | 8.2 (6–10.3) | 8.6 (6.4–10.9) | 3.1 (0.2–6) |
| Bhutan | 2015 | 79 | 7576 | 17.1 (15.5–18.7) | 11.7 (10.4–13.1) | 21.5 (19.5–23.5) |
| Timor Leste | 2016 | 95 | 3704 | 22.1 (19.5–24.8) | 18.1 (14.4–21.8) | 24.8 (21.8–27.8) |
| Nepal | 2015 | 69 | 6529 | 19.2 (16–22.5) | 18 (14.6–21.4) | 22.1 (18.2–26.1) |
| South-East Asia total | – | – | 37,834 | 9.6 (8.8–10.5) | 8.8 (7.8–9.8) | 12.9 (10.1–15.6) |
| Western Pacific Region | ||||||
| Cambodia | 2013 | 85 | 3806 | 11.6 (10.1–13.2) | 12.6 (10.5–14.7) | 10.6 (8.7–12.5) |
| Fiji | 2016 | 79 | 3705 | 21.3 (16.1–26.6) | 16.8 (12–21.5) | 25.1 (18.5–31.7) |
| Kiribati | 2011 | 85 | 1582 | 23.5 (20.7–26.4) | 21.2 (18.8–23.7) | 36.4 (28.8–44) |
| Malaysia | 2012 | 89 | 25,507 | 8.2 (7.4–8.9) | 7.9 (7–8.9) | 8.5 (7.5–9.5) |
| Mongolia | 2013 | 88 | 5393 | 15.1 (12.8–17.5) | 9.6 (8.2–10.9) | 26.3 (22–30.7) |
| Nauru | 2011 | 73 | 578 | 31.7 (31.7–31.7) | 28.1 (28.1–28.1) | 43.4 (43.4–43.4) |
| Samoa | 2017 | 59 | 1955 | 25 (21.4–28.7) | 21.3 (17.4–25.2) | 29.7 (25–34.3) |
| Vanuatu | 2016 | 57 | 2159 | 26.8 (23.5–30.2) | 21.4 (18.3–24.5) | 33.8 (28–39.5) |
| Vietnam | 2013 | 96 | 3331 | 6.7 (5–8.4) | 3.9 (3–4.9) | 8.8 (6.1–11.6) |
| Brunei | 2014 | 65 | 2599 | 11.4 (9.9–12.8) | 10 (8.3–11.6) | 14.8 (11.6–18) |
| Tuvalu | 2013 | 90 | 943 | 18.6 (18.6–18.6) | 16.1 (16.1–16.1) | 24.1 (24.1–24.1) |
| French Polynesia | 2015 | 70 | 3216 | 40.1 (34.1–46.1) | 28.4 (24.8–32) | 61.8 (56.9–66.6) |
| Laos | 2015 | 70 | 3683 | 14.5 (12.2–16.8) | 9.2 (7.3–11.1) | 17.9 (15–20.8) |
| Tokelau | 2014 | 71 | 140 | 30.2 (21.9–38.5) | 19.4 (13.4–25.4) | 63.1 (49.9–76.2) |
| Wallis and Futuna | 2015 | 82 | 1117 | 26.8 (23.3–30.3) | 20.8 (16.8–24.8) | 36.8 (32–41.6) |
| Western Pacific total | – | – | 59,714 | 8.0 (6.8–9.1) | 6.1 (5.3–7) | 9.7 (7.7–11.7) |
| Total | – | – | 244,863 | 16.2 (15.4–17) | 13.1 (12.3–13.9) | 23.2 (21.1–25.3) |