Young people in Europe use condoms less frequently
WHO: Young people in Europe use condoms less frequently
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Young people in Europe use condoms less frequently
Young people in Europe have used condoms much less frequently in recent years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Switzerland, however, bucked the trend.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
WHO: Jugendliche in Europa nutzen seltener Kondome
Original
The rate of unprotected sex is “worryingly high”, WHO Europe said on Thursday. This exposes young people to a “significant risk of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies”.
The data comes from a survey of 242,000 15-year-olds in 42 of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region, including Central Asia. According to the data, it shows that the proportion of sexually active boys who used a condom the last time they had sex fell from 70% in 2014 to 61% in 2022. For girls, the figure fell from 63% to 57%.
Almost a third of young people stated that they had not used a condom or the pill the last time they had sex. This is roughly the same as in 2018. Use of the pill remained fairly stable in 2022 compared to 2014; 26% of 15-year-olds stated that they had used it the last time they had sex.
Condom use in Switzerland
At the time of the survey in 2022, around 22% of 15-year-old males in Switzerland did not use a condom during their last sexual intercourse.
Switzerland was among those countries where this contraceptive was used more frequently. In Sweden, on the other hand, 43% stated that they had not used a condom.
Among girls of the same age in Switzerland, 28% did not use a condom during their last sexual intercourse; 77% of girls of this age also stated that they did not use a contraceptive pill.
WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge criticised the fact that age-appropriate comprehensive sex education continues to be neglected in many countries. According to the WHO, inadequate sex education not only leads to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, but also to higher healthcare costs and impaired educational and career paths for young people.
More
More
Dialogue: Should sex education in Switzerland adapt to societal changes?
This content was published on
The question of what should be part of sex education in schools is sparking controversy in Switzerland. What is your opinion on the matter?
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Over a quarter of Swiss Catholics consider leaving the church
This content was published on
In Switzerland 27% of Catholics have thought about leaving the church, according to a survey by the Sotomo research centre.
This content was published on
Following the Credit Suisse debacle, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) is adapting its organisation.
This content was published on
The Swiss Armed Forces are training their fighter jets in Bern to fly from a civilian base. The exercise at Bern Airport will last until Wednesday.
Plans materialise for new particle accelerator in Geneva
This content was published on
Preparations for a huge new particle accelerator in Geneva have reached a milestone. After several years of work, a feasibility study for the project has now been finalised.
This content was published on
The value of frozen Russian assets in Switzerland currently stands at CHF7.4 billion ($8.4 billion), the Swiss government announced on Tuesday.
This content was published on
The number of business start-ups in Switzerland accelerated in the first three months of the year, with entrepreneurs being particularly dynamic in Central Switzerland, Basel and Geneva.
Most Swiss authorities want to ban Nazi symbols in public
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss political parties, cantons and associations want to ban the use and distribution of Nazi symbols in public.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.