A “substantial minority” of 15-year-olds have had sexual intercourse, according results of a survey of 33,943 adolescents from 24 European and North American countries. The percentages of 15-year-olds who said they had sexual intercourse varied by country ranging from 14.1 percent in Croatia to 37.6 percent in England. Boys were more apt than girls to report having had sexual intercourse. In addition, 13.2 percent of the sexually active 15-year-olds reported using no form of contraception during their last intercourse episode. But for those who did (82 percent), condoms were the most popular means of contraception reported, although condom use varied widely between countries, ranging from 53 percent in Sweden to 89 percent in Greece. Contraceptive pills were the second most common contraception method, again with wide variation between countries, from 3 percent in Croatia and Greece to 48 percent in Flemish Belgium and the Netherlands.
The dual use of the pill and condoms was also relatively frequent, ranging from 2.6 percent in Croatia to 28.8 percent in Canada. The use of the pill was most common in northern and western Europe. Researchers note that contraceptive use is particularly high—and pregnancy rates low—in countries such as the Netherlands that are “strongly accepting of teenage contraceptive use and are insuring adolescent access to contraception and sex education.”