Table 10. Sexual Activity Among Young Men

Premarital Sexual Activity and Marriage Among Young Men, 1990-2003

Region, Country & Year % Reporting Any
Premarital Intercoursea
% Reporting Sexual Activity
in the Last 4 Weeks
Median Age at First
Sexual Intercourseb
Median Age at
First Marriagec
Years Between
Sexual Debut
and Marriaged
All Men
15-19
All Men
20-24
Unmarried
Men 15-19
Unmarried
Men 20-24
All Men
25-29
All Men
25-29
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Benin 1996 NA 81 NA 34 17.2 25.0 7.8
Benin 2001 51 83 15 33 17.2 24.4 7.2
Burkina Faso 1998-99 27 62 11 26 20.1 25.2e 5.1
Cameroon 1998 46 81 21 47 17.6 21.7f 4.1
Cape Verde 1998a 63 96 26 58 16.1 24.9e 8.8
Central African Rep. 1994-95 50 80 25 52 17.4 23.3 5.9
Chad 1996-97 33 57 15 27 18.7 22.7 4.0
Comoros 1996 36 63 19 28 16.8 25.6e 8.8
Côte d'Ivoire 1998-99 55 84 26 43 17.3 26.3e 9.0
Eritrea 1995 2 37 1 8 NA 24.7 NA
Ethiopia 2000 13 37 4 8 21.3 23.2 1.9
Gabon 2000 77 91 33 56 15.9 24.7 8.8
Ghana 1993 33 77 13 39 18.6 25.5e 6.9
Ghana 1998 18 58 7 22 19.1 24.8e 5.7
Guinea 1999 50 77 26 35 17.6 26.1e 8.5
Kenya 1993 NA 93 NA 51 16.4 24.5e 8.1
Kenya 1998 54 88 24 40 16.3 25.0e 8.7
Malawi 1992 NA NA NA NA NA 24.0 NA
Malawi 2000 59 78 21 26 18.2 22.7 4.5
Mali 1995-96 36 66 9 24 19.6 24.5 4.9
Mali 2001 NA NA NA NA 19.0 25.4e 6.4
Mozambique 1997 65 76 26 49 18.5 21.2 2.7
Mozambique 2001a 57 91 NA NA NA NA NA
Niger 1992 NA NA NA NA NA 21.5 NA
Niger 1998 23 39 7 9 20.3 22.5 2.2
Rwanda 1992 NA NA NA NA NA 23.1 NA
Rwanda 2000 20 49 1 4 20.6 24.6 4.0
Senegal 1997 NA NA NA NA 21.0 30.0e 9.0
Tanzania 1991-92 60 88 45 61 16.8 24.8 8.0
Tanzania 1996 40 79 20 40 17.6 24.4 6.8
Tanzania 1999 56 83 24 44 17.6 23.4 5.8
Togo 1998 42 81 13 30 NA NA NA
Uganda 1995 42 74 10 20 17.5 22.6 5.1
Uganda 2000-01 35 73 8 20 19.4 21.9 2.5
Zambia 1996 66 86 27 36 16.4 23.4 7.0
Zambia 2001-02 NA NA NA NA 16.8 23.2 6.4
Zimbabwe 1994 32 79 9 27 19.0 25.5e 6.5
Zimbabwe 1999 29 69 7 25 19.1 24.3 5.2
Zimbabwe 2001a 32 75 12 41 NA NA 5.2
NEAR EAST & NORTH AFRICA
Mauritania 2000-01 12 22 3 7 NA 27.1e NA
Turkey 1998 NA NA NA NA 19.2 23.5 4.3
ASIA
Bangladesh 1996-97 NA NA NA NA NA 22.3 NA
Nepal 2001 NA NA NA NA 19.0 20.0 1.0
Pakistan 1990-91 NA NA NA NA NA 21.8 NA
LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Belize 1999a 36 80 NA NA 16.8 NA NA
Bolivia 1998 39 81 15 44 17.1 23.7 6.6
Brazil 1996 63 91 22 46 16.5 24.3 7.8
Costa Rica 1991a 42 76 23 38 NA NA NA
Dominican Rep. 1996 49 80 12 36 16.1 24.1 8.0
Dominican Rep. 2002 NA NA NA NA 16.2 22.3 6.1
El Salvador 2003a 50 83 61 45 16.8 23.7 6.9
Guatemala 2002a 38 78 12 56 16.1 23.1 7.0
Haiti 1994-95 NA NA NA NA 18.3 26.5e 8.2
Haiti 2000 50 82 17 29 16.7 26.0e 9.3
Honduras 1996 NA NA 37 44 NA NA NA
Honduras 2001a 49 80 NA NA 15.5 22.5 7.0
Jamaica 1997a 74 98 41 67 NA NA NA
Nicaragua 1998 56 85 21 43 15.6 21.2 5.6
Peru 1996 45 83 18 42 16.6 24.2e 7.6
EASTERN EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA
Albania 2002a 5 55 NA NA NA NA NA
Armenia 2000 13 60 4 27 19.8 24.9 5.1
Kazakhstan 1999 33 73 16 46 18.6 23.7 5.1
Romania 1999a 45 91 --------------31-------------- 17.6 24.5 6.9
a First intercourse is considered premarital if the age at first sexual experience is less than the age at first marriage. For countries marked with a, the month, year, and relationship with partner are asked about first intercourse. If the partner is reported as husband, intercourse is classified as premarital if it occurred at least one month before marriage.
b Median age at first sexual intercourse: the age by which half of the population in that age group had become sexually active.
c Median age at first marriage: the age by which half of the population in that age group had married.
d As estimated by the difference between median age at first sexual intercourse and median age at first marriage.
e Less than 50% of the respondents ages 25-29 were married by age 25; data are for men ages 30-34.
f From 1991 survey.
NA = Not available