The ages of consent around the world

The age at which a person is deemed legally competent to consent to sexual activity varies widely around the world - and even within Europe.

Most countries prohibit sex with under-16s or under-18s, but in some places the age of consent is as low as 11, or as high as 20. However, even within counties this can vary widely between males and females and in cases of heterosexual and homosexual sex.

In the UK, the age of consent stands at 16, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. So how does this compare with the rest of the world?

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Europe: Spain previously had the lowest age of consent in Europe, but raised it from 13 to 16 in 2013, bringing it in line with the UK, Russia, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland and Belgium. Children as young as 14 are considered able to consent to sex in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy and Portugal. By contrast, the age of consent is much higher in Turkey, at 18.

The Vatican is the only jurisdiction in Europe not to have equal and gender-neutral age limits. In accordance with canon law all sex outside of marriage is illicit regardless of the age or willingness of those who engage in it, although the age at which a woman can marry is 14 compared to 16 for a man.

The US: Set on a state-by-state basis, the age of consent ranges from 16 to 18. In some states, a close-in-age exemption, commonly known as “Romeo and Juliet laws”, exists to decriminalise consensual sex between two individuals who are both under the age of consent, according to independent website AgeofConsent.net.

Roughly half of all US states allow children under the age of consent to get married with special permission, either from parents or from a court. Children as young as ten were among the almost 250,000 US minors who got married between 2000 and 2010, The Guardian reports. Several states are in the process of introducing legislation to close these loopholes.

Africa: In most parts of Southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, people can consent to sex from the age of 16. In Libya and Sudan, the age of consent is not specified, but marriage is legally required before sex is allowed.

Asia and Oceania: Last year South Korea raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 “to strengthen protection for minors following accusations the existing law on sex crimes was too weak”, RTE reported. The Philippines has also faced calls to raise its age of consent from 12, with a bill currently passing through parliament to increase it to 16. In Japan the age of consent is low at 13, although some municipalities such as Tokyo prohibit sexual activity under 18 years old in most circumstances. On mainland China the minimum age is 14, rising to 16 in Hong Kong. In all Australian territories, the age of consent is 16, except for in South Australia and Tasmania, where it is 17. In India it is 18, while some strict Muslim countries such as Malaysia outlaw homosexual sex at any age.

Middle East: Like parts of North Africa, most Middle Eastern countries do not have a set age of consent but require that the couple are married. This includes Afghanistan, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen. In many countries where sex outside of marriage is illegal, the minimum age of marriage is lower for women than for men. It is common for courts to grant permission for girls to marry below the legal age. In Iran in 2010, for example, The Telegraph reported that as many as 42,000 children aged between ten and 14 were married, and 716 girls younger than ten had wed. In Jordan, 16-year-olds can consent to sex, while in Iraq they must be 18. By contrast, Bahrain has the highest age of consent in the world, at 21.

South America: In Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, the age of consent is 14, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Paraguay, meanwhile, has the age set at 14 for heterosexual relations, but at 16 for homosexual sexual activity, and does not have a close-in-age exemption. In Chile, where the age of consent is 18, it is possible for two individuals both aged 17 or under who willingly engage in intercourse to be prosecuted for statutory rape, although this is rare.