What are ages of consent around the world?

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

February 20, 2024 

The "age of consent" is the minimum age at which a person is considered legally competent to consent to sexual acts. 

A person younger than the age of consent (i.e.: underaged) cannot legally confirm that a sexual act in which they participated was consensual. 

In the eyes of the law, they are not yet old enough to consent to sex. As a result, if a person over the age of consent engages in sexual activity with a partner who is underaged, this activity may be considered statutory rape. 

The age of consent around the world ranges from 11 to 21, according to the World Population Review. 

11 Years 

• Nigeria. 

12 Years 

• Philippines and Angola. 

13 Years 

• Niger, Comoros and Burkina Faso and Japan (athough Japan has notoriously inconsistent consent laws that designate different ages of consent, ranging from 13 to 20, depending upon where one is in the country). 

14 Years 

• Germany, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Montenegro, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Mauritius, Malawi, Chad, Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia. 

15 Years 

• France, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Czech Republic, Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Slovenia, Thailand, North Korea, Cambodia, Costa Rica and Uruguay. 

16 Years 

• UK, US (majority of states), Canada, Russia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Ukraine, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Jordan, Cuba and Jamaica.

17 Years

• Mexico, Ireland and Cyprus. 

18 Years 

• India, Vietnam, Turkey, Kenya, Uganda, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt. 

20 Years 

• South Korea and Nepal. 

21 Years 

• Bahrain. 

No age of consent but people must be married 

• Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar.