Age of consent legislation varies widely across the world, even when underage adults are more than 14 in most countries, at 12 in some other countries like Angola and the Philippines, and 13 in South Korea and Japan. Moreover, many countries ask people to be married before they can legally have sex, mainly in Asia and Africa. They all are strongly patriarchal on sex and sexual problems like in Libya, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia.
While most European countries are 16-17 years of consent age, many other countries, including Malta and the Vatican City, also have rules of consent greater than the norm, which mandate young adults to be at least 18 before having sex lawfully. The least age of consent in Europe is Austria at the age of 14.
The highest age of consent in the Americas, Chile, Argentina, and many other countries is 18 years old.
What is Age Of Consent?
The consent age is the legal age at which a person is deemed sufficiently competent to commit to sex. In certain countries and where the partners are less than the age of consent, sexual relation with anyone under the Age of Consent may be called statutory rape.
What is the current situation of the Age of Consent Around the World?
The minimum age of consent ranges from one nation to another from eleven to 21 years. There is no legal term of consent in certain countries, but all sexual activities outside marriage are banned.
In which countries do sex is considered illegal between unmarried people?
There are 13 nations with no age of lawful consent, and in these realms, only if they are married will they participate in sexual intercourse. The main population in these countries is Islamic countries. It also includes Sudan and Libya in the United Arab Emirates and Yemen in Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Kuwait, the Maldives, Pakistan, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar.
What are the Lowest and Highest Ages of Consent By Country?
The age of consent could be a very blurred field in some areas, mostly in less developed countries, and offenses may not be taken severely. Few areas have no specific age of consent, making them more easily interpretable than countries with more specific rules.
In Bahrain, the world’s maximum age of consent is 21. South Korea is 20 years of age of consent, while the rest have 16-18 years of consent. In Nigeria, the world’s lowest age of consent is 11. In the Philippines and Angola, 12 years are consenting, and in Burkina Faso, Comoros, Niger, and Japan, 13 years are consenting. Japan is also the only developed nation with the lowest consent age list, but laws in the local prefecture expand the effective age to 16-18 years in most countries.
Moreover, some countries in the Middle East and Africa have no legal age of consent, but all sexual acts beyond marriage are prohibited. Especially in some nations where girls are married at 9 or 10.
Below are the countries with lowest ages of consent:
- Angola -12 years
- Philippines -12 years
- Western Sahara -13 years
- Comoros -13 years
- Burkina Faso -13 years
- Niger -13 years
- South Korea -13 years
- Japan -13 years
- San Marino -14 years
- Liechtenstein -14 years
Well, here is the overview of the highest and lowest Ages of Consent Around The World!
| Countries | Age | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Liberia | 18 | 5,302,681 |
| Panama | 18 | 4,408,581 |
| Eritrea | 18 | 3,684,032 |
| Gambia | 18 | 2,705,992 |
| Gabon | 18 | 2,388,992 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 18 | 1,674,908 |
| Djibouti | 18 | 1,120,849 |
| Bhutan | 18 | 782,455 |
| Malta | 18 | 533,286 |
| Seychelles | 18 | 107,118 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 18 | 49,551 |
| Vatican City | 18 | 510 |
| Mexico | 17 | 127,504,125 |
| Ireland | 17 | 5,023,109 |
| Cyprus | 17 | 1,251,488 |
| Nauru | 17 | 12,668 |
Age of Consent in Russia
Russia requires an age of 16 years for consent. Individuals aged 15 or under in Russia cannot agree to sexual intercourse lawfully, leading to civil rape proceedings or the corresponding local law. Russia’s consent age has changed over and over again. The Criminal Code of the RSFSR expresses that permission is given when “sexual maturity” has been achieved. Russia’s statutory rape law is infringed if an individual has voluntary sexual contact with an individual under 16.
Age of Consent in Canada
Canada has 16 years of age of consent. The legislation provides an exception for ‘close-in-age people who may, thus, be 14- and 15-year-olds under five years and who are 12- and 13-year-olds who are under two years old agree to a partner. Persons aged 15 or younger in Canada cannot be lawful to sexual intercourse, which lawfully can result in legal rape proceedings or local counterpart law.
Age of Consent in China
China has 14 years of age of consent. The two regions of China, Macau and Hong Kong have territorial age of consent regulation in their own right. Macau, like China, is 14 years old when it comes to approval. Hong Kong has 16 years of age of consent. Persons of thirteen or younger ages are not legal in China and can be persecuted for legal abuse or the same local law. In China, sexual intercourse is not permissible.
Age of Consent in United States
The United States has 16 years of age of consent because of a strange distortion of Texas law. Any State has local legislation establishing an age of consent and related laws, including closely in the case of age exemptions. That’s why it can vary from 16, 17 to 18. In the USA, statutory rape law is infringed. The age of consent is from 16 to 18 years in all States.
Age of Consent in Brazil
Brazil has 14 years of age for consent. While not legal, a judicial decision provides an exception to the age of 12–13 to participate in sexual activity to the age of 5. Individuals 13 years of age or younger are not constitutionally permitted in Brazil to consent, leading to the enforcement of statutory rape or local analogous legislation. If someone has consensual sexual intercourse with a minor under 14, Brazil’s legal rape statute is broken. A close exception enables children between 12 and 13 years to have sexual intercourse with partners under five.
Age of Consent in Australia
Australia has 16 years of age of consent. Australia’s civil violations of rape law allow each territory of Australia too has their local legislation that stipulates an age of consent ranging from a low age of 16 to a high of 17.
Age of Consent in India
India is 18 years old with the age of consent. India violates statutory rape law if a person has mutual sexual relations with someone younger than 18. If the pair are married, the age of consent decreases to 15 years.
Age of Consent in Saudi Arabia
The legal age of consent is not allowed for Saudi Arabia since marriage is required legal before sex is legalized. When no age restriction is applied to marriage, married people do not necessarily have an age of consent. No age of consent is available in Saudi Arabia since all non-marriage sexual intercourse is illegal. While the parental agreement is necessary, Qatar has no marriage age limits.
Age of Consent in Japan
Japan has a 13-year age of consent. In Japan, people aged 12 and under are not lawfully able and can contribute to the conviction of statutory rape or similar local legislation about their sexual conduct.
Age of Consent in Germany
In Germany, the age of consent is fourteen. Germany’s statutory rape statute is broken if a person under the age of 21 has a mutually agreed sexual relationship with a person under the age of 14 without abusing their lack of desire to act for themselves.
Age of Consent in Mexico
Mexico has 17 years of age of consent. Individuals in Mexico aged 16 and under are not legally allowed to agree to sexual intercourse and can result in legal rape proceedings or local similar law proceedings.
The constitutional violation of Mexico’s rule of Mexico’s age of consent ranges between provinces, from 16 to 18. Several regulations range from state to state relating to consent.
Age of Consent in Pakistan
No minimum age of consent has been set in Pakistan since marriage is constitutionally mandatory before sexual intercourse. When no age restriction is applied to marriage, married people do not necessarily have an age of consent. In Pakistan, by no means age of consent because all non-marriage sexual intercourse is illegal. Men are at least 18 years old, and women are at least 16 years young, while women can be married at 14.
Age of Consent in France
France has 15 years of age of consent. In France, individuals aged 14 or under are not legal to consent, leading to legal rape or similar local legislation being prosecuted.
In consent sexual relations with a minor under 15 years of age, France is abused by criminal law on rape. The age of consent increases to 18 when the senior individual has ascendant or moral or substantive jurisdiction over the victim.
Age of Consent in Italy
Italy has 14 years’ age of consent. Individuals 13 and under are not legal in Italy and can prosecution for legal rape and the equivalent of local law. In Italy, the right to sexual contact cannot be allowed. A near-age exception requires children under the age of 13 years to commit to spouses under three years.
Age of Consent in United Kingdom
The United Kingdom’s age of consent is Sixteen. The States Members breaks the federal United Kingdom rape law, and each of these realms has local rules on the age of approval. The age of consent is the same in both of these regions.
Conclusion!
The age of consent differs state-by-state in the U.S. and on a countrywide or regional basis. For instance, in the United States, the highest age of consent is 18, mainly in eleven states – New York, California, Florida, Oregon, Iowa, Tennessee, Arkansas, Vermont, and Delaware.
On the other hand, in the United States, the lowest age of consent is 16. This is the most common consent age, which is adopted in Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Mexico City, Massachusetts, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Massachusetts, Massamota, Metropolitan Metropolis, Northern Carolina and Northern Macedonia.
