Sexual activity among teenagers and young adults has declined over recent decades in countries including the US, UK, Australia, Germany, and especially Japan. This trend coincides with low birth rates and raises questions about societal impacts. Experts attribute it to economic pressures, technology, mental health, and changing attitudes.
In the US, the General Social Survey shows that 12 per cent of 18- to 29-year-olds reported no sex in the past year in 2010, a figure that doubled to 24 per cent by 2024. Similar declines are seen in Australia and Germany, but Japan stands out, with a recent review indicating around half of people remaining sexually inexperienced through their mid-20s. This contributed to deaths exceeding births by nearly 1 million in Japan in 2024, described as a "quiet emergency" by then-prime minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Kaye Wellings at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine notes historical fluctuations: sex was typically postponed until marriage in the 1950s, surged with the 1960s contraceptive pill, waned during the 1980s AIDS crisis, and was encouraged in the 1990s. Today's decline lacks a single cause. Economic factors play a role; in 2023, 18 per cent of US 25- to 34-year-olds lived with parents, up from 9 per cent in 2000. "If you’re living at home, it’s not necessarily the most conducive environment to having lots of sex," says Luke Brunning at the University of Leeds.
High youth unemployment in the UK correlates with higher inactivity among young men, particularly those out of work or low-income. Peter Ueda at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden observes that "a man’s earning ability or financial status should be considered as attractive, but when you look at the research, it seems to be a universal pattern."
Other factors include rising sobriety—Gallup reports US 18- to 34-year-olds drinking fell from 72 per cent to 62 per cent over two decades—and screen time. Natasha McKeever at the University of Leeds calls Gen Z "the most connected but loneliest generation" due to digital connections fostering anxiety about in-person interactions. Dating apps, rolled out since the early 2010s, have not boosted encounters; Andras Kolto at the University of Galway says they are "not designed for people to actually have sexual intercourse, but to be hooked on the apps."
Mental health issues exacerbate the trend, per a Lancet Psychiatry report on a "dangerous phase" among youth. Brunning notes, "If people are not feeling great, they might not always be in the headspace to be engaged with sex." Yet, some see positives: a Japanese study found half of single 18- to 39-year-olds uninterested in romance, amid more life opportunities and reduced stigma around asexuality or consent, post-#MeToo.
Data limitations persist, including reporting biases and varying definitions, as Wellings explains: taboos lead to under-reporting, while status confers over-reporting. Researchers agree young people have less sex than prior generations, aligning with record-low birth rates in the UK and US. Kolto dismisses emergency fears, predicting a rebound: "The decline in adolescents’ sexual activity will surely not be the end of [the] human race." McKeever adds solutions lie in addressing alienation and housing costs: "Politicians should take care of solving these issues, then sex will take care of itself."