Staggering Data: The Age Young Women First Have Sex

Data on sexual debut among young women in Ghana reveals striking insights into when early sexual experiences begin. According to the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GSS, 2024 Release) by age 20 about three in four young women (74%) have already had their first sexual experience. This is a striking figure because it tells us that sexual debut is not something far away in adulthood, it is largely a teenage and early youth reality for most young women in Ghana. The figure below shows the data story on the percentage of women and men age 20-49 who had their first sexual intercourse by exact age.

When we place young women side by side with their male peers, the gap becomes even clearer. At age 20, only about half of young men (52%) have had their first sexual encounter. That means women are about 22 percentage points ahead of men in this journey, a difference that shapes how gender, expectations, and social realities interact. But the story begins earlier. By age 15, around 1 in 10 girls (11%) report having already started sexual activity, compared to just 5% of boys. The difference widens dramatically by 18 where nearly half of young women (48%) have had sex, while just a quarter of young men (26%) have. The age of 20 simply seals the trend: women are more likely than men to have transitioned into sexual life earlier.

This matters because sexual debut is tied to education, health, and opportunity. For many women, entering sexual life earlier can mean a higher risk of teenage pregnancy, dropping out of school, or facing health risks like HIV and other STIs. For men, delayed debut doesn’t necessarily shield them either, it can reflect differences in cultural norms, gender roles, and access to relationships.

At the national level, these patterns raise big questions:
• Why are Ghanaian women more likely to start earlier than men?
• What role do culture, peer influence, or lack of sex education play?
• How can families, schools, and communities support young people, especially girls, to delay sexual debut until they are better prepared physically, emotionally, and socially?

In short, if we think of Ghana’s youth story through the eyes of a 20-year-old woman, we see a clear truth: most of her peers have already crossed this milestone, while many of her male classmates have not. It is a story about timing, gender, and consequences, one that calls for a closer look at how Ghana prepares its young people for adulthood.