National Health Statistics Reports, Number 104, June 22, 2017

Age at first sexual intercourse: 

Probability of first sex, by each age

In 2011–2015, males were more 

likely than females to have had sexual 

intercourse in the early teen years 

(ages 15 and 16) (

Figure 2

, 

Table 2

). 

By age 17, the probabilities of having 

had sexual intercourse were similar 

for males and females. For example, 

by age 15, 16% of males had ever had 

sexual intercourse compared with 11% 

of females, but by age 18, 55% of male 

and female teenagers had ever had sexual 

intercourse. The probability of having 

had sexual intercourse by age 18 was 

higher for non-Hispanic black teenagers 

(compared with non-Hispanic white 

and Hispanic teenagers), those who did 

not live with both biological parents at 

age 14, those whose mothers were teen 

mothers, and those whose mothers did 

not attend any college (those with a high 

school diploma or less than a high school 

diploma compared with those whose 

mothers completed at least some college).