About one in three men and one in four women in the United States report using a condom the last time they had sex. Specifically, CDC data from 2011 to 2015 found that 33.7% of men and 23.8% of women aged 15 to 44 used a condom at their most recent sexual encounter. Those numbers shift dramatically depending on age, relationship status, and where in the world you look.
Usage Rates by Age
Teenagers are the most likely age group to use condoms. Among female teens aged 15 to 19 who have had sex, 97% report having used a condom at least once. That high rate reflects the fact that younger people are less likely to be on other forms of contraception and more likely to have received recent sex education that emphasizes condom use.
Usage drops steadily with age. By the time people reach their 30s and 40s, condom use falls well below the national average. Many adults in long-term relationships switch to other contraceptive methods or stop using protection altogether if they’re trying to conceive or no longer concerned about pregnancy.
Married vs. Unmarried Couples
Relationship status is one of the strongest predictors of whether someone uses a condom. Research across multiple countries consistently shows that condoms are seen as more appropriate for casual or non-marital relationships than for marriages or long-term partnerships. In countries with widespread HIV epidemics, only about 8% of married couples who use contraception choose condoms, and that figure hasn’t budged in over 20 years.
This pattern holds in the U.S. as well. People in newer or non-exclusive relationships report much higher rates of condom use, while married and cohabiting couples tend to rely on hormonal birth control, IUDs, or sterilization. The perception that condoms are unnecessary once trust is established drives much of this gap, even though STI risk doesn’t disappear within a marriage.
Condom Use Is Declining Among Teens
While teenagers still use condoms more than any other age group, the trend is moving in the wrong direction. A 2024 WHO report found that among sexually active adolescents, condom use at last intercourse dropped from 70% to 61% among boys and from 63% to 57% among girls between 2014 and 2022. Nearly a third of adolescents reported using neither a condom nor the contraceptive pill the last time they had sex, a figure that has barely changed since 2018.
The reasons behind this decline aren’t fully clear, but researchers point to shifting attitudes about risk, increased use of long-acting contraceptives that prevent pregnancy but not STIs, and reduced emphasis on condom-specific education in some settings.
Internal (Female) Condoms Remain Rare
When people talk about condom use, they’re almost always talking about external (male) condoms. Internal condoms, sometimes called female condoms, account for just 1.6% of all condoms distributed worldwide. In most developing countries, fewer than 1% of women of reproductive age have ever used one. A handful of countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean see slightly higher rates, ranging from 1% to 7%, but the internal condom remains a niche product globally.
Cost, availability, and unfamiliarity all play a role. Internal condoms are harder to find in stores, typically more expensive, and many people have never seen one demonstrated or discussed in sex education.
How Effective Condoms Are When Used
Condoms have two jobs: preventing pregnancy and reducing STI transmission. For pregnancy prevention, the gap between ideal and real-world performance is significant. With perfect use every single time, condoms have a 2% failure rate over a year. With typical use, which accounts for occasional mistakes like putting one on late or using the wrong size, the failure rate rises to 18%.
For STI prevention, male condoms reduce the risk of heterosexual HIV transmission by roughly 80%, meaning they cut the chance of infection by about four-fifths when used consistently. Protection against other infections varies. Condoms are most effective against STIs transmitted through bodily fluids and less effective against those spread by skin-to-skin contact in areas the condom doesn’t cover.
Why Many People Don’t Use Them
The gap between knowing condoms work and actually using them comes down to several overlapping factors. Being in a committed relationship is the single biggest reason people skip condoms. Many couples view switching away from condoms as a milestone of trust, even when neither partner has been tested recently. Using another form of birth control also makes condoms feel redundant to many people, even though hormonal methods and IUDs do nothing to prevent STIs.
Reduced sensation is a commonly cited concern, particularly among men. Some people also report difficulty with fit, latex allergies, or simply not having a condom available in the moment. Alcohol and other substances lower the likelihood of condom use during any given encounter. For younger people especially, embarrassment about buying or carrying condoms can be a practical barrier, even if they intend to use them.