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1 in 5 women don't use any contraception, survey finds, with experts urging better sex ed

Published: 27 May. 2026, 07:00

Condoms lie at the world’s top condom maker Karex’s facility in Malaysia on April 23. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The biggest irony behind Korea’s chronically low birthrate may lie in the bedroom: While people are still having sex, contraception use is often risky, inconsistent or entirely absent.

Nearly four in 10 Korean women in their 20s and 30s do not consistently use contraception during sexual intercourse because many believe that pregnancy "is unlikely to happen," according to a recent report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs that was obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday.

The report — with a title that translates roughly to "Korean women’s sexual and reproductive health across life cycles" — surveyed 6,174 women in August and September of last year. The researchers classified the female population into four groups: adolescents aged between 13 and 18; young adults aged 19 to 39; middle-aged women aged 40 to 64; and older women aged 65 or older.

A total of 53.4 percent of young adults answered that they had engaged in sexual intercourse within the past year. Among them, only 62 percent said they “always” used contraception. Another 20.9 percent said they did not use contraception at all, while 17.1 percent said they used it occasionally.

Although the percentage of consistent contraceptive use improved from 47.8 percent in the previous survey in 2022, experts say it remains far too low overall.

“The level of contraception use is still extremely low,” said Choi An-na, the director of the Gangwon State Gangneung Medical Center.

A pack of birth control pills [YUHAN CORPORATION]

When asked why they did not opt for consistent contraception, the most cited reason was the belief that pregnancy was unlikely to occur, chosen by 42.1 percent among respondents who do not use contraception at all. Some 36.5 percent cited discomfort using contraceptives such as condoms.

“Because of my age, I feel like pregnancy isn’t that easy anymore, even if I have sex during ovulation,” a 36-year-old woman surnamed Kim said. “That’s why I don’t regularly use condoms or birth control pills.”

The methods themselves also raised concerns. Among women who had sex within the past year and were not pregnant, menopausal or postpartum, only 38.3 percent said they relied solely on modern contraceptives such as condoms or birth control pills — excluding methods of withdrawal and cycle-tracking.

Condoms and oral contraceptives can prevent pregnancy more than 90 percent of the time when they are used properly, while methods like withdrawal and cycle-tracking are far less reliable, experts say.

“The findings show there is still a significant discrepancy in [the understanding] of consistently practicing contraception and using effective methods,” the research team said.

A person looks at a pregnancy test in a file photo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Among those who used contraceptive methods over the past year, menstrual cycle-tracking topped with 33.6 percent. The figure far exceeded that of birth control pills at 20.9 percent and emergency contraceptive pills, or morning-after pills, at 10 percent.

Withdrawal ranked second among contraceptive methods used by partners at 42.2 percent, behind condoms.

“I usually alternate between condoms and withdrawal,” said a 34-year-old woman surnamed Kim. “But after withdrawal, I sometimes get anxious afterward and take a pregnancy test.”

Teenagers showed similar patterns.

One in three girls aged 13 to 18 who had sex within the past year said they either never used contraception or used it only occasionally. Some 76.5 percent of them said that they were unable to prepare contraceptives ahead of time.

“In many countries, children are taught from an early age that contraception should be used during sex, ” said Yoo Jung-hyun, an OB-GYN professor at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital. “But in Korea, deep-rooted misconceptions about birth control pills persist, including the belief that they cause infertility and other side effects.”

A nursery for newborns in Seoul in an undated photo [YONHAP]

Experts warn that those attitudes can lead to unintended pregnancies.

Some 14.8 percent of women aged 19 to 39 who had sex within the past year said they had gone through an unintended pregnancy due to inconsistent contraception or contraceptive failure. Some opted for abortion later. Nearly one in 10 women aged 19 to 39 who had ever had sex said they had experienced an abortion.

“While increased use of emergency contraceptive pills among younger women has helped reduce abortion risks, the rate of modern contraceptive use remains low,” said Kim Dong-seok, the honorary chairman of the Korean College of Ob & Gyn. “We need more substantial sex education and broader efforts to improve awareness.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG JONG-HOON, KIM NAM-YOUNG [[email protected]]