What is the age of consent across Europe?

The age of consent across European jurisdictions generally ranges between 14 and 18 years old. Most countries set this unrestricted age at 14, 15, or 16, while a few jurisdictions require individuals to be 17 or 18. Additional legal factors, such as close-in-age exceptions, positions of authority, and restrictions on incest, can also affect the legality of sexual acts.

What we know

• Across Europe, the unrestricted age of consent varies between 14 and 18. [2, 3]
• Most European countries set their unrestricted age of consent within the range of 14 to 16. [2, 3]
• Only four European countries set an unrestricted age of consent higher than 16: Cyprus (17), the Republic of Ireland (17), Turkey (18), and Vatican City (18). [2]
• Some European countries implement close-in-age exceptions that allow underage partners to legally engage in sexual acts with each other. [2, 3]
• Sexual acts can remain illegal even if participants are above the age of consent if an older participant holds a position of authority over the younger one. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• compared withHow does the age of consent work in North America?
• how it workedWhat are close-in-age exceptions?
• compared withHow do age of consent laws apply across Asia?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the general legal definition of the age of consent?
• what followedHow do positions of trust impact statutory consent laws?
• an unexpected connectionWhy does Vatican City share the highest age of consent threshold in Europe with Turkey?While maintaining entirely different legal and religious frameworks, both Vatican City and Turkey establish an unrestricted age of consent at 18, placing them at the upper limit of European jurisdictions.

Sources

• [1]Ages of consent in Europe (Wikidata Q114912) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Age of consent in Europe · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Age of consent · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Age of consent in North America · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Age of consent in Asia · CC BY-SA 4.0