Most Africans support the right of girls and women to make their own choices about marriage and childbearing, a new Afrobarometer Pan-Africa Profile report shows.
The report, based on 50,961 interviews conducted during Afrobarometer’s Round 10 surveys across 38 African countries in 2024/2025, shows that most citizens want girls who become pregnant to be allowed to continue their schooling. A large majority also favour the teaching of sexuality education in schools to help young people make informed decisions about their health and relationships.
Despite strong support for teaching sexuality education in schools, public opinion is divided on whether to make contraceptives available to anyone who is sexually active regardless of age. However, a majority of Africans endorse the idea of making contraceptives available to anyone who is sexually active regardless of marital status.
Key findings:
On average across 38 countries, large majorities of Africans say women should be able to decide for themselves whether and when to marry (75%) as well as when to have children and how many children to have (62%)
More than seven in 10 Africans (73%) endorse the teaching of sexuality education in school.
About eight in 10 citizens (81%) – including majorities in all surveyed countries say girls who get pregnant or have children should be allowed to continue their schooling.
A majority (58%) of Africans say contraceptives should be made available to anyone who is sexually active regardless of marital status.
A majority (63%) of respondents say abortion can “sometimes” or “always” be justified if the woman’s health or life is at risk.
