Sexual and reproductive health in Asia and the Pacific

There are almost one billion young people aged between 10 and 24 years living in Asia and the Pacific, accounting for more than a quarter of the population in this region.

These young people live in diverse socio-cultural and economic contexts, yet they share important challenges and opportunities related to their sexual and reproductive health.

In all countries, increasing access to media, urbanisation and globalisation are contributing to changing sexual values, norms and behaviours of young people, often in conflict with the traditional, conservative socio-cultural attitudes towards premarital sex and gender norms. These factors contribute to significant barriers that limit young people’s access to the information and services that they need to make a healthy transition into adulthood. 

In 2015, Burnet conducted a review of young people’s sexual and reproductive health in 32 countries, commissioned by UNFPA. This wide-ranging report described the status of young people’s sexual and reproductive health outcomes, risks and determinants, and examined the impact of existing policies and programmes, and showcasing best practices in the region.

The review was updated in 2019, with particular focus on current evidence, policy and programme approaches related to key SRHR priorities in the region:

• Child marriage and early union
• Adolescent pregnancy
• Young people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity
• SRH in a digital age
• Comprehensive sexuality education
• Universal health coverage for adolescent SRH