the age of consent is the age at which a person can legally consent to have sexual intercourse. this is also the minimum age of the other person legally permitted to engage in sexual activity. having sex with a person who is younger than the age of consent (but who agrees to have sex) is called statutory rape. the person below the minimum age is regarded as a victim, and their sex partner as the offender. different countries have different laws regarding the age of consent. some are as low as 12 or as high as 21. most countries have ages set between 14 and 16. but worldwide, the average age of consent is 16 years of age.