The adolescent birth rate in Latin America and the Caribbean stood at an average of 60.7 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19, according to 2020 estimates. The highest rate in the region was registered in Nicaragua and Honduras, where it surpassed 79 births per 1,000 women in that same age group as of 2022. In South America, Chile and Uruguay recorded some of the lowest teenage birth rates.

In 2020, the District of Columbia had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the United States, followed by Mississippi and Arkansas. At that time, there were around 45 pregnancies among teens aged 15 to 19 per 1,000 in the District of Columbia. Teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy rates in the United States have decreased in recent years. In 2020, there were around 26.7 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years. This number was almost 118 per 1,000 women in the year 1990. It is believed that the causes of this decrease include more teens abstaining from sex and increased use of birth control among those teens who are sexually active. Contraception use The use of contraception among sexually active teens is vital in reducing the rates of teen pregnancy. However, in 2021, only 52 percent of sexually active teens reported they used a condom during their last sexual intercourse. Furthermore, only 23 percent of sexually active female high school students were using the birth control bill to prevent pregnancy. Access to contraception and taboos surrounding teen sexual activity remain barriers to contraceptive use among teens in many areas of the United States.

Introduction

Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Teenage pregnancy, occurring in females aged 13 to 19, presents significant public health and socio-economic challenges.

It is influenced by factors such as lack of sexual education, socio-economic disadvantages, and family dynamics.

Teenage mothers face higher risks of health complications, and their children may experience low birth weight and developmental delays.

The impact extends to educational and economic outcomes, with affected adolescents often struggling to complete their education and secure stable employment.

Preventive measures include comprehensive sex education, access to contraception, and robust support systems.

Effective strategies require community engagement and supportive policies to address and mitigate these challenges.

In 2023, the birth rate among teenagers and young adult women aged 15 to 19 stood at 13.1 births per every thousand women. This statistic shows the U.S. birth rate among teenagers and young adult women, aged 15-19 years, between 1991 and 2023. Teenage pregnancy and birth Teenage pregnancy and births are related to a number of negative outcomes. Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to be premature and have a low birth weight, and teen mothers often experience gestational hypertension and anemia. Additionally, there are significant adverse effects on socioeconomic and educational outcomes for teenage parents. Teenage pregnancy is usually unplanned and due to the negative consequences mentioned above the ratio of legal abortions to live births in the United States is highest among teenagers. In 2022, there were 374 legal abortions per 1,000 live births among girls and young women aged 15 to 19 years, compared a ratio of 284 legal abortions per 1,000 live births among women aged 20 to 24 years. Contraceptive use among teens Contraceptive use is the best way for sexually active teenagers to avoid unwanted pregnancies, but use and accessibility remain problems in the United States. In 2021, only 23 percent of high school girls in the U.S. used the birth control pill to prevent pregnancy before their last sexual intercourse. Use of the birth control pill to prevent pregnancy is highest among white teenagers and lowest among Black teenagers, with only 11 percent of Black teenagers reporting use in 2021. Condom use is more common among high school students, but still only around half of sexually active students reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse in 2021.

Number of teen pregnancies and rates per 1,000 females, by pregnancy outcome (live births, induced abortions, or fetal loss), by age groups 15 to 17 years and 18 to 19 years, 1998 to 2000.

In 2023, Mississippi had the highest rate of teen births in the United States with approximately ** teen births per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19 years. This statistic depicts the birth rates of teenagers in the United States aged 15 to 19 years in 2023, by state.

The number of conceptions to girls aged under 18 per 1,000 girls aged 15-17, aggregated into 3 yearly time periods. Up until 2009 there were approximately 40,000 conceptions a year to teenagers under 18 in England. With teenage pregnancies in England and Wales now at the lowest level since records began, the UK nevertheless retains one of the highest rates of teenage births in Western Europe. The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy suggested three possible reasons for this: low expectations (1), a lack of accurate knowledge about contraception (2), and mixed messages from the adult world (3). Teenage pregnancy rates are known to be higher in the more deprived areas. Half of all under-18 conceptions occur in the most deprived 20% of wards. Teenage mothers are less likely to finish their education, less likely to find a good job, and more likely to end up bringing up their children solo and in poverty. Teenage parents tend to have poor ante-natal health, lower birth-weight babies and higher mortality rates among their infants. Their health and their children's are worse than average. Legacy unique identifier: P01079

Rates are listed as numbers per 1000 girls 15–19 years old,∧15–18 years old [1]–[4].

In 2023, the birth rate for women aged 15 to 19 years in the Central African Republic was *** per 1,000 women of that age, the highest adolescent birth rate of any country worldwide. This statistic shows the leading 20 countries based on adolescent birth rate in 2023, per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years.

In 2022, Bulgaria had the highest share of births to teenage mothers in Europe, at almost 10.2 percent of all births in the country. Furthermore, in Slovakia and Moldova, over five percent of births in both countries were to mothers aged below 20 years. The share of teenage births was particularly low in Switzerland, Andorra, and Norway. Falling teenage births In Europe, the share of births to teenage mothers has been trending downwards. Across the whole European region, the share of adolescent births fell from almost *** percent in 1980 to ***** percent in 2021. More specifically, in the European Union, teenagers accounted for fewer than *** percent of all births in 2021. Access to contraception In developed countries, the average age for women giving birth has increased over time, and in general, women are choosing to have fewer children. One of the main reasons is improved access to contraception, which allows women greater autonomy over their bodies. Luxembourg, which was rated as having the best access to modern contraception, also has the highest average childbearing age in Europe. Next on the contraception ranking; Belgium, France, and the UK also had a mean age of around ** for mothers.

This map shows the teen pregnancy rate per 1,000 females age 15 to 17 by county. Counties are shaded based on quartile distribution. The lighter shaded counties have a lower percentage of teen pregnancy. The darker shaded counties have a higher percentage of teen pregnancy. New York State Community Health Indicator Reports (CHIRS) were developed in 2012, and are updated annually to consolidate and improve data linkages for the health indicators included in the County Health Assessment Indicators (CHAI) for all communities in New York. The CHIRS present data for more than 300 health indicators that are organized by 15 different health topics. Data if provided for all 62 New York State counties, 11 regions (including New York City), the State excluding New York City, and New York State. For more information, check out: http://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/chac/indicators/. The "About" tab contains additional details concerning this dataset.

This statistic depicts the U.S. pregnancy rate among teenagers in 2014, by ethnicity. In that year, there were around 38 teen pregnancies per 1,000 Hispanic women aged 15-19 years in the United States.

Data on teenage conceptions at ward level has been analysed by quintiles and are presented as maps to illustrate the variation whilst avoiding the risk of disclosing information on individuals. Under 18 conception rates at ward level were produced by aggregating the number of conceptions to all girls aged under 18 over three year periods (2000-2002 and 2001-2003) and calculating the rate as the number of conceptions per 1,000 women aged 15-17 resident in the area using the mid year ward population estimates. Quintiles were then produced by ranking ward level under 18 conceptions rates from the lowest to highest at National level and then allocating wards to one of five equal groups based on the total number of wards. Quintile 1 therefore includes wards with the lowest rates, whilst quintile 5 includes wards with the highest rates in England and Wales. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS) Publisher: Neighbourhood Statistics Geographies: Ward, Local Authority District (LAD) Geographic coverage: England and Wales Time coverage: 2000-2002, 2001-2003 Type of data: Administrative data

Niger had the highest adolescent fertility rate in Africa as of 2021. The country registered ***** births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 years. Mozambique followed, with ***** births per 1,000 girls. The average adolescent fertility rate in Sub-Saharan Africa was measured at ***** births per 1,000 girls that same year. According to the source, the African region presents overall high fertility rates at all ages and adolescent pregnancies are common, influenced by marriage at young ages. By contrast, countries in North Africa presented lower adolescent fertility rates. Tunisia had *** births per 1,000 young women in 2021, while Libya measured a slightly higher rate at ***.

Lesotho LS: Teenage Mothers data was reported at 19.100 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 19.600 % for 2009. Lesotho LS: Teenage Mothers data is updated yearly, averaging 19.600 % from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2014, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20.200 % in 2004 and a record low of 19.100 % in 2014. Lesotho LS: Teenage Mothers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank: Health Statistics. Teenage mothers are the percentage of women ages 15-19 who already have children or are currently pregnant.; ; Demographic and Health Surveys.; Weighted average;

This is one of three datasets related to the Prevention Agenda Tracking Indicators county level data posted on this site. Each dataset consists of county level data for 68 health tracking indicators and sub-indicators for the Prevention Agenda 2013-2017: New York State’s Health Improvement Plan. A health tracking indicator is a metric through which progress on a certain area of health improvement can be assessed. The indicators are organized by the Priority Area of the Prevention Agenda as well as the Focus Area under each Priority Area. Each dataset includes tracking indicators for the five Priority Areas of the Prevention Agenda 2013-2017. The most recent year dataset includes the most recent county level data for all indicators. The trend dataset includes the most recent county level data and historical data, where available. Each dataset also includes the Prevention Agenda 2017 state targets for the indicators. Sub-indicators are included in these datasets to measure health disparities among socioeconomic groups. For more information, check out: http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/prevention_agenda/2013-2017/ and https://www.health.ny.gov/PreventionAgendaDashboard, or go to the “About” tab.

In 2022, Afghanistan had the highest number of births among women aged between 15 and 19, with approximately **** births per thousand adolescent women. Across the Asia-Pacific region, the adolescent fertility rate for that year was lowest in Hong Kong, with around *** births per thousand women between 15 and 19 years.

Kenya KE: Teenage Mothers data was reported at 19.200 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 18.100 % for 2014. Kenya KE: Teenage Mothers data is updated yearly, averaging 20.500 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2015, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25.400 % in 1989 and a record low of 17.700 % in 2009. Kenya KE: Teenage Mothers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Teenage mothers are the percentage of women ages 15-19 who already have children or are currently pregnant.; ; Demographic and Health Surveys.; Weighted average;

Football has been instrumental in promoting sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries. The Liverpool Football Club Foundation (LFC Foundation) and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) recently completed the second year of their 2.5-year Health Goals Malawi project. Initially aimed at reducing HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teenage boys and young men in Malawi, a similar initiative was launched in disadvantaged areas of Liverpool, where STI rates and early pregnancies are notably high. The project's objectives included developing a comprehensive curriculum with coaching materials and resources, aiming to integrate this curriculum into the LFC Foundation's regular activities in Liverpool schools if successful. Activities involved six weeks of football training and coaching in various schools, football tournaments, and project evaluations with children and coaches. An annual survey of participants was also conducted. The collection consists of survey data. The survey covered demographic factors and relationship and sex education experience (all participants), and questions on awareness of and access to contraceptives, knowledge related to contraception and STIs, attitudes related to contraception and relationships, and condom self-efficacy (participants aged 14-19 only). The survey was adapted from the World Health Organisation’s “Illustrative questionnaire for interview-surveys with young people” and included 72 respondents.Football is often used to promote sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries. In fact, the Liverpool Football Club Foundation (LFC Foundation) and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) are in the second year of their 2.5-year Health Goals Malawi project. The project’s initial goal was to reduce the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) among teenage boys and young men in Malawi. They have decided to run a similar project in disadvantaged areas of Liverpool because the city has the second-highest rate of new STI diagnoses in northwest England. Rates of early pregnancy are also higher than the national average. There is a strong correlation between early pregnancy and socio‑economic deprivation. Teenage pregnancy can be both a cause and a consequence of health and education inequalities. High-quality relationship and sex education is therefore crucial to address such inequalities. The main drivers of these inequalities are: Persistent school absence before year 9 (pupils aged 13 and 14) Relatively slow academic progress Poverty Football is used for three reasons: The strength of the Liverpool FC brand in the city engages these socially vulnerable children aged 11 to 16. As football is the most popular sport in Liverpool, participants will be highly motivated to attend in order to develop their skills. Football drills and games can lead to discussions about key topics. Project content The project will focus on: relationship and sex education programmes in schools and colleges, with targeted prevention for at-risk youngsters of both sexes training on relationships and sexual health for health and non-health professionals, e.g. sports coaches using the influence of community sports coaches and the LFC Foundation brand to engage young people, emphasising the importance of positive male and female role models developing an innovative method of delivering relationship and sex education, with a particular emphasis on overcoming health and educational inequalities by reaching out to the most at-risk young people Objectives A clear and comprehensive curriculum will be developed with coaching materials and resources. If this project is successful, the curriculum will be integrated into the day-to-day work of the LFC Foundation with schools throughout Liverpool. If this approach proves to be effective, the teen pregnancy rate could be reduced. Project activities Six weeks of football training and coaching provided in different schools Football tournaments Project evaluation with the children and coaches involved Annual survey of participants Expected results Some 300 children aged 11 to 16 years, 50% of whom are to be girls, are to take part in project activities. The participants will include children with disabilities and poor mental health. Self-completed survey adapted from the World Health Organisation’s “Illustrative questionnaire for interview-surveys with young people” and involved 72 respondents.

Teenage pregnancy remains a critical issue in Kenya, with 15% of girls aged 15–19 having been pregnant. Counties in western Kenya experience high teenage pregnancy rates (22–30%) along with high HIV prevalence and widespread poverty. Long-term consequences of teenage pregnancy have been documented in high-income countries, but evidence from the Global South is lacking. Here, we examined the association between teenage pregnancy and adult socio-economic functioning in western Kenya using cross-sectional survey data from Migori County, Kenya. We categorized women into three groups: adult mothers (first child ≥20 years), teenage mothers to 1 child (had 1 child before age 20), and teenage mothers to 2 + children (had 2 or more children before age 20). We then compared adult socioeconomic and health outcomes of these groups. We found that among 6,089 mothers, 45.2% had their first child during adolescence. Compared to adult mothers, teenage mothers were significantly less likely to complete primary education: a 12.2 percentage point (pp) reduction (95% CI: -14.9, -9.4) among teenage mothers to 1 child and 27.6 pp reduction (95% CI: -31.4, -23.8) among teenage mothers to 2 + children. Teenage mothers were also more likely to have loans and experience food insecurity. The risk of experiencing the death of a child increased from 3.4% among adult mothers to 15.3% among teenage mothers to 2 + children, a 4.5-fold increase (p