Early childbearing and teenage pregnancy rates by country – UNICEF DATA

Globally, almost one in six young women give birth before age 18

Approximately 13 per cent of adolescent girls and young women globally reported giving birth before age 18 in 2022. This percent, however, has been found to vary by a number of factors including the region, the country, the location within the country (rural vs. urban), and the adolescent girl’s or young woman’s levels of income and education.

While about 10 per cent of adolescent girls and young women in South Asia gave birth before age 18 in 2022, this percentage more than doubles when considering the regions of sub-Saharan Africa. In both Western and Central Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa, around 25 per cent of adolescent girls and young women during this same period gave birth before age 18. In these regions, this amounts to an estimated 11 million young women.

The adolescent birth rate

The adolescent birth rate, or the annual number of births to adolescent girls and young women aged 10-14 or 15-19 years per 1,000 adolescent girls and young women in that age group, is another critical measure of early childbearing. The global adolescent birth rate from 2022 was about 2 births per 1,000 girls aged 10-14 and 42 births per 1,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 19. West and Central Africa, for example, had the highest regional adolescent birth rate at 5 births per 1,000 adolescent girls aged 10-14 and 105 births per 1,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-19. Conversely, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and North America had some of the lowest regional adolescent birth rates at close to 0 births per 1,000 adolescent girls aged 10-14, and 8, 19 and 14 births per 1,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-19.

Despite recent advances in most regions towards reducing the burden of early childbearing, more progress is needed in those that are high burden

Since 2000, the global adolescent birth rate for the age group 10-14 has declined by around 50 per cent, from 3.3 to 1.5 per 1,000 adolescent girls aged 10-14. The global adolescent birth rate for the age group 15-19 has declined by over 30 per cent, from 65 to 42 births per 1,000 adolescent girls aged 15-19. This reduction in the global burden of early childbearing can be tied to improvements in almost all regional rates over this same period. South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, have reduced their adolescent birth rates by 90 per cent and 44 per cent, respectively, for the age group 10-14; and by 73 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively, for the age group 15-19.

In sub-Saharan Africa, there was a reduction in adolescent birth rate by 50 per cent for adolescent girls aged 10-14, but reduction rates for adolescent girls and young women aged 15-19 was only 23 per cent, indicating a need for more progress towards reducing the burden of early childbearing in the sub-Saharan African regions. West and Central Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa, for example, continue to hold adolescent birth rates well above the global rate at 4.9 and 4.2 births per 1,000 adolescent girls aged 10-14; and 105 and 93 births per 1,000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-19.

Generally fewer adolescent girls receive antenatal, skilled delivery or postnatal care for themselves or their newborns as compared to older women.

In most regions, fewer adolescent girls and young women receive antenatal, skilled delivery or postnatal care for themselves or their newborns as compared to all women and girls.

As most adolescents who are pregnant are experiencing pregnancy for the first time, the need for careful monitoring and quality care during the antenatal, delivery and postnatal periods is generally more acute. Paradoxically, coverage of maternal health indicators, including contact with health system and quality of care, appear lower among adolescent girls than among all women and girls for most regions of the world. However, it should be noted that the difference in coverage between adolescents and all women is small in some regions, and in the case of Eastern and Southern Africa, coverage of skilled delivery and postnatal care for newborns is higher for adolescent girls.

Globally, 84 per cent of pregnant adolescents aged 15-19 attended at least one antenatal care visit as compared to 88 per cent of all women and girls aged 15-49. Fewer adolescent girls received skilled delivery care as compared to all women and girls (81 to 86 per cent). Additionally, fewer adolescent girls received postnatal care for themselves as compared to all women and girls (64 per cent vs 65 per cent). There were relative differences in terms of postnatal care for newborns in some regions. In West and Central Africa, for example, 57 per cent of newborns to adolescent mothers had a postnatal contact as compared to 61 per cent of newborns to all mothers. Together, these findings again highlight that greater investment is needed in supporting adolescent girls to realize their sexual and reproductive health rights and advance into safe and healthy adulthoods.

References

1. World Health Organization, 2017, Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!): guidance to support country implementation. Geneva, 2017
2. WHO. Global health estimates 2019: deaths by cause, age, sex, by country and by region, 2000–2019. Geneva; 2019. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects. Geneva, 2022.
3. Azzopardi P, et al. 2019. Progress in adolescent health and wellbeing: tracking 12 headline indicators for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016. The Lancet, VOLUME 393, ISSUE 10176, P1101-1118, March 16, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)
   

   SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators
   SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs	Indicator: Percentage of pregnant adolescents aged 15-19 who attended at least one antenatal care visit
   SDG 4: Quality Education	Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes	Indicator: Number of girls forced to drop out of school due to early pregnancy
   SDG 5: Gender Equality	Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage and female genital mutilation	Indicator: Incidence of early and forced marriage among adolescent girls
   SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities	Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status	Indicator: Reduction in the number of adolescent girls experiencing reduced status, stigmatization, rejection, and violence due to early pregnancy
   SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	Target 17.18: By 2030, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely, and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts	Indicator: Availability of disaggregated data on adolescent birth rates by region and income level

   1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   The article discusses the negative impacts of early childbearing on the health of adolescent girls and young women. It highlights the risks and complications they may face during pregnancy and delivery. This aligns with SDG 3, which aims to ensure good health and well-being for all at all ages.

   SDG 4: Quality Education

   The article mentions that many girls who become pregnant are pressured or forced to drop out of school, impacting their educational prospects. This relates to SDG 4, which focuses on providing quality education for all.

   SDG 5: Gender Equality

   The article discusses the social consequences of early pregnancy for girls, including reduced status, stigmatization, rejection, violence, and early and forced marriage. These issues are connected to SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

   SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   The article highlights the inequalities faced by adolescent girls who experience early pregnancy, including reduced status and social consequences. SDG 10 aims to reduce inequalities and promote the inclusion of all individuals, irrespective of their age or gender.

   SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   The article emphasizes the need for reliable data on adolescent birth rates, indicating the importance of partnerships and capacity-building support for data collection. This aligns with SDG 17, which focuses on partnerships for achieving the goals.

   2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the article’s content, the following specific targets can be identified:

   – Target 3.7: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
   – Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
   – Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
   – Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   – Target 17.18: Enhance capacity-building support to developing countries to increase the availability of high-quality, timely, and reliable data disaggregated by various characteristics.

   3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   The article mentions several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

   – Percentage of pregnant adolescents aged 15-19 who attended at least one antenatal care visit (Indicator for Target 3.7)
   – Number of girls forced to drop out of school due to early pregnancy (Indicator for Target 4.1)
   – Incidence of early and forced marriage among adolescent girls (Indicator for Target 5.3)
   – Reduction in the number of adolescent girls experiencing reduced status, stigmatization, rejection, and violence due to early pregnancy (Indicator for Target 10.2)
   – Availability of disaggregated data on adolescent birth rates by region and income level (Indicator for Target 17.18)

   These indicators can be used to track progress and identify areas that require further attention and intervention.

   4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators
   SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs	Percentage of pregnant adolescents aged 15-19 who attended at least one antenatal care visit
   SDG 4: Quality Education	Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together. Source: data.unicef.org   Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.