Industrialized and
developing countries have distinctly different rates of
teenage pregnancy. In developed regions, such as
North America and
Western Europe, teen
parents tend to be
unmarried and
adolescent pregnancy is seen as a
social issue.
By contrast, teenage parents in developing countries are often married, and their
pregnancy may be welcomed by
family and
society. However, in these societies, early pregnancy may combine with
malnutrition and poor
health care to cause medical problems. A report by
Save the Children found that, annually, 13 million children are born to women under age 20 worldwide. More than 90% of these births occur to women living in developing countries.
Complications of pregnancy and
childbirth are the leading cause of
mortality among women between the ages of 15 and 19 in such areas, as they are the leading cause of mortality among older women.
Africa
The highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world — 143 per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years — is in
sub-Saharan Africa.
[1] Women in
Africa, in general, get
married at much earlier ages than women elsewhere — leading to earlier
pregnancies. In
Niger, according to the Health and Demographic Survey in 1992, 47% of women aged 20-24 were married before 15 and 87% before 18. 53% of those surveyed also had given birth to a child before the age of 18.
[2]
Teenage birth rates in African countries (2002):
[3]
★ per 1000 women aged 15-19
A
Save the Children report identified 10 countries where motherhood carried the most risks for young women and their
babies. Of these, 9 were in sub-Saharan Africa, and Niger,
Liberia, and
Mali were the nations where girls were the most at-risk. In the 10 highest-risk nations, more than one in six teenage girls between the ages of 15 to 19 gave birth annually, and nearly one in seven babies born to these teenagers
died before the age of one year.
[4]
Asia
Teenage birth rates in Asian countries (2002):
★ per 1000 women aged 15-19
In the
Indian subcontinent,
premarital sex is uncommon, but early
marriage sometimes means adolescent pregnancy. The rate of early marriage is higher in
rural regions than it is in
urbanized areas.
Fertility rates in South Asia range from 71 to 119 births per 1000 women aged 15-19. 30% of all Indian
induced abortions are performed on women who are under 20.
Other parts of Asia have shown a trend towards increasing age at marriage for both
sexes. In
South Korea and
Singapore, marriage before age 20 has all but disappeared, and, although the occurrence of
sexual intercourse before marriage has risen, rates of adolescent childbearing are low at 4 to 8 per 1000. The rate of early marriage and pregnancy has decreased sharply in
Indonesia and
Malaysia; however, it remains high in comparison to the rest of
Asia.
Surveys from
Thailand have found that a significant minority of unmarried adolescents are
sexually active. Although premarital sex is considered
normal behavior for males, particularly with
prostitutes, it is not always regarded as such for females. Most Thai youth reported that their first sexual experience, whether within or outside of marriage, was without contraception. The adolescent fertility rate in Thailand is relatively high at 60 per 1000. 25% of women admitted to
hospitals in Thailand for complications of induced abortion are
students. The
Thai government has undertaken measures to inform the nation's youth about the prevention of
sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned
pregnancy.
According to the
World Health Organization, in several Asian countries including
Bangladesh and Indonesia, a large proportion (26-37%) of
deaths among female adolescents can be attributed to
maternal causes.
[5]
Europe
Teenage birth and abortion rates in European countries (1998):
★ per 1000 women aged 15-19
The overall trend in
Europe since 1970 has been a decreasing
total fertility rate, an increase in the age at which women experience their first birth, and a decrease in the number of births among teenagers. However, in the past, teenage mothers in Europe tended to be
married, and therefore were less likely to be perceived as a
social issue. Some countries, such as
Greece and
Poland, retain a
traditional model of births to married mothers in their late teens.
The rates of teenage pregnancy may vary widely within a country. For instance, in the
United Kingdom, the rate of adolescent pregnancy in 2002 was as high as 100.4 per 1000 among young women living in the
London Borough of Lambeth, and as low as 20.2 per 1000 among residents in the
Midlands local authority area of
Rutland. In
Italy, the teenage birth rate in
central regions is only 3.3 per 1,000, but, in the
Mezzogiorno it is 10.0 per 1000.
Teenage birth is associated with disadvantages in later life. Across 13 nations in the
European Union, women who gave birth as teenagers are twice as likely to be living in
poverty, in comparison to those who wait until they are over 20.
[6]
United Kingdom
Main articles: Teenage pregnancy and sexual health in Britain
The U.K, which has the highest teenage birth rate in Europe, also has a higher rate of
abortion than most European countries. 80% of young Britons reported engaging in
sexual intercourse while still in their teens, although a half of those under 16, and one-third of those between 16 to 19, said they did not use a form of
contraception during their first encounter. Less than 10% of British teen mothers are married and a relatively high proportion of them are under the age of 16. Adolescent pregnancy is viewed as a matter of concern by both the
British government and the
British press.
Netherlands
In contrast, the
Netherlands has a low rate of births and abortions among teenagers. Compared to countries with higher teenage birth rates, the Dutch have a higher average age at first intercourse and increased levels of contraceptive use (including the "
double Dutch" method of using both a
hormonal contraception method and a
condom).
Nordic countries
Nordic countries, such as
Denmark and
Sweden, also have low rates of teenage birth, but their abortion rates are higher than those of the Netherlands.
Mediterranean countries
In some countries, such as Italy and
Spain, the low rate of adolescent pregnancy may be attributed to
traditional values and
social stigmatization. These countries also have low overall fertility rates.
Portugal, however, has a relatively high percentage of teenage pregnancy.
North America
The teenage birth rate in
United States was 42 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2002
[7], the highest in the developed world.
If all pregnancies, including those which end in abortion or miscarriage, are taken into account, then the total rate in 2000 was 75.4 pregnancies per 1,000 girls. Nevada and the District of Columbia have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S., while North Dakota has the lowest.
95% of teenage pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended; approximately one third end in abortion, one third end in spontaneous miscarriage, and one third will continue their pregnancy and keep their baby.
[8]
However, the trend is decreasing: in 1990, the birth rate was 61.8, and the pregnancy rate 116.9 per thousand. This decline has manifested across all
racial groups, although teenagers of
African-American and
Hispanic descent retain a higher rate, in comparison to that of
European-Americans and
Asian-Americans. The
Guttmacher Institute attributed about 25% of the decline to
abstinence and 75% to the effective use of
contraceptives.
Within the United States teen pregnancy is often brought up in political discourse. The goal to limit teen pregnancy is shared by Republicans and Democrats, though avenues of reduction are usually different. Many Democrats cite teen pregnancy as proof of the continuing need for access to birth control and abortion, while Republicans often cite a need for returning to conservative values.
An inverse correlation has been noted between teen pregnancy rates and the quality of education in a state. A positive correlation, albeit weak, appears between a city's teen pregnancy rate and its average summer night temperature, especially in the Southern U.S. (Savageau, compiler, 1993-1995).
Throughout the U.S., statistical studies show that the average age of the father of a child at birth is inversely related to the age of the mother, if the mother is less than 16 years of age. [Formula: ''m'' < 16 --> 1/''f'' o< ''m'' , where ''m'' = mother's age and ''f'' = father's age.] This proportionality is less pronounced in Hispanic populations of the U.S., and in Canada, than it is in the U.S. general population. This explains the common observation that groups and support networks for teen fathers typically contain a greater proportion of Hispanics than do similar groups for teen mothers.
The number of births in the U.S. in which the father is younger than 18 and the mother is older is a small percent, and when the father's age is lower than 16, the above equation is reversed. As the age of the father decreases below 16, the average age of the mother decreases as well, although this decrease is low in absolute-value of slope.
The
Canadian teenage birth rate in 2002 was 16 per 1000
and the teenage pregnancy rate was 33.9. According to data from
Statistics Canada, the Canadian teenage pregnancy rate has trended towards a steady decline for both younger (15-17) and older (18-19) teens in the period between 1992-2002.
[9] Canada's highest teen pregnancy rates occur in small towns located in rural parts of peninsular
Ontario (the "
Golden Triangle").
The courts of Canada can legally give judicial marriage consent if the ages of both partners exceed 14, and in the case of pregnancy this consent is often granted. Two American states, Kansas and Georgia, until recently had laws allowing unlimited age of marriage in the case of pregnancy, but these laws are in the process of amendment after three legal cases.
References
1. Treffers, P.E. (November 22, 2003). Teenage pregnancy, a worldwide problem. ''Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde, 147(47)'', 2320-5. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
2. Locoh, Therese. (2000). "Early Marriage And Motherhood In Sub-Saharan Africa." ''WIN News.'' Retrieved July 7, 2006.
3. Indicator: Births per 1000 women (15-19 ys) – 2002 UNFPA, State of World Population 2003, Retrieved Jan 22, 2007.
4. Pregnancy and childbirth are leading causes of death in teenage girls in developing countries
5. Mehta, Suman, Groenen, Riet, & Roque, Francisco. United Nations Social and Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific. (1998). Adolescents in Changing Times: Issues and Perspectives for Adolescent Reproductive Health in The ESCAP Region. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
6. UNICEF. (2001). . Retrieved July 7, 2006.
7. Wind, Rebecca. The Guttmacher Institute. (February 19, 2004). "U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Rate Drops For 10th Straight Year." Retrieved July 7, 2006.
8. Strasburger, Victor C. (2007) Teen Pregnancy Rates in the USA Cool Nurse, MD University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
9. Dryburgh, H. (2002). Teenage pregnancy. Health Reports, 12 (1), 9-18; Statistics Canada . (2005). Health Indicators, 2005, 2. Retrieved from Facts and Statistics: Sexual Health and Canadian Youth - Teen Pregnancy Rates
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