Adolescent Pregnancy

Adolescent Pregnancy: A Global Overview

• Adolescent pregnancy is a global issue with well-known causes and severe health, social, and economic consequences.
• The adolescent birth rate (ABR) has decreased globally, but the rates of change vary across regions, and there are significant variations in levels between and within countries.
• Adolescent pregnancy rates tend to be higher among those with lower levels of education or from low economic backgrounds.
• There is slower progress in reducing adolescent first births among vulnerable groups, leading to increasing inequity.
• Child marriage and child sexual abuse increase the risk of unintended pregnancy among girls.
• Barriers to obtaining and using contraceptives in many places prevent adolescents from avoiding unintended pregnancies.
• There is a growing focus on improving access to quality maternal care for pregnant and parenting adolescents.
• Adolescent pregnancy is associated with child marriage and child sexual abuse, which put girls at a higher risk of pregnancy.
• In many cases, the lack of access to contraceptives serves as a barrier for adolescents in preventing unintended pregnancies.
• The uneven progress in reducing adolescent first births among vulnerable groups has led to increasing inequity.
• Adolescent pregnancy rates vary widely between and within countries, with higher rates among those with lower levels of education or from low economic backgrounds.
• The global phenomenon of adolescent pregnancy has serious health, social, and economic consequences and is a focus of attention for the WHO.