Teen Pregnancy Rates Declined In Many Countries Between The Mid-1990s and 2011 but US Lags Behind
Guttmacher Inst
Although teen pregnancy rates have declined considerably over the past few decades in the United States and in most of the other 20 countries with complete statistics, the teen pregnancy rate is still highest in the United States (57 per 1,000 15–19-year-olds), followed by New Zealand (51) and England and Wales (47). The lowest rate was in Switzerland (8 per 1,000), followed by the Netherlands (14), Slovenia (14) and Singapore (14). Rates were higher than the highest rates mentioned above in some former Soviet countries with incomplete statistics and in developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America for which estimates could be made.
In the first known assessment of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates across a range of countries and regions, a new study, “Adolescent Pregnancy, Birth, and Abortion Rates Across Countries: Levels and Recent Trends,” by Gilda Sedgh et al., examines rates among 15–19-year-olds and among 10–14-year-olds in all countries for which recent information could be obtained, as well as trends for the mid-1990s when available. The study relies on data from countries’ statistical reports and from the United Nations Statistics Division.
Among countries with reliable evidence, the researchers found exceptionally low teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates in Switzerland (8, 2 and 5 per 1,000 15–19-year-olds, respectively), where long-established sex education programs, free family planning services and low-cost emergency contraception are widely available, and sexually active teens are expected to use contraceptives. By contrast, the United States’ rates of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion (57, 34 and 15 per 1,000 15–19-year-olds, respectively) were among the highest. The authors note that U.S. teens face low societal acceptance of teen sexuality, inconsistent provision of sex education, and socioeconomic inequalities that underlie higher teen pregnancy rates among the most disadvantaged groups.
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