Even though the teen pregnancy rate has declined over the past few decades, the fact of the matter is that the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of the Western industrialized world. It is true that the teen pregnancy and birth rate was much higher prior to 1980 (and especially in the 1950s and 1960s), but at the time young women were getting married and having children before the age of 20. Most of the teen pregnancies occurring before 1980 were to married women; now most of today’s teen mothers are unwed. Here are some more interesting teen pregnancy statistics:

Teen Pregnancy Statistics

• In 2013 273,105 babies were born to women ages 15-19
• In 2013 there were 26.5 births for every 1,000 girls ages 15-19
• 89% of teenage parents are unmarried
• 86,000 teens aged 15-17 gave birth in 2012
• Nearly 1,700 teens aged 15-17 give birth every week
• About 77% percent of teenage pregnancies are unplanned
• 4 in 10 teenage girls who had sex at 13 or 14 report the sex was unwanted or involuntary
• 15% of teen pregnancies end in miscarriage
• 30% of teenage pregnancies end in abortion

Teen Pregnancy by Ethnicity in 15-19 Year Old Girls

• 41.7 per 1,000 Hispanic girls reported a teen pregnancy in 2013
• 39.0 per 1,000 Black girls reported a teen pregnancy in 2013
• 18.6 per 1,000 White girls reported a teen pregnancy in 2013

These teen pregnancy statistics have fallen dramatically since 2000 with:

• 87.3 per 1,000 pregnancies in Hispanic teen girls
• 79.2 per 1,000 pregnancies in Black teen girls
• 32.6 per 1,000 pregnancies in White teen girls

Teen Pregnancy Worldwide

• 16 million girls ages 15-19 give birth each year
• Global birthrate among 15-19 year old girls is 49 in 1,000
• Complications of pregnancy is the 2nd highest cause of death in 15-19 year old girls
• 3 million 15-19 year old girls have unsafe abortions every year
• The U.S. has twice the teen pregnancy rate as Canada
• Both Germany and France have a teen pregnancy rate that is four times lower than the U.S.
• Japan’s teen pregnancy rate is eight times lower the United States

Costs of Teen Pregnancy: Social, Economical, and Educational

• $9.4 billion tax dollars were spent on teen pregnancy and childbirth in 2010
• Only 50% of teen mothers age 15-19 earn a high school diploma
• Only 38% of teen mothers age 15-17 earn a high school diploma
• By age 30, only 1.5 percent of women who had pregnancies as a teenager have a college degree
• 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare
• 50% of teen mother’s go on welfare within the first year
• The daughters of teen mothers are 22 percent more likely than their peers to become teen mothers
• Sons of teenage mothers have a 13 percent greater chance of ending up in prison as compared to their peers

Sexually Active Teens

• 15% of all 15 year olds have had sex; 8% report being sexually active
• 29% of all 16 year olds have had sex; 17% report being sexually active
• 39% of all 17 year olds have had sex; 30% report being sexually active
• 82% of teens surveyed feel that teens should not be sexually active
• 72% of teens surveyed agreed that teens that are sexually active should have access to birth control
• 73% of teens surveyed feel that being a virgin should not be embarrassing
• 58% of teens surveyed feel that high-school age teens should not be sexually active
• 67% of teens surveryed who have had sex wish that they had waited (60 percent of boys and 77 percent of girls)

Teen Pregnancy Statistics Source:

1. who.int “Adolescent Pregnancy” [Online]
2.  cdc.gov “Preventing Pregnancies in Younger Teens” [Online]
3.  cdc.gov “About Teen Pregnancy” [Online]
4.  hhs.gov “Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing” [Online]
5. FamilyFirstAid.org “Teen Pregnancy Statistics and Teen Pregnancy Facts” [Online]
6. TheNationalCampaign.org “Fast Facts: Teen Pregnancy in the United States” [Online]