Teen Parents
Teen pregnancy is an important issue. There are health risks to the baby and children born
to teenage mothers
are more likely to suffer health, social, and emotional problems. There
is an increased risk for complications
such as premature labor during teen pregnancy and socioeconomic
consequences as well.
A child born to a teenage parent is also seen to be at a disadvantage in
society. Newborns of teen mothers tend to have a lower birth weight. As they get
older, they are more likely to do poorly in school and have a greater chance
of experiencing abuse and neglect. It has been found that sons of teenage
mothers are more likely to wind up in prison. Daughters of teen mothers
have an increased risk of experiencing a teenage pregnancy themselves.
The following are statistice for teen parents in a number of countries
|
Rates of adolescent birth,
abortion and pregnancy per year (per 1,000 women aged 15-19) and
abortion ratio (per 100 pregnancies) by developed country, for the most
recent year available
|
|
Country
|
Birth
rate
|
Abortion
rate
|
Pregnancy
rate
|
Abortion
ratio
|
|
Albania
|
15.4
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Armenia
|
56.2
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Australia
|
19.8
|
23.8
|
43.7
|
54.1
|
|
Austria
|
15.6
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Belarus
|
39.0
|
34.3
|
73.3
|
47.5
|
|
Belgium
|
9.1
|
5.0
|
14.1
|
35.6
|
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
38.0
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Bulgaria
|
49.6
|
33.7
|
83.3
|
40.4
|
|
Canada
|
24.2
|
21.2
|
45.4
|
47.1
|
|
Croatia
|
19.9
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Czech Republic
|
20.1
|
12.3
|
32.4
|
38.1
|
|
Denmark
|
8.3
|
14.
|
22.
|
62.
|
|
England
and Wales
|
28.4
|
18.6
|
46.9
|
40.2
|
|
Estonia
|
33.4
|
32.8
|
66.2
|
49.7
|
|
Finland
|
9.8
|
10.7
|
20.5
|
52.9
|
|
France
|
10.0
|
10.2*
|
20.2*
|
51.2*
|
|
Georgia
|
53.0
|
13.4*
|
66.4*
|
20.2*
|
|
Germany
|
12.5
|
3.6
|
16.1
|
23.0
|
|
Greece
|
13.0
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Hungary
|
29.5
|
29.6
|
59.1
|
50.3
|
|
Iceland
|
22.1
|
21.2
|
43.3
|
51.1
|
|
Ireland
|
15.0
|
4.2*
|
19.2*
|
21.9*
|
|
Israel
|
18.0
|
9.8†
|
27.9†
|
35.3†
|
|
Italy
|
6.9
|
5.1*
|
12.0*
|
42.9*
|
|
Japan
|
3.9
|
6.3*,†
|
10.1*,†
|
61.9*,†
|
|
Latvia
|
25.5
|
29.0
|
54.5
|
47.6
|
|
Lithuania
|
36.7
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Macedonia
|
44.1
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Moldova
|
53.2
|
11.6*
|
64.8*
|
18.1*
|
|
Netherlands
|
8.2‡
|
4.0‡
|
12.2‡
|
33.8‡
|
|
New Zealand
|
34.0
|
20.0
|
54.0
|
37.2
|
|
Northern Ireland§
|
23.7
|
4.8*
|
28.4*
|
17.0*
|
|
Norway
|
13.5
|
18.7
|
32.3
|
59.2
|
|
Poland
|
21.1
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Portugal
|
20.9
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Romania**
|
42.0
|
32.0*
|
74.0*
|
42.9*
|
|
Russian Federation††
|
45.6
|
56.1*
|
101.7*
|
56.1*
|
|
Scotland
|
27.1
|
14.
|
41.6
|
37.
|
|
Slovak Republic
|
32.3
|
11.1
|
43.3
|
25.5
|
|
Slovenia
|
9.3
|
10.6
|
19.9
|
49.2
|
|
Spain
|
7.8
|
4.5*
|
12.3*
|
36.7*
|
|
Sweden
|
7.7
|
17.2
|
24.9
|
69.6
|
|
Switzerland
|
5.7
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
Ukraine
|
54.3
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
|
United States
|
54.4
|
29.2
|
83.6
|
34.9
|
|
Yugoslavia (Federal Rep.)
|
32.1
|
u
|
u
|
u
|
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