Teenage mothers (% of women ages 15-19 who have had children or are currently pregnant) - Country Ranking - North America

Definition: Teenage mothers are the percentage of women ages 15-19 who already have children or are currently pregnant.

Source: Demographic and Health Surveys.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

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Development Relevance: Having a child during the teenage years limits girls' opportunities for better education, jobs, and income. Pregnancy is more likely to be unintended during the teenage years, and births are more likely to be premature and are associated with greater risks of complications during delivery and of death. In many countries maternal mortality is a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, although most of those deaths are preventable. Infants of adolescent mothers are also more likely to have low birth weight, which can have a long-term impact on their health and development. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 years in many low- and middle-income countries.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual