Birth rate for teenagers aged 15-19 years 1991-2018

This statistic shows the U.S. birth rate among teenagers and young adult women, aged 15-19 years, between 1991 and 2018. In 2018, the teenage birth rate within this age group stood at 17.4 births per every thousand women.

Teenage pregnancy and birth

Teenage pregnancy and births are related to a number of negative outcomes. Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to be premature and have a low birth weight, and teen mothers often experience gestational hypertension and anemia. Additionally, there are significant adverse effects on socioeconomic and educational outcomes for teenage parents. In the U.S., publicly funded family planning clinics provide services for adolescents at low and no-cost rates. During 2016, these clinics helped to avert over a combined 900,000 pregnancies, births, and abortions amongst teens in the United States.

Contraceptive use among teens

Since 1990, teenage pregnancy rates among 15 to 19-year olds in the U.S. have decreased, as the use of contraception has increased for both male and female adolescents. The most popular method of avoiding pregnancy among female adolescents is condoms, followed by withdrawal and the birth control pill.