Birth rate - U.S. girls aged 10-14 years 1991-2020

In 1991, the birth rate for girls aged 10 to 14 years in the United States stood at 1.4 births per every thousand girls. Since 1991, this rate has consistently decreased, dropping to .2 by the year 2020. This statistic depicts the number of births per thousand U.S. females aged 10 to 14 years between 1991 and 2020.

Teenage pregnancy and contraception

Over the years, the rate of teenage pregnancy and birth has declined in the United States, most likely due to lower rates of sexual activity in this age group as well as increased use of birth control methods. Public clinics help avert thousands of births, pregnancies, and abortions among teenage girls in the U.S. as part of public health and pregnancy prevention and intervention programs. Among female teenagers, the use of a condom is the most common contraception method, followed by the withdrawal method. Furthermore, in 2019, over one quarter of female high school students reported using birth control pills to prevent pregnancy during their last sexual intercourse.

Disparities in teenage pregnancy

Although rates have decreased over the past decades, teenage pregnancy and birth rates in the U.S. are still higher than in other Western countries. Geographic, racial, and ethnic disparities in teen birth rates are still prevalent within the country. In 2020, teenage birth rates were highest among American Indian or Alaska Native and Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander population groups. Other contributing factors to high teen birth rates also include poor socioeconomic conditions, low education, and low-income status.