20 Countries with the Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates

Published on November 23, 2023 at 3:38 pm by Zarah Hamid in Business, Industries, Lists, News

In this article, we will be navigating through adolescent fertility across the world while covering the 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 5 Countries with the Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates.

Adolescent Pregnancy Across the Globe

Early pregnancy and motherhood have arisen as issues related to human rights. This is because adolescent pregnant women are denied adequate reproductive health and education. Even in high-income nations, those living in rural and poor conditions are more vulnerable to early pregnancies. However, the majority of the births to teenage women take place in low and middle-income countries. Cultural norms also aggravate the situation as many women are forced into child marriages. As reported by the United Nations Population Fund, nine out of ten births to adolescent girls occur within a marriage or a union in developing countries.

Region-wise, most of the adolescent girls and young women giving birth are based in Western and Central Africa. As the population of young women has grown substantially in sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent pregnancies continue to be an issue. Simultaneously, you can take a look at countries with the highest fertility rates. On the other hand, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia have some of the lowest adolescent birth rates.

The Bitter Side of the Story

In 2022, UNICEF reported that delivery during teenage years largely impacts a woman’s healthy transition into adulthood. Simultaneously, adolescent pregnant women are expected or forced to drop out of their schools which ultimately blocks employment for them. Social consequences in this regard include a reduced status in the household and society thereby reinforcing existing gender inequalities. Maternal conditions are one of the leading causes of disability-adjusted life years and death among girls aged between 15 and 19. Every year, almost 3 million girls within this age group resort to unsafe abortions which implies immense danger to their lives. Pregnant adolescents also tend to be deprived of skilled delivery and postnatal care for themselves or their newborns.

Prevention Against Teenage Pregnancies

Although adolescent pregnancy continues to be an issue around the world, companies provide contraceptive options to women as a preventative measure against pregnancy. Some of these include Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVFM), Femasys Inc. (NASDAQ: FEMY), and Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:DARE).

Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVFM) focuses on the reproductive and genital health of women. The company has been working on a non-hormonal contraceptive vaginal gel named Phexxi. On September 27, the company reported that Phexxi is protected by four patents that have been approved by the FDA. Hence, any generic version of Phexxi cannot be marketed unless all four of these patents expire, and are deemed invalid or infringed. Phexxi had previously shown up to 93% effectiveness when taken as directed by a healthcare provider in clinical trials before its approval.

Femasys Inc. (NASDAQ: FEMY) is a biomedical company that offers infertility treatment as well as permanent contraception. The company has introduced FemBloc as a permanent contraceptive method which proved to work as an easier and painless option as compared to surgical methods during initial trials. On September 20, Bloomberg reported that Femasys Inc. (NASDAQ: FEMY) announced its first patient-in for the finale pivotal trial of FemBloc. The finale trial is enrolling patients while additional clinical sites have been planned to further expand the trial. FemBloc acts as a first-of-its-kind option for women considering surgical tubal sterilization or those using temporary or long-term birth control methods that require exposure to implants or hormones.

Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:DARE) is a biopharmaceutical company that offers a diverse portfolio of differentiated therapies that target women’s health, especially in the areas of contraception, vaginal health, and reproductive health. On November 20, the company reported that it has extended its partnership with Premier Research International, LLC. The two firms have worked together in the past on XACIATO (clindamycin phosphate) vaginal gel 2%, Daré Bioscience, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:DARE) first FDA-approved product. Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:DARE) is also looking forward to the upcoming pivotal phase 3 study of Ovaprene, an investigational hormone-free, monthly intravaginal contraceptive.

Now that we have taken a look at the adolescent pregnancy situation across the world, let’s move to the 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates. Meanwhile, you can view the easiest countries to adopt a baby from.

20 Countries with the Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates

Our Methodology:

In order to compile a list of the 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates, we sourced data from the World Bank. This data is related to the adolescent fertility rates around the world. We selected the number of births per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19 as our metric. The most recent data is available from 2021.

Finally, we ranked the 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in ascending order of their births per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19.

20 Countries with the Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates

20. Republic of the Congo

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 104

Factors such as living in rural areas, lack of knowledge, and low income reduce the use of contraceptive methods among adolescents in the Republic of Congo. For every 1,000 teenage women in the country, the birth rate was recorded at 104 in 2021. This makes the Republic of Congo one of the countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates.

19. Côte d’Ivoire

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 105

Cote d’Ivoire ranks as one of the 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates. The issue of teenage pregnancy is rooted in poverty, lack of awareness, gender inequality, and child-forced marriages.

Companies that offer prevention against pregnancy include Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVFM), Femasys Inc. (NASDAQ: FEMY), and Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:DARE).

18. Uganda

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 108

The 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates include Uganda as well. For every 1,000 women aged from 15 to 19, the birth rate was 108 as recorded in 2021. Maternal deaths are also a consequence of early pregnancy in the country.

17. Democratic Republic of the Congo

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 109

The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks as one of the countries with the highest pregnancy rates among teenagers. The use of modern contraception and awareness regarding reproductive health is low in the country.

16. Cameroon

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 110

Cameroon has a high adolescent pregnancy rate thereby becoming one of the 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancies. Cultural norms such as early marriages among females promote fertility rates in the country.

15. Burkina Faso

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 111

Burkina Faso makes it to the list of the countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates. In 2021, the birth rate for every 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19 was 111. There is an unmet need for contraception, a lack of basic education, and forced and early marriages which have driven these rates high in Burkina Faso.

14. Guinea

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 115

For every 1,000 teenage women in Guinea, the number of childbirths was recorded at 115 in 2021. This makes the country one of the 20 countries with high adolescent pregnancy rates. Coercive sexual relations, gender inequality, poverty, early marriage, lack of education, and less use of contraceptives are some contributing factors.

13. Zambia

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 117

Zambia also ranks as one of the countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates. Lack of knowledge on reproductive health, child marriage, peer pressure, and lack of access to education and health facilities especially in rural areas increase early pregnancy rates in Zambia.

12. Malawi

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 118

Teenagers in Malawi are contributing substantially to the total number of pregnancies. Young girls in the country give birth from as early as 14 years of age. For every 1,000 Malawi women aged between 15 and 19, the childbirth rate was recorded at 118 in 2021.

11. Somalia

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 118

Somalia makes it to the top countries with high teenage pregnancy rates. Adolescent pregnancy is a consequence of early marriages. Child marriages are largely driven by gender inequality and societal norms regarding family honor in Somalia.

10. Madagascar

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 119

Among other countries, Madagascar has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates. Deeply rooted beliefs regarding early marriage and lack of sexual education in families have played their part in this adolescent pregnancy.

9. Liberia

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 123

Liberia qualifies as one of the 20 countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates. For every 1,000 teenage women in Liberia, the child births were recorded at 123 in 2021. This is due to poverty, early marriages, intravenous drug usage, and poor awareness of reproductive health.

8. Tanzania

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 124

Countries with the highest adolescent pregnancy rates rank Tanzania as well. Teenage pregnancies are especially higher among girls who have limited knowledge about sexual health and belong to low-income families who encourage early marriages.

7. Chad

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 138

Teenage pregnancy is a common problem in Chad. In 2021, the number of childbirths per 1,000 teenage women in the country was 138. Poverty, lack of education, and access to healthcare are some of the underlying factors behind this issue.

Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVFM), Femasys Inc. (NASDAQ: FEMY), and Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:DARE) are some of the top companies focusing on improving health and well-being for women through their innovative products.

6. Angola

Birth Rate Among Teenage Women: 138

Child marriages and gender-based violence have led to high teenage pregnancy rates in Angola. The country has one of the highest teenage pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa thereby making it to the 20 countries with high adolescent pregnancy rates.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Countries with the Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates.