More than seventy million babies will be born to teenage girls in the next 10 years, if the present trend continues, according to Global Childhood Report released by Save the Children.
The report also notes that if the present trend continues, Nigeria will overtake India in adolescent births. When about 16 million girls between 15 years of age and 19 gave birth in 2000, only 13 million girls in the same age group gave birth in 2019.
North America and South Asia are said to have made much progress in bringing down adolescent birth rates. Meanwhile, Middle East and North Africa only saw less progress.
South Asia is said to have reduced teenage birth by about 53 per cent after 2000 and the most remarkable achievement was by India, which was able to bring down adolescent birth by 63 per cent. Apart from India, Bhutan also figures in the report to have made great progress. Bhutan is reported to have slashed teen birth by 72 per cent.
In the report, it has also been said that teen births outside of marriage was common in Latin American and Caribbean countries. As far as the US is concerned, they have brought down early pregnancy by 56 per cent. The report says that US had achieved such low percentage because of the large use of contraceptives. However, the report points out that the US still has the largest teen birth rate among the developed countries.
