Teen Births
View as PDF (Best for Printing)

Headline

After declining in each year between 1991 and 2005, the birth rate for females ages 15 to 19 increased 3 percent from 40.5 births per 1,000 females in 2005 to 41.9 in 2006. This increased birth rate was evident among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and American Indian teens. (See Figure 1)

Importance

Teenage parents are more disadvantaged than other teens, both before and after becoming parents, and they are generally unprepared for the financial responsibilities and the emotional and psychological challenges of early childbearing. Compared with older mothers, teen mothers are more likely to be high school dropouts, limiting future earnings and the financial support they provide their child, and they are more likely to rely on public assistance. Because teen mothers are more likely to have a child outside of marriage and to be single mothers in adulthood, they often face the primary responsibility of parenthood alone.¹ Children born to adolescent mothers are more likely to be born prematurely, to be born at a low birth weight, and to die as infants.² They generally have less stimulating home environments and poorer academic and behavioral outcomes than do children born to older mothers^3,4 and are more likely themselves to initiate sex at an early age and to have a teen birth.⁵ Even when controlling for background characteristics, a recent study found that children of teen mothers did worse in math and reading scores, language and communication skills, social skills, and physical and emotional well-being than children of mothers ages 20 and older.⁶ Moreover, most teen mothers are unmarried and most teen pregnancies are unintended. A study of the consequences of teen childbearing suggests that the effects of teen motherhood are borne primarily by their children, followed by the mothers themselves, and by government and taxpayers.⁷

Trends

Birth rates among teen females ages 15 to 19 declined by more than a third between 1991 and 2005, from 61.8 per 1,000 to 40.5 per 1,000. (See Figure 1) Declines since 1991 are also evident for younger girls (ages 10 to 14), decreasing from 1.4 per 1,000 in 1991 to 0.7 per 1,000 in 2005. Among teen males, the decline began after a peak of 24.7 per 1000 in the early 1990s, a few years after the adolescent female birth rate began to decline, and was 16.8 per 1,000 males in 2005*. (See Table 1) Declines for non-Hispanic black teens have been particularly large, with the birth rate among teen girls ages 15 to 19 declining from 118.2 per 1,000 in 1991 to 60.9 per 1,000 in 2005. (See Figure 1) These downward trends reflect the increasing tendency for male and female teenagers to delay sex and, if sexually active, to use contraception more carefully.⁸

Between 2005 and 2006, however, an increase in the birth rate among females ages 15 to 19 occurred for the first time since 1991. (See Figure 1) This increase was evident among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and American Indian teens.

*Note: Most recent year for which such estimates are available.

Differences by Gender

Adolescent males have lower teen birth rates than females, due in part to the fact that females generally have older partners than males, as well as to under-reporting of information about fathers on birth certificates. For example, the teen birth rate for males ages 15 to 19 in 2005* was 16.8 per 1,000, less than half the rate for female teens during that year. (See Table 1)

*Note: Most recent year for which such estimates are available.

> Back to Top

Differences by Race and Ethnicity

Prior to 1995 black teens had the highest female teen birth rates. However, throughout the 1990s, rates among Hispanic teens began declining more slowly than did rates among black teens, and currently, Hispanics have the highest teen birth rates. In 2006, birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 among Hispanic teens (83.0) were higher than rates among non-Hispanic black teens (63.7), American Indian teens (54.7), non-Hispanic white teens (26.6), and Asian teens (16.7). (See Figure 3) Among female Hispanic teens, in 2005*, those of Mexican descent had higher birth rates than those of Puerto Rican descent (93.4 per 1,000 versus 63.3 per 1,000, respectively). (See Table 1)

Hispanic teens are an important risk group because they are part of the fastest growing segment of the population. Sexually experienced Hispanic teens are less likely than other teens to talk to their partner about contraception before sex and to use contraception, and are less likely to view pregnancy in a negative way.⁹

Among males, in 2005*, black teens have higher birth rates than white teens (32.2 versus 14.2 per 1,000). (See Table 1) Rates for males are not available for other racial/ethnic groups.

*Note: Most recent year for which such estimates are available.

Differences by Age

Older teens are much more likely to give birth than are younger teens. In 2006, there were 73.0 births per 1,000 females ages 18 to 19, compared with 22.0 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 17 and 0.6 births per 1,000 females ages 10 to 14. (See Table 1)

Differences by Marital Status

Married teens have much higher birth rates than unmarried teens. In 2002, the most recent year for which complete data for marital status are available, there were 283.6 births per 1,000 married females ages 15 to 19, compared with 35.4 births per 1,000 unmarried females ages 15 to 19. (See Figure 2) The birth rate for unmarried teen females dropped from 45.8 per 1,000 in 1994 to 34.5 per 1,000 in 2005*. The birth rate for married teens dropped even more dramatically, from 420.2 in 1990 to 283.6 in 2002*. (See Table 1) The decline in marital birth rates is due, in part, to a declining proportion of nonmarital teen pregnancies that result in a marital birth.¹⁰

While birth rates among married teens are higher than those of unmarried teens, the vast majority of births among all teenage females occur outside of marriage. In 2006, 84.2 percent of births to females between the ages of 15 and 19 occurred to unmarried women (based on preliminary estimates).¹¹

*Note: Most recent year for which such estimates are available.

Differences by Birth Order

In 2006, over a one-fifth of teen births (20.0 percent) occurred to young women who had already had a baby in their teens. The likelihood of a second birth among teen mothers is much greater than the likelihood of a first birth among teen females who have not had a child. In 2001*, there were 35.7 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 who had not previously had a birth compared with 175.1 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 who had previously had one birth. (See Table 1)

*Note: Most recent year for which such estimates are available.

> Back to Top

Related Indicators

Sexually Active Teens, Sexually Experienced Teens, Condom Use, Birth Control Pill Use, Teen Pregnancy, Teen Abortion

State and Local Estimates

2005 State Data available at: "Births: Final data for 2005." National Vital Statistics Reports, 54(2), 56(6). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 11. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_06.pdf

Estimates of teen births for states and number of teen birth for large U.S. cities are available from Child Trends' Facts at a Glance, 2007 report http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-06_26_2007_FG_2007FactsAtAGlance.pdf and the Kids Count report The Right Start for America's Newborn: City and State Trends (1990-2003) http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/rightstart.jsp

International Estimates

2004 International estimates for birth rates by age are available from the UN Statistics Division at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm (See table 10, data sheet).

International estimates are available for select developed countries from Child Trends' Facts at a Glance 2001 available at http://www.childtrends.org/Files/FAAG2001.pdf

Teenage birth estimates are also available through UNICEF, including data combining 2000-2005 estimates at
http://www.childinfo.org/eddb/fertility/dbadol.htm
and 1998 data for selected nations at http://www.unicef-irc.org/cgi-bin/unicef/Lunga.sql?ProductID=328

> Back to Top

National Goals

Responsible sexual behavior is one of the ten leading health indicators of Healthy People 2010, a federal initiative to improve health in the United States. Responsible sexual behavior reduces unintended pregnancies, thus reducing the number of births. One goal outlined in Healthy People 2010 is to reduce pregnancies among adolescent females ages 15-17 from 68 per 1,000 in 1996 to 43 per 1,000 in 2010. A more general goal for adolescent sexual behavior is to "increase the proportion of adolescents who abstain from sexual intercourse or use condoms if currently sexually active.¹³

More information available at: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/html/objectives/09-07.htm (See goals 9-7 through 9-10) and http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/html/objectives/25-11.htm (See goal 25-11)

What Works: Programs and Interventions that may Influence this Indicator

Click here to view examples of programs and interventions that research has evaluated for this indicator. View programs

Research References

¹Child Trends. (2002). "Ten Reasons to Keep the Focus on Teen Childbearing." Special Report, #2002-52. To obtain a copy visit: http://www.childtrends.org/_docdisp_page.cfm?LID=4F305203-ACBD-460B-9D5F250787866CB4

²Ventura, S.J., Martin, J.A., Curtin, S.C., Menacker, F., Hamilton, B.E. (1999). Births: Final data for 1999. National Vital Statistics Reports vol. 49,(1). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr49/nvsr49_01.pdf Mathews, T.J., Curtin, S.C., MacDorman, M.F. (2000). Infant mortality statistics from the 1998 period linked birth/infant death data set. National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 48 (12). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr48/nvs48_12.pdf

³ Moore, K.A., Morrison, D.R., and Greene, A.D., (1997). Effects on the children born to adolescent mothers. In Maynard, R.A., (ed). Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. To order visit: http://www.urban.org/publications/106764.html

⁴Levine, J.A., Pollack, H., & Comfort, M.E. 2001. "Academic and behavioral outcomes among the children of young mothers," Journal of Marriage and Family 63(2): 355-369.

⁵Manlove, J., Terry-Humen, E., Papillo, A.R., Franzetta, K., Williams, S., and Ryan, S. (2001). Background for Community-Level Work on Positive Reproductive Health in Adolescence: Reviewing the Literature on Contributing Factors. Washington, DC: Child Trends. http://www.childtrends.org/Files/KReproES.pdf

⁶Terry-Humen, Elizabeth, Manlove, Jennifer, and Moore, Kristin A. (2005). "Playing Catch-Up: How Children Born to Teen Mothers Fare." Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. http://www.teenpregnancy.org/works/pdf/PlayingCatchUp.pdf

⁷ Maynard, R.A., (ed). (1997). Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. To order visit: http://www.urban.org/publications/106764.html

⁸Albert, B., Lippman, L., et al. (2005). Freeze Frame: A Snapshot of America's Teens. . National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy & Child Trends.pp.19. http://www.teenpregnancy.org/works/pdf/FreezeFrame.pdf

⁹Ryan, Suzanne, Franzetta, Kerry, and Manlove, Jennifer. (2005). "Hispanic Teen Pregnancy and Birth Rates: Looking Behind the Numbers." Washington, DC: Child Trends. http://www.childtrends.org/Files/HispanicRB.pdf

¹⁰Ventura SJ, & Bachrach CA. Nonmarital childbearing in the United States, 1940-1999. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 48 no 16. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2000. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr48/nvs48_16.pdf

¹¹ Preliminary Data for 2006: Hamilton BE, Martin JA, and Ventura SJ. (2007). "Births: Preliminary data for 2006." National vital statistics reports; vol 56(7). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 2 and 5..http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_07.pdf

¹²Calculated by Child Trends staff using data from Table 4 in Hamilton BE, Martin JA, and Ventura SJ. (2007). "Births: Preliminary Data for 2006." National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 56(7). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 2 and 5. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_07.pdf

¹³U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000. http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/default.htm (Goal 25-11)

> Back to Top

Definition

Birth rates are calculated by dividing the number of births by the number of persons in the relevant population, and expressing the result as births per thousand. For example, among adolescent females ages 15 to 19, the birth rate is calculated by dividing the number of births to females ages 15 to 19 by the number of females ages 15 to 19 in the population. If the result of this calculation were .044, this would be reported as 44 births per 1,000.

Data Source

Data for 2006: Hamilton BE, Martin JA, and Ventura SJ. (2007). "Births: Preliminary Data for 2006." National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 56(7). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 2 and 5.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_07.pdf

Data for 2005: Hamilton BE, Martin JA, and Ventura SJ. (2007). "Births: Final data for 2005." National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 56(6). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 3, 7, 18, and 21. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_06.pdf

Data for 2004: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, et al. (2006). "Births: Final data for 2004." National Vital Statistics Reports, 55(1). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 3, 7, 18, 21. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr55/nvsr55_01.pdf

Data for 2003: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, et al. (2005). "Births: Final data for 2003." National Vital Statistics Reports, 54(2). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 3 and 9.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr54/nvsr54_02.pdf

2002 estimates for birth rates for married teens: Division of Vital Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Birth rates for married women, by age, race, and Hispanic origin: United States, 2002.

All other data for 2002 from: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ, Menacker F, Munson ML. Births: Final data for 2002. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 52 no 10. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2003.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr52/nvsr52_10.pdf

Data for live birth-order for 2000 and 2001 from Child Trends communication with Stephanie Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics on 3/18/03.

All other data for 1990-2001 from: Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ. Revised birth and fertility rates for the 1990s and new rates for Hispanic populations, 2000 and 2001: United States. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 51 no 12. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2003.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr51/nvsr51_12.pdf

Data for 1960-1989 and for second births 1990-1999 from: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Ventura SJ, Menacker F, Park MM. Births: Final data for 2000. Tables 3, 4, 18, and 20. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 50 no. 5: Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2002.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr50/nvsr50_05.pdf

Data for marital status 1980-1998 from: Ventura SJ, Bachrach CA. Nonmarital childbearing in the United States 1940-1999. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 48 no 16. Table 8. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2000.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr48/nvs48_16.pdf

Data for marital births 1960-1970 and non-marital births 1960 from: Vital Statistics of the United States, 1997. Volume 1, Natality, Tables 1-19 available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/statab/unpubd/natality/natab97.htm

Data for first and second births from: Ventura SJ, Mathews TJ, Hamilton BE. Births to teenagers in the United States, 1940-2000. Table 3. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 49 no 10. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2001.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr49/nvsr49_10.pdf

Data for 1960 and for white non-Hispanic and Hispanic birth rates in 1980 from: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2001 With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Hyattsville, Maryland: 2001, Table 3.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm

Raw Data Source

National Vital Statistics System birth data at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm

Approximate Date of Next Update

Winter 2008

> Back to Top