U.S. teen pregnancy and birth rates have dropped dramatically over the past two decades and are now at historic lows, according to a government survey of risky youth behaviors. There has been significant progress in all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups.
Even so, U.S. rates of teen childbearing remain far higher than that in other comparable countries, as per data collected by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
As of 2015, the teen birth rate was 22 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19. Since its peak in 1991, the teen birth rate declined by 64 percent. In the past year alone, it dropped by 8 percent. In 2010, public spending on teen childbearing totaled an estimated $9.4 billion.
The teen pregnancy rate, which includes all pregnancies rather than just those that resulted in a birth, has also fallen steeply. As of 2011, the rate was 52 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15-19. The teen pregnancy rate has decreased 55 percent since its peak in 1990, and 9 percent in the past year alone.
In 2015, among high school students who were sexually active, 86 percent reported using any method of contraception the last time they had sex. Roughly four in ten high school students have ever had sex.
This is in contrast to the birth rate for women overall, which remained relatively unchanged between 2014 and 2015.
Looking at women overall, not just teens, nearly half of all pregnancies are described by women themselves as unplanned. Among unmarried women in their twenties, 69 percent of pregnancies are unplanned. In 2010, public spending for unplanned pregnancies totaled an estimated $21.0 billion.
"I think you can call this the cautious generation", said Bill Albert, spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.