11 July 2013 is World Population Day
The 2013 World Population Day focus on adolescent pregnancy coincides with assessments of progress in implementing the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the unfinished agenda of the Millennium Development Goals, both of which have a global focus on reducing early childbearing, expanding access to reproductive health and investing in the human capital of girls. The newly-launched 2013 Millennium Development Goals report showed that the adolescent birth rate decreased between 1990 and 2010 in all regions of the world, with the most dramatic progress in Southern Asia. Yet more than 15 million out of 135 million live births worldwide are among adolescent girls (between the ages of 15 and 19). Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest birth rate among adolescent girls (118 births per 1,000 girls) and the least progress in reducing adolescent childbearing since 1990.
Early marriage continues to be a strong factor underlying adolescent fertility. Among the 31 countries where at least one in five adolescent girls has ever been married, almost all have a high level of adolescent childbearing (including 22 countries in Africa). Declines in adolescent marriage are a driving force in the decline in adolescent fertility, particularly in settings where the majority of first births occur within marriage. Countries with high levels of adolescent fertility also tend to have higher levels of unintended births and unsatisfied demand for contraception among adolescents, regardless of whether adolescents are married or sexually-active and unmarried. Reducing barriers and expanding access by adolescents to sexual and reproductive health information and services will help ensure that pregnancies are both intended and safe. Lastly, higher levels and longer durations of schooling for girls are linked to lower levels of adolescent childbearing. Reducing adolescent pregnancy and addressing the multiple factors underlying it are essential for improving sexual and reproductive health and, ultimately, the social and economic well-being of the next generation.
For more information see: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/dataset/fertility/wfd2012.shtml