Teen Birth Rate Increasing

In 2006, the birthrate was a reported 22 births per 1,000 young girls between the ages of 15-17. This is the first birth rate increase in this measure that the United States has seen since 1991.

• According to a recent study featured in the Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a reported 38% of all births were to unmarried women in 2006. This was an increased rate from the 37% that reportedly took place in 2005.   
  
  The study also found that the birth rate for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17, rose 3%, and is the first increase in teen births that the United States has seen in 14 years. This left the reported birthrate at 22 births per 1,000 girls 15-17 years old.   
  
  The Forum on Child and Family Statistics found that the increase in teen births differed among the various demographics. The largest increase in teen births (5%) was found in non-Hispanic black community, followed by American Indian (4%), and non-Hispanic white (3%). The rate of teen births in the Hispanic community did not change.¹

• CPR Editorial Note: One of the reasons teen births have risen may be due to the continuing trend of teens choosing childbirth rather than abortion.

¹America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2008, pp. 1-23.