The truth about teen pregnancies

Officials in Mpumalanga recently claimed that the teenage pregnancy rate in the province increased by 80%. This is not the case.

Although teenage pregnancy rates are higher than we would like and therefore are of concern, they are on the decline. The reason why it appeared to increase is that we’ve changed the way we count them.

Initially, we only counted deliveries among teens under 17 years of age. Subsequently, we now track births in teens under the age of 20 to align with international standards.

Overall, the proportion of total births among teens under 18 dropped from 9.4% in 2006 to 6.8% in 2016. This is equivalent to more than a quarter fewer births in this age category.

Urban areas have shown the most significant drop in teen pregnancy, which highlights the inequities between rural communities and cities, where adolescent girls are not only closer to clinics, but also retail pharmacies where they can get contraceptives. They may also have greater access to online sexual and reproductive health information via smartphones and better connections.

— Yogan Pillay