Teen pregnancies in South Africa dropped by 16% since 2021

Teen pregnancies in South Africa dropped by 16% across all nine provinces between April 2021 and March 2025, according to new research published in the South African Medical Journal.

The study found that birth rates among girls aged 10 to 19 declined year-on-year across all provinces, with births by the youngest girls, aged 10 to 14, declining by nearly 40%.

While this is a positive trend after an increase was identified in its 2022 analysis, adolescent pregnancy rates remain high, said public health researcher Peter Barron.

In 2024/2025, one in every 24 girls aged 15 to 19 gave birth, per the study.

“It is still about 115,000 adolescents, aged 10 to 19, in 2025 who gave birth to a child, which is still 115,000 too many.” 

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He said contributing factors to the downward trend may include the general high cost of living, changes in fertility, behavioural changes, and a general pessimism about the future after the COVID-19 pandemic, where overall birth rates dropped.

"The world is an uncertain place since COVID, and when that happens, women stop having children if they think the world is not going to be good for their children.”

Barron emphasised the importance of education in preventing teen pregnancy and access to contraception.

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He also highlighted the need for better communication around reproductive health and the importance of addressing gender-based violence.

"Some of the big factors that prevent teen pregnancy are young girls staying in school longer, so they get more educated.

“And we haven’t got real data around gender-based violence, because a lot of teen pregnancy is the result of coercion and not just rape,” he said.

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