Teenage births halved over last decade – Media release
21 February 2023
The number of teenage women in New Zealand giving birth has more than halved over the last decade, Stats NZ said today.
There were 1,719 births registered to teenage women (those aged under 20 years) in 2022, accounting for around 1 in every 34 births that year. In 2012, there were 3,786 births registered to teenage mothers, accounting for around 1 in every 16 births that year.
For every 1,000 women in New Zealand aged 15–19, there were 11 births in 2022, down from 25 births in 2012. This is a drop of 55 percent. In 2022, 99 percent of teenage births were to mothers aged 15–19.
“The decreasing number of teenage births coincides with improved education and access to contraception,” estimates and projections manager Michael MacAskill said.
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