Posted: May 7, 2015 Contributor: PRJKT RUBY

Teen Pregnancy Rates, STDS and Other American Facts and Figures

In the United States, 3 in 10 teen girls will get pregnant at least once before their 20th birthday. Of these teen moms, less than 2% will go on to earn a college degree by 30.

While rates of teenage pregnancy have steadily declined over the last decade, it is still an issue that requires advocacy in order to reduce the rates even further. Many sexual health organizations have programs which reach out the America’s youth to teach safe sex practices, reproductive health and STD awareness.

Teen Pregnancy Statistics in the U.S. (Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Do Something.org, Guttmacher Institute)

• In 2013, 1 in 6 babies born to 15 – 19-year-olds, were not the first pregnancy the teen had.
• In 2014, for every 1000 teens (15-19) there were 26.5 births.
• Nearly 25% of teen mothers have a second child within 24 months of having their first.
• Of all areas in the industrialized world, the U.S. has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates.
• 8 out of 10 teen fathers do not marry the mother of their child.
• Of all mothers on welfare, nearly half had their first child as a teenager.
• A teen girl who doesn’t use any form of birth control has roughly a 90% chance of becoming pregnant in one year.
• The average age most young people have sex is 17.
• Each year nearly 615,000 women ages 15 – 19 become pregnant.
• The decline in pregnancy rate over the past decade is largely attributed to improved contraceptive use.
• In 2010, 60% of pregnancies occurring in 15 – 19-year-olds resulted in birth while 26% resulted in abortion. The rest were the result of miscarriage.

STD Rates Among Teens in The U.S.

• 15-24-years-olds only account for a quarter of those who are sexually active but make up about half of the 18.9 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases each year.
• HPV accounts for about half of these infections.
• Adolescents between the ages of 13 – 24 account for about 21% of all new HIV diagnoses. (2011)
• The United States has the highest rates of STDs in the developed world.
• Roughly half of teens and adults ranging from 18 to 44 have been tested for any other STDs aside from HIV/AIDS.
• 1 in 4 teens contract an STD each year.
• Nearly 20 million new STD infections are transmitted each year in the U.S.