Fast Facts - The National Campaign | To Prevent Teen and

APRIL 2016
Fast Facts
Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Latina Teens
Teen pregnancy and birth rates are at historic
lows. There has also been impressive progress in
all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups.
Even so, the success has been uneven. Despite a
steady decrease in the teen pregnancy and birth
rates among Latina teens over the last decade,
their rates remain much higher than rates for
teens overall. It is also the case that the Latino
population is the largest and fastest growing
minority group in the United States—by 2030, it is
estimated that more than one-quarter of all teens
will be Latino.1
Key Facts
• The birth rate was 38.0 births per 1,000 Latina
teens age 15-19 in 2014 (the most recent data
available).2
• The teen pregnancy rate, which factors in both
those pregnancies that ended in a birth and
those that did not, was 73.5 per 1,000 Latina
teens age 15-19 in 2011 (the most recent
pregnancy data available).3
• Roughly 1 in 3 Latina teens got pregnant at least
once before age 20—one and a half times the
national average.4
• Ongoing declines in both the pregnancy and
birth rates for Latina teens suggest a more
optimistic outlook. Both rates have fallen nearly
continuously since 1990.
communications@thenc.org www.TheNationalCampaign.org
The Details: Pregnancy Data
Overall
The pregnancy rate for all teens declined 55% between
1990 (the peak year for teen pregnancy) and 2011.3 The
pregnancy rate among Latina teens decreased 56% over
this period (from 165.6 in 1991 to 73.5 pregnancies per
1,000 Latina teens in 2011), and fell by 11% just since
2010. The Latina teen pregnancy rate is somewhat lower
than the rate among non-Hispanic black teen girls (73.5
compared to 92.6), and is more than double the rate for
non-Hispanic white teen girls (35.3).3
By Age Group
In 2009 (the most recent data available by race/ethnicity
and age), the majority of pregnancies to Latina teens
occurred among 18-19 year-olds, and the pregnancy
rate among Latina teens age 18-19 was nearly triple that
among girls age 15-17. (Figure 1)3,5
• The teen pregnancy rate for Latina teens under
age 15 was 1.9 per 1,000 in 2009. There was a 14%
decrease in the rate between 2008 and 2009, and there
has been an overall decrease of 57% since
1990. There were approximately 4,000 pregnancies
to Latina teens under age 15 in 2009.
• The teen pregnancy rate for Latina teens age 15-17 was
61.1 per 1,000 in 2009. There was a 12% decrease in
the rate between 2008 and 2009, and there has been
an overall decrease of 46% since 1990. There were
approximately 79,000 pregnancies to Latina teens age
15-17 in 2009.
www.Bedsider.org
www.StayTeen.org
April 2016
(202) 478-8500
PAGE 1
15-19
18-19
300
150
100
242.4
165.6
158.9
73.5
113
61.1
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2001
2002
2000
1999
1998
1997
1995
1996
1994
1993
1992
0
1991
50
2011
200
2010
250
1990
Pregnancies per 1,000 girls
FIGURE 1. Pregnancy Rates
Among Latina Teen
Girls by Age Group,
1990-20112,4
15-17
Year
• The teen pregnancy rate for Latina teens age 18-19 was
158.9 per 1,000 in 2009. There was a 10% decrease in
the rate between 2008 and 2009, and there has been
an overall decrease of 34% since 1990. There were
approximately 136,000 pregnancies to Latina teens
age 18-19 in 2009.
By State
• Pregnancy rates for Latina teens vary by state. In 2011
(the most recent data available by state), these rates
ranged from a low of 19 per 1,000 in Vermont to a high
of 95 per 1,000 in Georgia.6
• State specific pregnancy rates by race/ethnicity are
available in the Data section of The National Campaign
website at http://www.TheNationalCampaign.org/data/.
The Details: Birth Data
Overall
The birth rate among all teens age 15-19 declined 61%
between 1991 and 2014.2 The birth rate among Latina
teens decreased 64% during this same period (from 104.6
to 38.0 births per 1,000 Latina teens respectively), and fell
by 9% in the last year alone. Additional breakouts by age,
parity, marital status, and state are available through 2012
or 2014, as described below.
Latina teens currently have the highest birth rate among
all teens—more than one and a half times higher than the
overall teen birth rate.2
By Age Group
In 2014, older teens (age 18-19) accounted for the
majority of births to Latina teens, similar to teens overall.
In fact, among Latina teens, 69% of births to girls age
15-19 were to older teens (Figure 2).2
communications@thenc.org www.TheNationalCampaign.org
• The birth rate for Latina teens age 10-14 was 0.4 per
1,000 in 2014. There was a decrease of 20% between
2013 and 2014, and an overall decrease of 83% since
1991. There were 1,037 births to Latinas younger than
age 15 in 2014.
• The birth rate for Latinas age 15-17 was 19.3 per 1,000
in 2014. There was a decrease of 12% between 2013
and 2014, and an overall decrease of 72% since 1991.
There were 26,295 births to Latinas age 15-17 in 2014.
• The birth rate for Latinas age 18-19 was 66.1 per 1,000
in 2014. There was a decrease of 7% between 2013 and
2014, and an overall decrease of 57% since 1991. There
were 59,675 births to Latinas age 18-19 in 2014.
By Parity
• Most births to Latina teens are first births. In 2014,
80% of births to Latina teens age 15-19 were first
births—17% were second births and the remainder
were births to Latinas who had two or more previous
births.2
• Among all Latina teen mothers, 20% will have at least
one additional birth by the time they reach age 20.7
By State
• In 2012, Latina teen birth rates varied from a low of
28.2 per 1,000 Latina teens in Florida to a high of 67.4
per 1,000 in Oklahoma.2
• State specific birth rates by race/ethnicity are available
in the Data section of The National Campaign website
at http://www.TheNationalCampaign.org/data/.
www.Bedsider.org
www.StayTeen.org
April 2016
(202) 478-8500
PAGE 2
About the Data
Teen pregnancy and birth statistics reported by The
National Campaign are derived from published sources.
There are currently two similar but distinct time series for
teen pregnancy, one reported by the National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS) within the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), and the other reported by
the Guttmacher Institute. In both series, teen pregnancy
is calculated using data from: NCHS (number of births);
the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion (CCDPHP) within CDC (age and race/ ethnicity
distribution of women obtaining abortions); and the
Guttmacher Institute (total number of abortions). Teen
pregnancy statistics also include estimates of fetal loss,
for which NCHS relies on data from the National Survey of
Family Growth, while Guttmacher estimates fetal loss to be
20% of births plus 10% of abortions.3,5 Pregnancy rates for
Latina teens age 15-19 are based on data reported by the
Guttmacher Institute and reported through 2011 (statelevel rates available for 31 states). Breakouts for additional
age categories are based on data reported by NCHS and
reported through 2009.
SOURCES:
1. U
.S. Census Bureau. (2014). Table 1. Projected Population by Single Year of Age,
Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2014 to 2060. Retrieved
April 25, 2016, From https://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/
national/2014.html.
2. H
amilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., Osterman, M.J.K., Curtin, S.C., & Matthews, T. J.
(2015). Births: Final Data for 2014. National Vital Statistics Reports, 64(12), 1-18.
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf.
3. K
ost, K., & Maddow-Zimet, I. (2016). U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and
Abortions, 2011: National Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity. New York:
Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.guttmacher.org/report/usteen-pregnancy-trends-2011.
4. A
uthor tabulations based on data in Curtin, S.C., Abma, J.A., Ventura, S.J., &
Henshaw, S.K. (2013). Pregnancy Rates for U.S. Women Continue to Drop. NCHS
Data Brief, 136, 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/
db136.htm.
5. C
urtin, S.C., Abma, J.C., Ventura, S.J., & Henshaw S.K. (2013). Pregnancy Rates
for U.S. Women Continue to Drop. National Center for Health Statistics, Data Brief,
No. 123. Retrieved December 5, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/
databriefs/db136.htm.
6. K
ost, K., & Maddow-Zimet, I. (2016). U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and
Abortions, 2011: State Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity. New York: Guttmacher
Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.guttmacher.org/report/us-teenpregnancy-state-trends-2011.
7. A
uthor tabulations based on data in Centers for Disease Control (CDC). (2014).
VitalStats—Births [Data file]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/vitalstats.
htm.
Birth data are reported by NCHS. More information
about NCHS birth data is available at http://www.cdc.gov/
nchs/data_ access/vitalstats/VitalStats_Births.htm. For more
information about how the percentage ever pregnant by
age 20 statistic is calculated, please see “Fast Facts: How is
the “Roughly 1 in 4” Statistic Calculated?” available at http://
www.TheNationalCampaign.org/data.
communications@thenc.org www.TheNationalCampaign.org
www.Bedsider.org
www.StayTeen.org
April 2016
(202) 478-8500
PAGE 3