How high is teen pregnancy in the UK? Rates drop by a quarter, but we’re still in the EU’s top five

The number of British teenagers giving birth has dropped by a quarter – but the UK is still well above the European Union average. 

 

During 2012, the UK birth rate for 15 to 19 year-olds was 19.7 out of 1,000, compared with the EU's average rate of 12.6. 

 

But the UK's rate has dropped by 26.8 per cent since 2004 – far greater than the average fall of around a fifth. 

 

A decade ago, British teens accounted for 26.9 births out of 1,000, compared with the EU average of 15.4. 

 

This chart shows you what that drop looks like:

 

 

The news comes after a concerted effort by the past few governments to get the rate to drop, alongside improved healthcare for young mothers and their children – teen pregnancy is one of the government's three sexual health indicators and is a key measure of progress on child poverty.

 

But before we pat ourselves on the back too much, it's important to recognise that the UK's birth rate is still the fourth highest in the EU. 

 

Only Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia have a higher rate than the UK. Denmark has the lowest rate of teen pregnancy in the bloc, followed by Slovenia and the Netherlands. 

 

Here's how the UK compares with the other countries in the EU: