age of 20 in the world have a child each year. estimates were that 20–60% of these pregnancies in developing countries are mistimed or unwanted. save the children found that, annually, 13 million children are born to women aged under 20 worldwide, more than 90% in developing countries. complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of mortality among women aged 15–19 in such areas. sub-saharan africa the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world is in sub-saharan africa, where women tend to marry at an early age. in niger, for example, 87% of women surveyed were married and 53% had given birth to a child before the age of 18. a recent study found that socio-cultural factors, economic factors, environmental factors, individual factors, and health service-related factors were responsible for the high rates of teenage pregnancy in sub-saharan africa. india in the indian subcontinent, early marriage sometimes results in adolescent pregnancy, particularly in rural regions where the rate is much higher than it is in urbanized areas. latest data suggests that teen pregnancy in india is high with 62 pregnant teens out of every 1,000 women. india is fast approaching to be the most populous country in the world by 2050 and increasing teenage pregnancy, an important factor for the population rise, is likely to aggravate the problems. asia the rates of early marriage and pregnancy in some asian countries are high. in recent years, the rates have decreased sharply in indonesia and malaysia, although it remains relatively high in the former. however, in the industrialized asian nations such as south korea and singapore, teenage birth rates remain among the lowest in the world. australia main article: teenage pregnancy in australia in 2015, the birth rate among teenage women in australia was 11.9 births per 1,000 women. the rate has fallen from 55.5 births per 1,000 women in 1971, probably due to ease of access to effective birth control, rather than any decrease in sexual activity. europe the overall trend in europe since 1970 has been a decreasing total fertility rate, an increase in the age at which women experience their first birth, and a decrease in the number of births among teenagers. most continental western european countries have very low teenage birth rates. this is varyingly attributed to good sex education and high levels of contraceptive use (in the case of the netherlands and scandinavia), traditional values and social stigmatization (in the case of spain and italy) or both (in the case of switzerland). on the other hand, the teen birth rate is very high in bulgaria and romania. as of 2015, bulgaria had a birth rate of 37/1.000 women aged 15–19, and romania of 34. the teen birth rate of these two countries is even higher than that of underdeveloped countries like burundi and rwanda. many of the teen births occur in roma populations, who have an occurrence of teenage pregnancies well above the local average. united kingdom main article: teenage pregnancy and sexual health in the united kingdom the teen pregnancy rate in england and wales was 23.3 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17. there were 5,740 pregnancies in girls aged under 18 in the three months to june 2014, data from the office for national statistics shows. this compares with 6,279 in the same period in 2013 and 7,083 for the june quarter the year before that. historically, the uk has had one of the highest teenage pregnancy and abortion rates in western europe. there are no comparable rates for conceptions across europe, but the under-18 birth rate suggests england is closing the gap. the under-18 birth rate in 2012 in england and wales was 9.2, compared with an eu average of 6.9. however, the uk birth rate has fallen by almost a third (32.3%) since 2004 compared with a fall of 15.6% in the eu. in 2004, the uk rate was 13.6 births per 1,000 women aged 15–17 compared with an eu average rate of 7.7. united states main article: teenage pregnancy in the united states us teen pregnancy rate 15 to 19 year olds (per 1,000), including black, hispanic, and white populations. in 2001, the teenage birth rate in the us was the highest in the developed world, and the teenage abortion rate is also high. in 2005 in the us, the majority (57%) of teen pregnancies resulted in a live birth, 27% ended in an induced abortion, and 16% in a fetal loss. the us teenage pregnancy rate was at a high in the 1950s and has decreased since then, although there has been an increase in births out of wedlock. the teenage pregnancy rate decreased significantly in the 1990s; this decline manifested across all racial groups, although teenagers of african-american and hispanic descent retain a higher rate, in comparison to that of european-americans and asian-americans. the guttmacher institute attributed about 25% of the decline to abstinence and 75% to the effective use of contraceptives. while in 2006 the us teen birth rate rose for the first time in fourteen years, it reached a historic low in 2010: 34.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. as of 2017, the birth rate for teen pregnancy from girls ages 15–19 was at 18.8 per 1,000 women between this age group. given a teenage girl population of 10 million females (aged 15–19, in 2020), this would translate to ~190,000 births per year. the latina teenage pregnancy rate is 75% higher pregnancy rate than the national average. the latest data from the us shows that the states with the highest teenage birthrate are mississippi, new mexico and arkansas while the states with the lowest teenage birthrate are new hampshire, massachusetts and vermont. canada the canadian teenage birth trended towards a steady decline for both younger (15–17) and older (18–19) teens in the period between 1992 and 2002; it further dropped by a factor of more than 2-fold between 2000 and 2020 (from 20.1 per 1000 women in 2000 to 8.4 in 2020). still, in canada, the stability of familial structure significantly influences the risk of teenage pregnancy. experiencing one or more episodes of poverty before the age of 13 made young canadian girls 75% to 90% more vulnerable to teenage pregnancy. teenage fatherhood in some cases, the father of the child is the husband of the teenage girl. the conception may occur within wedlock, or the pregnancy itself may precipitate the marriage (the so-called shotgun wedding). in countries such as india, the majority of teenage births occur within marriage. in other countries, such as the us and ireland, the majority of teenage mothers are not married to the father of their children. in the uk, half of all teenagers with children are lone parents, 40% are cohabitating as a couple and 10% are married. teenage parents are frequently in a romantic relationship at the time of birth, but many adolescent fathers do not stay with the mother and this often disrupts their relationship with the child. us surveys tend to under-report the prevalence of teen fatherhood. in many cases, "teenage father" may be a misnomer. studies by the population reference bureau and the national center for health statistics found that about two-thirds of births to teenage girls in the us are fathered by adult men aged over 20. the guttmacher institute reports that over 40% of mothers aged 15–17 had sexual partners three to five years older and almost one in five had partners six or more years older. a 1990 study of births to california teens reported that the younger the mother, the greater the age gap with her male partner. in the uk, 72% of jointly registered births to women aged under 20, the father is over 20, with almost 1 in 4 being over 25. the intersection of society and culture teenage pregnancy remains a significant social and cultural issue in many countries around the world. while the rate of teenage pregnancies has declined in recent decades, it continues to be a cause for concern, both from a health perspective and in terms of its impact on the lives of young people. the causes of teenage pregnancy are complex and multi-faceted, reflecting the interplay between individual behavior, societal norms and cultural attitudes. in many cultures, there is a lack of comprehensive sexual education, which contributes to a lack of understanding about contraception and sexually transmitted infections. there is also a cultural stigma attached to discussing sexual health and relationships, which makes it difficult for young people to access the information and support they need. in addition, poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and limited opportunities for education and employment can also contribute to the high rate of teenage pregnancy. these factors can make it difficult for young people to make informed choices about their sexual health and can limit their ability to access contraception and other forms of protection. the effects of teenage pregnancy can be far-reaching and long-lasting. pregnant teenagers are at increased risk of health problems, including complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and are more likely to experience poverty and limited opportunities later in life. their children are also more likely to experience health and developmental problems, and to grow up in poverty. despite these challenges, there are many programs and initiatives aimed at reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy and supporting young people who become pregnant. these efforts include comprehensive sex education programs, access to contraception and family planning services, and support for young mothers. in conclusion, teenage pregnancy is a complex issue that reflects the interplay between individual behavior, societal norms and cultural attitudes. addressing this issue requires a comprehensive approach that includes education, access to healthcare, and support for young people. by working together, we can help to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy and improve the lives of young people and their families. politics some politicians condemn pregnancy in unmarried teenagers as a drain on taxpayers, if the mothers and children receive welfare payments and social housing from the government.