the usa (83.6 per 1000), and is comparable to other western developed nations like new zealand (54 per 1000), united kingdom (47 per 1000) and canada (45.4 per 1000). overall in australia in 1995, there were 19.8 births and 23.8 terminations per thousand young women aged 15–19 years. australia's teenage fertility rate is higher than most developed countries outside the united states and the united kingdom. in addition, australia has one of the highest abortion rates in this age group, with the proportion of pregnancies ending in abortion having increased from 20% to over 50% over the past 30 years. this figure has since remained stable. in 2013, the birth rate in australia among young women was 14.6 births per 1,000 women. 1 in 25 live births in australia in 2009 were to teenage mothers, and two in every 100 girls aged between 15 and 19 years become pregnant every year.