Teen Pregnancy Rate Declines 5% Between 2002 and 2004

Bill Albert
202-478-8510

Jessica Sheets
202-478-8523

4/14/2008

(Washington, DC) The teen pregnancy rate in the United States continued to decline between 2002 and 2004, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. The teen pregnancy rate (girls aged 15-19) declined 5% between 2002 and 2004. Overall, the teen pregnancy rate has declined 38% between 1990 and 2004 (from 116.8 pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 to 72.2). The teen pregnancy rate has also declined among all racial/ethnic groups between 1990 and 2004. State specific information is not yet available. (Please note, teen pregnancy data are available through 2004, teen birth data are available through 2006.)

In response to the new data, Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy released the following statement:

"The continued decline in the nation's rate of teen pregnancy is good news, but not unqualified good news," said Sarah Brown. "The teen pregnancy rate for Hispanic teens increased slightly between 2003 and 2004 and, for the first time, Hispanic teens now have the highest rates of both teen pregnancy and births. Also, data released in December 2007 show a 3% increase in the teen birth rate between 2005 and 2006, the first increase in the teen birth rate in 15 years. Inasmuch as teen birth data serve as a general marker for trends in teen pregnancy data, our celebration of today's good news may very well be short-lived. We continue to encourage policymakers, practitioners, parents, and others to intensify their efforts on preventing too-early pregnancy and parenthood."

Click here for a downloadable version of the National Campaign statement.

Click here for a National Campaign fact sheet on pregnancy rates.

Click here for the NCHS press release.

About The National Campaign: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families and, in particular, to help ensure that children are born into stable, two-parent families who are committed to and ready for the demanding task of raising the next generation. Our specific strategy is to prevent teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults. We support a combination of responsible values and behavior by both men and women and responsible policies in both the public and private sectors.

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Teen Pregnancy Rate Declines 5% Between 2002 and 2004