Teenage pregnancies
Year of conception, ending 31 December 2021

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) provides an annual update on teenage pregnancy statistics in Scotland which are based on age at conception and presented by year of conception. The most recent information is for the calendar year ending 31 December 2021. The delay in reporting is due to the amount of time required for a conception to result in a birth or termination and for the relevant documentation to be recorded and validated.

Main points

• The teenage pregnancy rate in Scotland is at its lowest level since reporting began as rates fell for a fourteenth consecutive year to 23.2 per 1,000 women in 2021 (equivalent to 3,221 teenage pregnancies).

Line chart showing teenage pregnancy rates per 1,000 women from 1994 to 2021 for each of the following age groups at conception: under 16, under 18 and under 20. Each age group is represented by a different colour of line. Between 1994 and 2007 rates varied but were considerably higher than at present. After 2007 they began to decline and have generally continued to do so.

Close

Teenage pregnancy by age group at conception, 1994-2021

• Teenage pregnancy rates in Scotland vary by region. In 2021 NHS Highland recorded the lowest overall rate while NHS Tayside recorded the highest (16.7 and 32.2 per 1,000 women respectively).
• In 2021 more than half (53%) of teenage pregnancies in Scotland ended in termination rather than delivery. However, there is variation in the proportions of pregnancy outcomes across NHS Boards.
• While teenage pregnancy rates have reduced across all levels of deprivation in the last decade, they have fallen more rapidly in the most deprived areas which has narrowed the gap between the most and least deprived areas.
• In 2021 those living in the areas of highest deprivation still had teenage pregnancy rates more than four times higher than those in the least deprived (44.3 compared to 9.9 per 1,000 women).
• Teenage women from the most deprived areas are more likely to deliver than to terminate their pregnancy. In contrast, those from the least deprived areas are more likely to terminate than to deliver.

Background

The source data are (i) registrations of live and stillbirths from the National Records of Scotland, with multiple births counted as one event, and (ii) the number of terminations from the Termination of Pregnancy Submissions Scotland system.

Many teenage women experience unintended or unwanted pregnancies, although for some this may be a planned, positive life choice. Reducing unintended teenage pregnancy remains a priority for the Scottish Government.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be July 2024.