What it is
Early childbearing means pregnancy and delivery during adolescence. The indicator shown here is narrower than the concept: it counts women aged 20 to 24 who gave birth before age 18, asked retrospectively so that the full adolescent period has been observed. Pregnancies ending in miscarriage, abortion or stillbirth are not counted. It sits at the intersection of health, education and rights, and is closely tied to child marriage.
Why it matters
What early childbearing affects
- 01Adolescent bodies may not be readyGirls in early adolescence are particularly vulnerable to the health consequences of pregnancy and delivery. Obstetric fistula, eclampsia, puerperal endometritis and systemic infections are among the serious conditions they may face.
- 02It is a leading cause of harm in this age groupGlobally, maternal conditions are among the top causes of death and of disability-adjusted life years among girls aged 15 to 19.
- 03It interrupts educationMany girls who become pregnant are pressured or forced to leave school, which affects their later educational and employment prospects.
- 04The consequences are social as well as clinicalEarly childbearing can bring stigmatization and reduced standing in the home and community, and can lead to rejection and violence by family members, peers and partners, as well as early and forced marriage.
Where we are
Falling globally, but still strongly patterned by wealth and residence
About 14.3 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 report having given birth before age 18. The share has fallen over the past two decades, from around 21 per cent in the period centred on 2007.
Most of that decline happened in the first half of the period. Between the 2014 and 2024 estimates the figure moved by little more than one percentage point, so the recent trajectory is much flatter than the headline decline suggests.
The global figure also conceals wide disparities. Among the disaggregations shown here, household wealth is associated with the largest absolute gap: early childbearing is over four times as common in the poorest fifth of households as in the richest.
Women aged 20 to 24 who gave birth before age 18.
14.3%of young women
MNCH global aggregates, February 2026
This is a retrospective measure: women aged 20 to 24 are asked about births that occurred years earlier. It therefore describes the recent past rather than the situation facing girls who are adolescents today.
Change over time
Change over time
Women aged 20 to 24 who gave birth before age 18, globally. Points are pooled multi-year periods rather than annual observations, and each covers roughly half of the relevant global population. The current release publishes no global series for this indicator, so the series below is carried from the previous one and does not align exactly with the headline figure above.
By region
Early childbearing by region
The regional range is wide: the highest regional estimate is roughly fourteen times the lowest.
- Sub-Saharan Africa23.7%
- Latin America and the Caribbean13.3%
- South Asia10.3%
- East Asia and Pacific7.2%
- Middle East and North Africa6.9%
- Europe and Central Asia1.7%
Regions are UNICEF reporting regions. Regional estimates draw on different numbers of countries and cover different shares of each region's population, so they are not equally precise.
Source: MNCH global and regional aggregates, February 2026 (2019–2025).
Equity
Who is affected
Of the disaggregations published for this indicator, household wealth shows the largest absolute gap — wider than the gap between the highest and lowest regions shown above.
- Poorest fifth24.2%
- Richest fifth5.5%
- Rural16.9%
- Urban9.3%
Source: MNCH global aggregates, February 2026 (2019–2025).
What is measured
A retrospective measure, covering about half the relevant population
Women aged 20 to 24 are asked whether they gave birth before age 18. Asking after the fact means the whole adolescent period has been lived through, which avoids counting girls who are still at risk. The cost is a lag: the estimate describes births that happened several years ago.
The global estimate is built from surveys covering roughly half of the relevant global population. Countries without a recent survey are not represented, and they are not a random sample of countries.
- Early childbearing
- The percentage of women aged 20 to 24 years who gave birth before age 18.
- Adolescent birth rate
- A separate and more commonly cited measure: the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 in a given year. It is a current-period rate and is not comparable with the retrospective measure above.
Read these figures with care
- The measure is retrospective. It describes the experience of women now aged 20 to 24, not the risk facing girls who are adolescents today.
- Global and regional estimates cover roughly half of the relevant population, and coverage differs sharply by region.
- Births to adolescents may be under-reported where early pregnancy carries stigma or where the birth occurred outside marriage.
- Disaggregation by mother's education is published but rests on surveys covering only a few per cent of the relevant population, and is not shown here.
Where to get the data
Where to find the data
References
- UNICEF, Early childbearing, UNICEF Data, November 2024.
- UNICEF, Adolescent girls' health and well-being in West and Central Africa.
- Countdown to 2030, Tracking Progress Towards Universal Coverage for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health.
Related topics
Copy last reviewed July 2026.