Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy

Appendix C: Conception data of young people in Scotland and Europe

Birth rates for 15-19 year olds in the European Union and further afield^[e]

Although rates in both the UK and Europe have been decreasing, the UK still has high numbers of births in 15-19 year olds. Please note that we can only compare births due to the variation in recording data in the various countries.
Note: EU28 is the 28 European Union countries average.

Birth rate (per 1000 women) among women aged 15-19 year old in selected countries, 2012

The rate of pregnancy (this is defined as all conceptions i.e. live births and abortions) in the under 20s age group is decreasing in Scotland although it is still high compared to other countries, including comparable western states (appendix 1). Between 2007 and 2013, Scotland has seen a 34.7% decrease in pregnancy rates in the under 20s. This shows that high rates can be influenced with effective interagency joint working and evidence informed approaches. However, these rates are still high compared to other countries in the European Union and further afield (appendix 1) and some of this can be explained by the challenge posted by the gap in inequalities (figure 1). Females aged under 20 years old and living in a deprived area are 4.6 times more likely to experience a pregnancy and nearly 12 times more likely to continue the pregnancy as someone living in the least deprived areas of Scotland. Reducing levels of pregnancy in young people helps to reduce the likelihood of poverty and a recurring cycle from one generation to the next^[f].

Figure 1: Rates of teenage pregnancy under 20 years old in Scotland by deprivation quintile (SIMD)^[g] 2007-2013^[h]