South Africa and Zimbabwe are grappling with significant teenage pregnancy issues. In South Africa, 98,351 babies were born to mothers aged 19 and younger in 2024, including 2,103 births to girls aged 10-14. KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number in this age group with 438 births, followed by the Eastern Cape with 349 .
In Zimbabwe, the adolescent fertility rate stands at 110 per 1,000 women aged 15-19, meaning one in ten adolescent girls gives birth every year. A national assessment revealed that 9% of female adolescents aged 10-19 had ever been pregnant, with factors like lack of comprehensive knowledge and poor attitudes towards sexual reproductive health contributing to this issue .
The consequences of teenage pregnancy are severe, with increased risks of maternal and child mortality, school dropout, and poverty. In South Africa, nearly 365 teenage girls give birth daily, with 10 of those being mothers younger than 15. The World Health Organization notes that pregnancy and childbirth are leading causes of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19 globally .
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