Let’s proceed to the list of countries with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world in 2018. Insider Monkey has recently published an edifying article about it. Teen pregnancies can influence women’s education prospects, economic opportunities, health as well as whole family. It is a fact that teenage pregnancy is a significant contributor to school dropout rates among girls. In developing countries with limited resources, pregnancy and childbirth among young women can also pose challenges to their physical well-being. Adolescent pregnancy remains a major contributor to maternal and child mortality. Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death among 15 to 19-year-old girls globally. Adolescent mothers face higher risks of eclampsia, puerperal endometritis, and systemic infections than adult women.
Now without a further ado let’s see what Insider Monkey has investigated for us. We have picked three of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world in 2018 from their list.
The first one is Sierra Leone. The main causes cited by the UNICEF are the misconceptions about contraceptives that continue to reflect lack of proper education on reproductive health and contraception, extreme poverty and religious beliefs. This is a country where early marriage is supported by traditional practice, according to a 2008 survey by the World Health Organization where 70% of teenage girls in Sierra Leone are married. The next country should be Liberia where the 4-year long civil war ended in 2003 leaving behind major social and psychological problems, with children being especially affected. Liberia is listed as one of the poorest countries in the world. Teenage pregnancy is on the rise in this country what is fast becoming a national crisis with far-reaching effects. At last, but not least we are mentioning South Sudan. One-third of South Sudanese girls start childbearing when they are 15. In South Sudan, teenage girls are more likely to be married than be in school. Lack of money for school fees apparently led to many girls dropping out of school and sometimes opting instead for marriage. The Government of South Sudan has been criticized for not budgeting enough to education.
For any further useful information, read Insider Monkey’s article about 15 highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world in 2018.