Situation Analysis of Adolescent Pregnancy in Guyana
Understanding the underlying issues related to adolescent preganancy in Guyana
Highlights
Adolescent pregnancy is a major problem worldwide with 17 million girls below the age of 19 years giving birth annually and about 2 million births occurring in girls below the age of 15 years. Most of these births occur in low- and middle-income countries. Globally, some 19 percent of adolescent girls are estimated to give birth annually.
Guyana is reported to have the second highest rate in Latin America and Caribbean with 90 out of every 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 giving birth during the period 2010-2015. This is exceeded only by the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, with 101 out of every 1,000 girls, and Nicaragua in Central America with 93 out of every 1,000 girls of the same age.
Adolescent pregnancy as a percentage of all pregnancies in Guyana has remained between 19 and 22 percent from 1997-2016. There are socio-economic, regional and ethnic differences in the rates of adolescent pregnancy with the hinterland regions having higher rates than the coastal regions (105 versus 69) as well as rural areas having higher rates that urban areas (81 versus 55). The Indigenous Peoples have the highest rates compared with the other ethnic groups, as do girls from the lowest wealth quintile and lower educational background.