Share of births to teenage mothers in Europe 2021, by country

In 2021, Bulgaria had the highest share of births to teenage mothers in Europe at almost ten percent of all births in the country. Furthermore, in Slovakia and Georgia, over five percent of births in both countries were to mothers aged below 20 years. The share of teenage births was particularly low in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Norway.

Falling teenage births

In Europe, the share of births to teenage mothers has been trending downwards. Across the whole European region, the share of adolescent births fell from almost ten percent in 1980 to three percent in 2021. More specifically in the European Union, teenagers accounted for fewer than two percent of all births in 2021.

Access to contraception

In developed countries, the average age for women giving birth has increased over time, and in general, women are choosing to have fewer children. One of the main reasons is improved access to contraception, which allows women greater autonomy over their bodies. Luxembourg, which was rated as having the best access to modern contraception, also has the highest average childbearing age in Europe. Next on the contraception ranking; Belgium, France, and the UK also had a mean age of around 31 for mothers.