Teenage pregnancies
Year of conception, ending 31 December 2024

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) provides an annual update on teenage pregnancy statistics in Scotland which are based on age at conception and presented by year of conception. The most recent information is for the calendar year ending 31 December 2024. The delay in reporting is due to the amount of time required for a conception to result in an end of pregnancy outcome and for the relevant documentation to be recorded and validated.

Main points

• The teenage pregnancy rate in Scotland decreased slightly from 25.8 per 1,000 women in 2023 to 25.6 in 2024. This is equivalent to 3,833 teenage pregnancies in 2024.

Line chart showing teenage pregnancy rates per 1,000 women from 2000 to 2023 (based on year of conception) for each of the following age groups at conception: under 16, under 18 and under 20. Each age group is represented by a different colour of line. Historically, teenage pregnancy rates in Scotland varied by year but were generally much higher than they are at present. After a peak in 2007 rates for those aged under 20 then began to fall and this trend continued with decreases observed annually until 2021. Rates increased slightly in 2022 and have remained relatively stable since

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Teenage pregnancy by age group at conception, 2000-2024

• Teenage pregnancy rates varied by region. In 2024, East Dunbartonshire recorded the lowest overall rate of any mainland local authority and Clackmannanshire recorded the highest (13.1 and 42.8 per 1,000 women respectively).
• In 2024, 58.8% of teenage pregnancies ended in termination rather than birth.
• The birth rate for teenage pregnancies rose slightly between 2023 and 2024 (from 10.3 to 10.5 per 1,000 women) while the termination rate fell (from 15.5 to 15 per 1,000 women).
• There was variation in the proportions of teenage pregnancy outcomes across NHS boards. For pregnancies that ended in birth in 2024, this ranged from 32.7% in NHS Lothian to 52% in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
• The gap between the most and least deprived areas has narrowed over the last ten years, driven by a larger decrease in teenage pregnancy rates within the most deprived areas.
• However, in 2024 those living in the most deprived areas still had teenage pregnancy rates more than four times higher than those living in the least deprived areas (44.3 compared to 10.5 per 1,000 women).
• With each increase in level of deprivation a higher proportion of teenage pregnancies ended in birth rather than termination. In 2024, this proportion rose from 14.3% in the least deprived areas to 53.6% in the most deprived areas.

Background

In this year’s release, data has been sourced from the Scottish Linked Pregnancy and Baby Dataset (SLiPBD) and includes all pregnancies which ended in a birth (multiple births are treated as a single event) or a termination. Whilst for some young women a teenage pregnancy is planned, for others it represents an unintended conception. Reducing unintended teenage pregnancy is a priority.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be July 2027.