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KEY DATA 2021

Sexual health and identity

Presenting data on young people’s sexual behaviour and how they identify.  Sections include what age young people start to have sexual relationships; contraception use; conception and birth rates for young parents; and sexually transmitted diseases.

In England, Wales and Scotland the under 18 conception rate has continued to fall since the 1990s

Conception and birth

Over the last two decades there has been a significant fall in teenage pregnancy. By 2018 the reported number of conceptions in the under 18 age group in England and Wales was the lowest since 1969, at 16.8 per 1000 girls of that age (Office for National Statistics, 2020). However, there is still considerable variation across the regions in England. Charts 3.5 and 3.6 illustrate how this rate (per 1,000 females aged 15-17) has fallen since the late 1990s, both in England and Wales and in Scotland.

Under 18 conception rates show a long-term downward trend - England and Wales
Under 18 conception rates show a long-term downward trend - Scotland

The rate of legal abortions in England and Wales among young people under 25 has remained fairly steady over recent years, as shown in Charts 3.7 and 3.8.

The rate of legal abortions by young people remain relatively steady - England and Wales
The rate of legal abortions by young people remain relatively steady - Scotland

As far as Northern Ireland is concerned, conception rates are not available, but we can look at the number of live births. Chart 3.9 shows that the number of young women under 25 giving birth has reduced over the last decade.

The number of young women under 25 in Northern Ireland giving birth has reduced in the last deca

Young people living in areas of higher deprivation have higher rates of under-18 conceptions. Chart 3.10 shows this relationship for England and Wales, and Chart 3.11 for Scotland.

Young people living in areas of higher deprivation have higher rates of under-18 conceptions - England and Wales
Young people living in areas of higher deprivation have higher rates of under-18 conceptions - Scotland

30% of pregnant young women under the age of 20 in England reported being a smoker at their booking appointmentLooking at international rates, comparable conception data are not available for all countries, but comparisons can be made for birth rates per 1,000 women aged 15-19 drawing on World Health Organisation Global Health Observatory Data. Chart 3.12 plots the births per 1,000 young women aged 15-19 in the UK in 2019 and for a selection of other high-income countries. The data are collected at the age the mother gives birth, not adjusted for age of conception, so these data are not directly comparable to the under 18 conception data published annually by ONS. The UK birth rate among women aged 15-19 was one of the highest among economically similar countries.

UK rates of births to 15-19 year olds are relatively high compared to other high income countries

Among those young people who do go on to give birth, pre-conception health is important both for them and their child. In England data are available from the NHS Maternity Statistics report which examines data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and the Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS) (NHS Digital, 2019). These show that younger women were more likely than other ages to be underweight at their booking appointment, with just under one in eleven (9.4%) young women aged under 20 years underweight at their booking appointment.

37.3% of young women  aged 18-24 years are overweight or obese in early pregnancyAround 37% of young women under 20 years were overweight or obese in early pregnancy and this rises to over 56% in pregnant women aged 40 and over. Being overweight or obese at the booking appointment is more prevalent in areas of higher deprivation.

The data also showed that more young pregnant women under 25 attended antenatal care at a later stage than older women (Public Health England, 2019). 

All data correct as of 1st November 2021