Motherhood in childhood: The untold story

This report examines trends in adolescent childbearing using techniques that focus on the most marginalised girls, like child mothers, girls with repeat adolescent childbearing, and births that occur in dangerously quick succession. Using these new measures, it uncovers the untold story of more than 50 years of adolescent childbearing in the world's low- and middle-income countries.

Nearly one-third of all women in low- and middle-income countries begin childbearing in adolescence (i.e., at age 19 years and younger). It is worth emphasising that the majority of first births to girls aged 17 years and younger, in 54 low- and middle-income countries with data, occur within marriage or cohabiting unions.