| Relevance/rationale of the indicator (resp. why the indicator was chosen to measure the target and how it is suitable for these purposes) |
Reducing adolescent fertility and addressing the multiple factors underlying it are essential for improving sexual and reproductive health and the social and economic well-being of adolescents. There is substantial agreement in the literature that women who become pregnant and give birth very early in their reproductive lives are subject to higher risks of complications or even death during pregnancy and birth and their children are also more vulnerable. Therefore, preventing births very early in a woman’s life is an important measure to improve maternal health and reduce infant mortality. Furthermore, women having children at an early age experience reduced opportunities for socio- economic advancement, particularly because young mothers are less likely to complete their education and, if they need to work, may find it especially difficult to combine family and work responsibilities. The adolescent birth rate also provides indirect evidence on access to pertinent health services since young people, and in particular unmarried adolescent women, often experience difficulties in access to sexual and reproductive health services. |
| Target value of the indicator and its evaluation |
|
| Definition |
The number of live births to women aged 10–14 or 15–19 years per 1,000 women in the respective age. The level of fertility is assessed on the basis of live births, not deliveries, which is taken into account in the data. |
| Measuring unit |
Live births per 1,000 women, number in units |
| Indicator disaggregation |
By age |
| Reference period (resp. the period to which the indicator relates) |
Year |
| Related geographical area |
CZ (NUTS 0) |
| Comment |
In 2023, the fertility rate of women aged 10-19 reached an all-time low, with only 3.0 live births per 1,000 women of that age. The indicator has been continuously decreasing since 2013 (6.4‰ in 2012). The fertility rate of women under 20 years of age in the Czech Republic is low, with 99% of it attributed to women aged 15–19: while there were only 0.04-0.09 live births per 1,000 girls aged 10–14 in the period 2005-2023, the fertility rate for women aged 15-19 ranged from 6.1-11.9‰. |
