CLAIM: In Zimbabwe, teenage pregnancy has risen from 9% in 2016 to 23.6% in 2023, according to the United Nations.
SOURCE: Hopewell Chin’ono on X
VERDICT: True
Journalist and documentary maker, Hopewell Chin’ono, recently commented on a viral video of a Namibian teacher talking about consent. Part of the caption read, ‘In Zimbabwe, teenage pregnancy has risen from 9% in 2016 to 23.6% in 2023, according to the United Nations.’
Definition of Terms
Although teenage and adolescent pregnancy are sometimes used interchangeably, they do not necessarily refer to the same thing.
Teenage pregnancy is defined as when a girl aged 15-19 is pregnant with her first child or gives birth.
Adolescent pregnancy, on the other hand, is the occurrence of pregnancy in girls aged 10 – 19 years.
Healthline.com does not make an age distinction, defining teenage pregnancy as pregnancy in a woman 19 years of age or younger.
Adolescent pregnancy remains a major contributor to maternal and child mortality. Complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 globally. Pregnant girls and adolescents also face other health risks and complications due to their immature bodies. Babies born to younger mothers are also at greater risk.
But how prevalent is it?
Statistical evidence
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) quotes the same figures used by Chin’ono. This was in a post on X earlier this year, ‘Teenage pregnancy in Zimbabwe has risen from 9% in 2016 to 23.6% in 2023. This is a call to action. We must invest in Comprehensive Sexuality Education, youth-friendly health services, and economic empowerment to protect our girls. #ZITF2025 #EndTeenPregnancy’.
However, in an article on the organisation’s website, a different figure is stated, ‘It was also established that the national prevalence rate of teenage pregnancy had increased to 22 per cent in 2023 from 9 per cent in 2016 (UNFPA supported National Adolescent Fertility Study, 2016).’
The article cites the National Assessment on Adolescent Pregnancies in Zimbabwe (June 2023) conducted by the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe under the leadership of the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare with technical and financial support from UNESCO, UNFPA and UNICEF, as the source.
The cited report talks about adolescent pregnancy prevalence.
It states that, ‘Adolescent pregnancy prevalence was 23.7% (337/1418) for adolescents aged between 10 -19 years. Among the 337 pregnant adolescences, 4.0% (20) had disabilities. The analysis of adolescent pregnancy prevalence showed that 0.9% of 10–14-year-olds (4/567) and 41.2% of 15–19-year-olds (333/851) were pregnant. The prevalence of pregnancy differed significantly between the two age groups, with older adolescents (15-19 years old) being 71.2 times more likely to be pregnant than very young adolescents (10–14-year-olds).’
The Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey also looked at teenage pregnancy. It states that, ‘Twenty-three percent of women age 15–19 have ever been pregnant. Seventeen percent of young women have had a live birth.Three percent of young women have had a pregnancy loss. Six percent of young women are currently pregnant.’
According to Plan International, teenage pregnancies are caused by:
- Lack of information about sexual and reproductive health and rights
- Inadequate access to services tailored to young people
- Family, community and social pressure to marry
- Sexual violence
- Child, early and forced marriage which can be both a cause and a consequence
- Lack of education or school drop out
Conclusion
The claim that ’In Zimbabwe, teenage pregnancy has risen from 9% in 2016 to 23.6% in 2023, according to the United Nations’ is true. Some figures put the prevalence at 22% and others at 23% and 23.7%. These can be attributed to differences in definition of terms with some of the assessments looking at the 10-19 age group and some at the 15-19 age group.
