Skip to main content

Child Pregnancies

Volume 447: debated on Thursday 15 June 2006

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many girls aged 16 years and under (a) became pregnant, (b) had an abortion, (c) gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and (d) gave birth and kept the child in each year since 1985, broken down by (i) age and (ii) region. (75626)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 15 June 2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many girls aged 16 and under (a) became pregnant, (b) had an abortion, (c) gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and (d) gave birth and kept the child in each year since 1985, broken down by (i) age and (ii) region. I am replying in her absence. (75626)

Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.

Number of conceptions to girls aged under 14, 14, 15 and 16 from 1987 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 1. Figures for 1985 and 1986 are not provided because ONS amended the method for calculating woman's age at conception and revised data are not available prior to 1987.

Conception figures are routinely published each year by region for all girls aged under 16. Conception to girls aged 16 years by region can only be made available at a disproportionate cost.

Number of conceptions to girls aged under 16 by region from 1992 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 2. There have been Government Office Regional boundary changes prior to 1992 and figures prior to then are not compatible with later years.

Number of abortions to girls aged 14 and under, 15 and 16 from 1987 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 3. Figures for girls for aged 14 and under are grouped to protect small numbers which may be revealed by previously published data.

Numbers of abortions to girls aged 16 and under, by regional offices in England from 1987 to 2004 are shown in Table 4.

Number of live births to girls aged under 12, 12 ,13, 14, 15 and 16 from 1985 to 2005 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 5.

Figures on live births by region have been compiled on the same basis as conceptions and number of live births to girls aged under 16 by Government Office Region from 1992 to 2005 are shown in Table 6.

Information is not available on how many girls aged 16 years and under gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and gave birth and kept the child.

Table 1: Conceptions to women under 17 by age, 1987-2004, England and Wales

Age of mother

Under 14

14

15

16

All under 17

1987

312

1,777

6,538

16,112

24,739

1988

270

1,652

6,336

15,395

23,653

1989

223

1,650

6,077

14,703

22,653

1990

316

1,754

6,069

13,923

22,062

1991

318

1,686

5,476

12,623

20,103

1992

363

1,632

5,222

11,932

19,149

1993

368

1,774

5,125

11,031

18,298

1994

397

1,938

5,460

11,336

19,131

1995

382

1,834

5,835

12,382

20,433

1996

451

1,961

6,445

14,284

23,141

1997

365

1,964

5,942

14,058

22,329

1998

423

1,988

6,041

13,802

22,254

1999

406

1,866

5,673

13,334

21,279

2000

397

1,890

5,827

13,153

21,267

2001

400

1,890

5,613

13,103

21,006

2002

390

1,858

5,627

13,475

21,350

2003

334

1,888

5,802

13,303

21,327

20041

341

1,751

5,521

13,616

21,229

1 Provisional.

Source:

Office for National Statistics.

Table 2: Conceptions under 16 by Government office region, 1992-2004, England and Wales

North East

North West

Yorkshire and the Humber

East Midlands

West Midlands

East

London

South East

South West

Wales

England and Wales

1992

478

1,095

907

641

924

571

867

788

764

470

7,217

1993

560

1,140

825

634

917

563

867

794

502

465

7,267

1994

567

1,172

956

632

1,030

576

965

840

552

505

7,795

1995

627

1,165

894

702

998

608

1,019

890

581

567

8,051

1996

659

1,272

971

737

1,103

647

1,171

1,006

646

644

8,856

1997

621

1,106

971

655

1,012

631

1,141

972

598

564

8,271

1998

570

1,177

972

701

1,035

635

1,152

960

653

597

8,452

1999

499

1,178

919

616

890

627

1,058

963

658

537

7,945

2000

522

1,157

831

631

994

613

1,246

983

643

495

8,115

2001

460

1,068

861

610

934

642

1,252

977

603

496

7,903

2002

460

1,090

928

609

904

650

1,229

952

573

480

7,875

2003

498

1,180

876

606

925

636

1,247

984

606

466

8,024

20041

481

1,074

871

611

898

601

1,127

918

598

434

7,613

1 Provisional.

Source:

Office for National Statistics.

Table 3: Total abortions for girls age 16 and under by age, England, 1987-2004

Age of mother

14 and under

15

16

Total 16 and under

1987

859

2,702

5,623

9,184

1988

811

2,573

5,914

9,298

1989

776

2,449

5,365

8,590

1990

830

2,424

5,014

8,268

1991

839

2,155

4,435

7,429

1992

864

1,963

3,984

6,811

1993

913

2,001

3,401

6,315

1994

978

1,953

4,037

6,968

1995

889

2,177

4,097

7,163

1996

1,023

2,380

4,911

8,314

1997

967

2,279

4,952

8,198

1998

1,032

2,490

5,031

8,553

1999

1,002

2,387

5019

8,408

2000

990

2,559

5,162

8,711

2001

1,009

2,429

5,308

8,746

2002

1,021

2,498

5,357

8,876

2003

1,100

2,644

5,456

9,200

2004

983

2,591

5,433

9,007

Source:

Department of Health

Table 4: Total abortions for girls age 16 and under by region, England, 19871-2004

Northern and Yorkshire

Trent

Anglia and Oxford

North Thames

South Thames

South and West

West Midlands

North West

Total

1987

1,285

1,000

432

1,316

1,247

1,353

1,290

1,261

9,184

1988

1,328

988

402

1,339

1,203

1,360

1,258

1,420

9,298

1989

1,287

972

402

1,261

1,112

1,215

1,169

1,172

8,590

1990

1,258

858

361

1,206

1,058

1,272

1,087

1,168

8,268

1991

1,144

804

299

1,075

944

1,025

1,019

1,119

7,429

1992

1,043

726

252

1,029

901

948

899

1,013

6,811

1993

1,083

756

256

662

870

910

850

928

6,315

1994

1,047

760

516

951

956

835

905

998

6,968

1995

1,043

711

684

1,024

1,021

786

901

993

7,163

1996

1,164

906

752

1,187

1,154

922

1,043

1,186

8,314

1997

1,129

880

752

1,214

1,109

897

1,048

1,169

8,198

1998

1,181

917

805

1,213

1,183

980

1,091

1,183

8,553

1999

1,143

936

839

1,417

1,050

946

1,077

1,000

8,408

2000

1,140

880

929

1,424

1,086

1,039

1,131

1,082

8,711

2001

1,067

859

871

1,544

1,091

1,071

1,192

1,051

8,746

North East

North West

Yorkshire and Humber

East Midlands

West Midlands

East of England

London

South East

South West

Total

2002

491

1,264

975

646

1,050

762

1,830

1,169

689

8,876

2003

581

1,306

967

691

1,056

830

1,851

1,192

726

9,200

2004

542

1,328

954

690

1,014

761

1,681

1,286

751

9,007

1 Prior to 1987 there were boundary changes within regions.

Source:

Department of Health.

Table 5: Livebirths to females under 17 by age, 1985-2005, England and Wales

Age of mother

Under 12

12

13

14

15

16

All under 17

1985

0

2

21

216

1,163

4,431

5,833

1986

0

1

31

190

1,144

4,303

5,669

1987

2

3

20

177

1,103

4,398

5,703

1988

1

3

19

196

1,042

4,494

5,755

1989

0

6

22

180

1,109

4,239

5,556

1990

0

0

16

188

1,102

4,166

5,472

1991

0

2

27

216

1,181

4,140

5,566

1992

0

2

22

200

1,090

3,800

5,114

1993

1

1

26

226

1,149

3,900

5,303

1994

0

6

28

245

1,074

3,651

5,004

1995

1

2

34

248

1,216

4,043

5,544

1996

0

2

32

259

1,331

4,497

6,121

1997

1

3

26

258

1,313

4,500

6,101

1998

0

2

40

245

1,255

4,273

5,815

1999

0

4

35

228

1,204

4,103

5,574

2000

8

5

37

246

1,186

3,825

5,307

2001

8

9

37

241

1,138

3,699

5,132

2002

2

13

46

214

1,076

3,604

4,955

2003

2

7

26

186

1,025

3,621

4,867

2004

1

1

24

183

1,013

3,633

4,855

2005

4

4

15

189

977

3,514

4,703

Source:

Office for National Statistics.

Table 6: Livebirths under 16 by Government office region, 1992-2005, England and Wales

Non residents

North East

North West

Yorkshire and the Humber

East Midlands

West Midlands

1992

0

119

213

166

128

157

1993

0

111

235

173

123

190

1994

0

104

219

137

127

200

1995

2

137

233

191

125

191

1996

1

139

215

170

145

223

1997

1

139

238

195

133

181

1998

2

132

214

197

133

173

1999

0

88

207

198

142

168

2000

1

97

221

183

120

170

2001

0

108

217

143

126

173

2002

0

72

179

159

115

169

2003

0

60

199

147

111

156

2004

1

74

199

139

124

147

2005

0

74

167

146

121

143

East

London

South East

South West

Wales

England and Wales

1992

84

161

125

88

73

1,314

1993

99

184

124

86

78

1,403

1994

100

153

130

81

102

1,353

1995

105

181

140

102

94

1,501

1996

106

206

162

116

141

1,624

1997

104

211

164

111

124

1,601

1998

95

211

165

107

113

1,542

1999

115

194

157

103

99

1,471

2000

107

177

182

118

106

1,482

2001

100

201

157

115

93

1,433

2002

99

195

160

106

97

1,351

2003

113

139

158

94

69

1,246

2004

79

151

138

103

67

1,222

2005

86

146

135

84

87

1,189

Source:

Office for National Statistics

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many girls under the age of 16 years in Salisbury constituency gave birth in each year since 1995. (76984)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 15 June 2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question about how many girls under 16 years in Salisbury constituency gave birth in each year since 1995. I am replying in her absence. (76984).

Where constituencies are not co-terminous with local authority boundaries, ONS do not generally release figures based on recording of mother's age at birth registration. This is to protect against disclosure of information provided in confidence. Figures are provided for the relevant local authority instead. There were 14 girls resident in Salisbury county district who gave birth under the age of 16 during the period 1995 to 2005, too few to provide figures by year without breaching confidentiality.