Adolescent birth rate in South Africa

South Africa: Adolescent birth rate was 1.34 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
1.34
Change on year
up 11.1%
World rank
46th
of 180 countries
All-time high
3.43
in 2009
All-time low
1
in 2015
Years of data
11
2003–2022

Adolescent birth rate in South Africa, 2003–2022

11.522.533.52003201220222003: 2.52004: 22006: 1.92009: 3.42012: 12014: 12015: 12019: 1.22020: 1.12021: 1.22022: 1.3

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2022, adolescent birth rate in South Africa stood at 1.34.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.1% on the previous year and up 29.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adolescent birth rate in South Africa peaked at 3.43 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1, in 2015.

South Africa ranks 46th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Adolescent birth rate in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women) in South Africa, 2003 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2003 2.5
2004 2 -19.9%
2006 1.87 -6.3%
2009 3.43 +83.0%
2012 1.04 -69.8%
2014 1.04 -0.1%
2015 1 -3.4%
2019 1.15 +15.1%
2020 1.09 -5.3%
2021 1.21 +10.7%
2022 1.34 +11.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.45 1.87 3.43 4
2010s 1.06 1 1.15 4
2020s 1.21 1.09 1.34 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 43 Romania 1.41 compare
  2. 44 Belize 1.39 compare
  3. 45 Haiti 1.34 compare
  4. 47 Cuba 1.32 compare
  5. 48 Micronesia, Federated States of 1.3
  6. 49 Guyana 1.29 compare

See the full ranking of 189 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is adolescent birth rate in South Africa?
Adolescent birth rate in South Africa was 1.34 in 2022, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest adolescent birth rate recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3.43 in 2009.
What is the lowest adolescent birth rate recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1 in 2015.
How does South Africa rank for adolescent birth rate?
South Africa ranks 46th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
Is adolescent birth rate rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Adolescent birth rate in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/adolescent-birth-rate-per-1000-women/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/adolescent-birth-rate-per-1000-women/south-africa/">Adolescent birth rate in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
189 places, 3,256 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed