World Contraception Day

Births to teenage mothers in Spain have fallen by almost 40% in the last decade

Voluntary terminations of pregnancy in the under-20s have been experiencing an upward trend since 2020

Laura Albor

Madrid

Friday, 26 September 2025, 15:19

As of June this year, some 29 girls under the age of 15 have become mothers in Spain. The figure contrasts with that of ten years ago (June 2015) when it was almost double (54), i.e. there has been a decrease of more than 46% in this age group.

This year's data marking World Contraception Day (26 September) shows a clear shift in the early motherhood trend in Spain. A total of 5,422 babies were born to mothers under the age of 20 in 2024, which is 37% fewer babies than in 2014 (8,613).

The decrease concerns both girls in the 15-19 age group and girls under 15, who constitute the most vulnerable group. In the latter group, births fell from 136 in 2014 to 76 in 2024. There are fewer births in these age groups and they also account for a smaller percentage of total births. While in 2014 mothers under 20 accounted for 2.01%, by 2024 the rate had fallen to 1.7%.

In parallel, according to the Ministry of Health, voluntary terminations of pregnancy among women under 20 years of age have followed a quite different trend. After reaching a low in 2020 (7.41 per 1,000) and 2021 (7.90), the rate rose again to 9.14 in 2023, approaching the proportions of a decade ago (9.92 in 2014).

This data reflects a change in the reproductive behaviour of Spanish youth: there are fewer and fewer teenage births, but unwanted pregnancies continue occurring. They end in abortion on more occasions than before.

In August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the "alarming" decline in condom use among European adolescents in the last decade, with almost a third not having used a condom or the contraceptive pill during their last sexual intercourse.

The study also found that adolescents from low-income families are more reluctant to use condoms (33% did not use a condom in their last interaction, compared to 25% of adolescents from wealthier families).

"The high prevalence of unprotected sex reveals significant gaps in age-appropriate comprehensive sex education, including sexual health education, and in access to contraception," the report stated.