Contraception, unintended pregnancies and abortion 

In many places adolescents cannot easily obtain contraceptives. Even when adolescents can obtain contraceptives, they may lack the agency or the resources to pay for them and knowledge of where to obtain them and how to use them correctly. They may face stigma when trying to obtain contraceptives. In 2019 an estimated 21 million adolescents ages 15–19 years in LMICs had pregnancies, of which approximately half were unintended. Between 2.2 and 4 million of these unintended pregnancies ended in abortions, which are often unsafe in LMICs where abortion is illegal. 

Child marriage 

Child marriage places girls at risk of pregnancy too young because girls who are married very early typically have limited autonomy to use contraception and delay childbearing. In 2021 there were an estimated 650 million girls and women living who had married before age 18. Despite recent declines in child marriage – from 25% in 2008 to 19% in 2022 of girls being married before age 18 years – there are still about 12 million child marriages every year. 

Adolescent birth rate 

Globally, the adolescent birth rate has decreased from 65 births per 1000 women in 2000 to 43 births per 1000 women in 2021. Rates of change have been uneven, with the sharpest decline in southern Asia and slower declines in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. 

Complications from pregnancy and childbirth 

Maternal conditions were the second leading cause of death among adolescent girls ages 15-19 years in 2019, causing seven deaths per 100 000. The rate of maternal mortality in this age group was very high among African low- and middle-income countries, at 20 per 100 000 population, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and Americas low- and middle-income countries, at nine, four and three deaths per 100 000 population, respectively. 

Gender-based violence 

While people of all ages are subjected to gender-based violence, it is particularly common in adolescence. Estimates suggest that one in every five women and one in every 13 men report having been sexually abused before reaching the age of 18.  

Female genital mutilation 

Female genital mutilation comprises procedures to remove external genitalia partially or totally or otherwise to injure the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons. No form of FGM has health benefits. Female genital mutilation is mostly carried out on girls between birth and age 15 years. The practice is prevalent in 30 countries in Africa and in several countries in Asia and the Middle East, but now it is also present across the globe due to international migration. In 2014, it was estimated that 12 million girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years in Africa have experienced health complications related to female genital mutilation. 

HIV 

In 2022 at least 1.7 million adolescents ages 10–19 years were living with HIV globally, with adolescent girls constituting 54% of the total estimate. Further, an estimated 140 000 adolescents were newly infected with HIV. Three quarters of these are girls. Only about 65% of adolescents (ages 10–19 years) living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy in 2022 – much lower than the 77% antiretroviral therapy coverage among adults (ages 15+ years) overall. 

Other STIs 

The incidence of other STIs among adolescents was 7089 per 100 000 population in 2019, with the highest incidence among young adolescents, ages 10–14 years. 

Our mental health is damaged. We barely have someone to talk to about it without being criticized or called out because we have a certain mental issue. It’s hard to understand someone who grows up without support, but it’s always worth trying. It’s very important for us, as young people who will be ready to take over their roles in the world soon, to be supported by local NGOs, schools or organizations such as WHO and other UN departments.

Physical activity provides fundamental health benefits for adolescents, including improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, bone health, maintenance of a healthy body weight and psychosocial benefits. WHO recommends that adolescents engage in a weekly average of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. This activity may include not only play, games and sports, but also activity for transportation (such as cycling and walking) or physical education. Globally, in 2016 only one in every five adolescents was estimated to meet these guidelines. 

WHO guidelines for physical activity and sedentary behaviour also recommend that school-age children and adolescents limit their sedentary time, particularly their recreational screen time.