Teen Pregnancy in Canada (1991-2023)

Teen pregnancy in Canada has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past three decades. Once a significant public health and social issue, the number and percentage of births to teenage mothers have declined steadily since the early 1990s. According to newly compiled data, teen births dropped from over 24,000 in 1991 to just 4,505 in 2023 — a decrease of more than 80%.

The Decline in Teen Pregnancy in Canada

In 1991, Canada recorded 403,816 live births, of which 24,465 (6.1%) were to mothers under the age of 20. This figure remained fairly stable until the mid-1990s, peaking slightly at 6.3% in 1995. However, beginning in the late 1990s and continuing into the 2000s, the percentage of births to teen mothers began a steady decline.

By 2006, the teen birth share had dropped to 4.1%, and it continued falling each year thereafter:

• 2010: 3.9%
• 2015: 2.5%
• 2020: 1.6%
• 2023: 1.3%

This represents a nearly fivefold drop in the teen birth rate as a share of total births, and an absolute drop of over 20,000 teen births per year.

Number of Live Births to Teen Mothers in Canada (19 Years or Younger):

Year	Total number of live births	Number of live births to teen mothers	Percentage of live births
1991	403,816	24,465	6.1%
1992	399,109	24,297	6.1%
1993	389,037	23,741	6.1%
1994	386,241	24,117	6.2%
1995	378,685	23,702	6.3%
1996	366,833	21,864	6.0%
1997	349,543	19,976	5.7%
1998	342,966	19,918	5.8%
1999	337,821	19,004	5.6%
2000	328,596	17,700	5.4%
2001	334,615	16,722	5.0%
2002	329,894	15,754	4.8%
2003	336,350	15,035	4.5%
2004	339,012	14,282	4.2%
2005	345,365	14,228	4.1%
2006	357,921	14,818	4.1%
2007	370,369	15,317	4.1%
2008	381,860	15,766	4.1%
2009	384,649	15,716	4.1%
2010	379,191	14,684	3.9%
2011	379,244	13,587	3.6%
2012	383,101	12,961	3.4%
2013	381,054	11,773	3.1%
2014	384,577	10,721	2.8%
2015	382,979	9,683	2.5%
2016	384,023	8,604	2.2%
2017	377,627	7,966	2.1%
2018	374,617	6,932	1.9%
2019	372,978	6,502	1.7%
2020	360,801	5,929	1.6%
2021	370,155	5,147	1.4%
2022	351,679	4,683	1.3%
2023	351,878	4,505	1.3%

Source:

Source Name:	Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0416-01. Live births, by age of mother.
Source Link:	https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=1310041601
Release Date:	2024-09-25