1.2 Total adolescent births per woman by age at first birth
Adolescence spans a dramatic ten years of physical, emotional and psychological change, and births that occur at different adolescent ages have vastly different causes, consequences, and patterns. In recognition of these important differences, fertility measures that disaggregate the adolescent years into ages 10-14, 15-17 and 18-19 reveal trends that are critical for improving the targeting of policies. Total adolescent births per woman by age at first birth is a measure of the total number of births women have on average before age 20 depending on when she had her first birth. The measure is particularly effective for uncovering the vulnerabilities of the youngest adolescents. For example, existing analysis in West African countries indicates that women with a first birth at age 14 or younger have on average 2.5 to 3 births before turning twenty. Again, the analysis will produce country-specific, regional and global trends.