Finding out you are pregnant while still in school can be really terrifying. While teen pregnancy rates have been on the decline for decades, U.S. teens are still topping the charts among the most-developed countries in the world.

Even if you take every precaution, deciding to have sex means accepting that things can go wrong. Remember that no method is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy other than abstinence.

Let’s set aside everything we think we know about teen pregnancy and brush up on the facts.

Here are some facts about teen pregnancy that are sure to blow your mind!

21 Shocking Teen Pregnancy Facts

1. Unintended teen pregnancy does not only happen due to irresponsible sex. No matter what people believe teen pregnancies are also the result of faulty birth control.
2. 3 in 10 teen American girls will get pregnant at least once before age 20. That’s nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies every year.
3. Two-thirds of young unmarried mothers are poor. In the US, 25% of the teenage mothers go on welfare within three years of a child’s birth
4. When you have sex for the first time determines your pregnancy risk
5. Thirty percent of teenage girls who drop out of high school in the States do so because of pregnancy or parenthood.
6. Almost 1,700 teenage girls get pregnant every single day. That’s 70 girls every hour.
7. Roughly 82% of teenage pregnancies aren’t planned as per the report of Planned Parenthood, “Pregnancy and Childbearing Among US Teens” in June 2013
8. About 25% of teen moms have a 2nd child within 24 months of their first baby.
9. Less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30.
10. The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the western industrialized world.
11. Today countries in Africa have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world. The country of Niger tops the list at 203.604 births per 100,000 teenage women.
12. In Sweden, 70% of teenage pregnancies are aborted while only 26% end the same way in the United States. This is more due to the access amd attitudes even though there may be liberal abortion laws in place.
13. There are 78 teen mothers per 1,000 births in Mexico. Several years ago, the country decided to start ordering textbooks and follow the Comprehensive Sexuality Education programs at schools. Mexico teachers also encourage students to browse internet pornography.
14. Infant mortality rates are higher among teenage mothers’ children. Due to an increased risk of developmental problems, these children often also have lessened motor and language skills in childhood than do their age-matched counterparts birthed by older mothers.
15. 8 out of 10 teen dads don’t marry the mother of their child. Which means that only 20% of fathers of children born to teen moms marry the mothers.
16. Compared to the teenage birth rates in other developed countries, America’s are the highest: twice as high as Australia’s and Canada’s, three times as high as France’s, three and a half times as high as Germany’s, six times as high as the Netherlands’, and seven times as high as Japan’s.
17. In Sweden, there are 7 births to teenage mothers for every 1,000 births. Comprehensive Sexuality Education has been in effect in Sweden since 1956 and by age 14, students are coming home with condoms. Sweden schools also have health clinics so students can get birth control and tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
18. There are 9 teenage mothers per every 1,000 births in France. In 1973, the country implemented sex education to all schools. Students receive 30 to 40 hours of sex education and starting in 8th grade, teachers pass out condoms to the students. In January 2000, the French government launched a media awareness campaign and passed out over 5 million brochures on sex education to high school students.
19. Canadian teens have 20 babies for every 1,000 births. 9% of sexually active teenagers in Canada use birth control each and every time they have sex. 24% of teenagers admit to having more than 2 sexual partners in the past 12 months.
20. In Great Britain, there are 31 teenage mothers for every 1,000 births. Only 4% of sexually active teenagers in Great Britian use contraception each and every time. 30% of teenagers have had more than two sexual partners in the past 12 months.
21. In Germany, there are 11 teen mothers per 1,000 births. German schools teach Comprehensive Sexuality Education and parents are not permitted to opt their children out of the program. They teach “Masturbation Workshops” as well as have mandatory classes on “Body Play.”

15 Interesting Teen Pregnancy Statistics

1. Of all the teen pregnancies, only 57 out of 100 have successful birth and delivery whereas 14 out of 100 experience miscarriage.
2. The total share of teen mothers in total births in the whole USA is 11%.
3. The approximate percentage of unplanned teen pregnancies is 85%.
4. 50% of American teens are sexually active. Also, teens have sex at very young ages which increases the risk of STDs and teen pregnancy.
5. The USA faces the highest rates of teen pregnancy and teen abortions amongst industrially developed nations.
6. Interesting statistics is that about 750,000 teens who get pregnant are mostly between ages 17 to 19 each year.
7. Every 4 women out of 10 are getting pregnant in the US before they reach 20 years of age.
8. 1,700 teenage girls get pregnant every single day thus making 70 girls every hour.
9. The actual percentage of fathers of children born to teen moms marry the mothers is 20%.
10. 18% of all abortions happening in the U.S are to teens.
11. 30% of teenage girls dropping out of school are due to teen pregnancy or parenthood.
12. When compared to other ethnicities, the number of teen pregnancy in African teens is 1 in 4 cases.
13. 5 out of every 10 girls say that their first interaction was unwished or involuntary.
14. Less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30.
15. One of the easiest, effective and best ways to prevent teen pregnancy is to stay away from having any sexual intercourse, with or without protection.

Teen pregnancy has always been a problem, but recent years show that even with more sex education, teen pregnancy is on the rise. In Scotland, the teen pregnancy rate is as low as 8 teenage mothers for every 1000 births. This may be due to the Abstinence Only program being taught in the schools.

Teen pregnancy is definitely a problem which can cause seriously dangerous health issues. Health issues include several sexually transmitted diseases (STD)s which can be dangerous for both mother and the baby.

Teen pregnancy can be checked by trying to change the sex education given in schools. Programs can include more graphic details about the consequences of STDs. Another method would be to make birth control available to teenagers free of cost.

However, the teen pregnancy rates are not going to improve unless parents get involved, society starts viewing teen pregnancy as a stigma. The media, on the other hand, should stop glorifying teenage pregnancy as a “cool” or “hip” thing to happen. It is our collective responsibility to help fight this problem.