Teen pregnancies drop to 241,228 in 2024, report shows
According to the findings, teenage pregnancies continue to affect the lives of many schoolgirls by cutting short their education and blocking future career opportunities.
The number of teenage girls who became pregnant in Kenya dropped in 2024, according to new government data.
The Economic Survey 2025, released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, shows that 241,228 adolescents aged 10 to 19 visited health facilities while pregnant, representing a 4.8% decrease from the previous year.
In 2023, there were 110,821 pregnancies recorded among adolescents in the first five months alone.
The data from the Kenya Health Information Systems further reveals that 6,110 of these cases were among girls aged 10 to 14, while 104,711 involved those aged between 15 and 19.
The figures show a continued decline from earlier years.
In 2022, the number of teenage pregnancies was 260,734, compared to 316,187 in 2021 and 331,549 in 2020.
This trend suggests a steady drop in teen pregnancies over the past four years.
The 2025 survey shows a marked decrease among younger adolescents aged 10 to 14, whose numbers dropped by 14.4 percent to 10,126 in 2024.
Among the older teens aged 15 to 19, cases dropped by 4.3% to 231,102.
Despite the overall drop, the issue of teenage pregnancies remains a concern in certain parts of the country.
Nairobi recorded the highest number, accounting for 6.1% of all teenage pregnancies in 2024. Kakamega followed with 4.8%, while both Narok and Bungoma reported 4.4% each.
A report published in November 2024 titled "Situational Analysis on Teen Pregnancies in Kenya" examined 20 counties and found that 27.4% of girls aged between 15 and 18 had experienced pregnancy.
The analysis pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, prolonged drought in 2022, and floods in 2023 and 2024 as contributing factors.
It also highlighted social factors such as early sexual activity, increased use of social media, and weak parental oversight as some of the main drivers of teenage pregnancy.
According to the findings, teenage pregnancies continue to affect the lives of many schoolgirls by cutting short their education and blocking future career opportunities.