South Africa welcomed more than 860 000 new babies in 2024 - but behind the promising population figures lies a sobering truth, reports Cape town Etc .
According to the latest release from Statistics South Africa, 98 351 of last year's births were to mothers aged 19 and younger. Alarmingly, this includes 2 103 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 - a stark reminder of the country's ongoing battle with teenage and child pregnancy.
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of births among this youngest group 438, followed by the Eastern Cape 349. While women aged 20 to 34 still accounted for the majority of births 68.4, the data underscores the scale of South Africa's youth vulnerability when it comes to reproductive health and social protection.