By: Staff Writer
March 14, 2025
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said in a recent report that every dollar invested in adolescent pregnancy prevention in the LAC there is a up to a 40-fold estimate of return depending on the country.
The report, “The price of inequality: The socioeconomic consequences of adolescent pregnancy and early motherhood in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said: “Although progress has been made in reducing adolescent fertility rates, the pace of reduction slowed during the pandemic. Even today, the adolescent fertility rate in the region is the second highest in the world after Sub-Saharan Africa and 1.6 million adolescents give birth each year in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, equivalent to one adolescent girl becoming an early mother every 20 seconds.
“Disparities persist in terms of the impact this phenomenon has on adolescent girls by age, ethnicity, income and location. For example, Afro-descendant adolescents are 50% more likely to become mothers than their non-Afrodescendant peers.
Susana Sottoli ,“Data and experience show us that preventing adolescent pregnancy is both a good investment and an ethical imperative. Indeed, for every dollar invested in adolescent pregnancy prevention, we at UNFPA estimate a return of between USD 15 and USD 40, depending on the country.”
This is based on estimates of the opportunity cost and impact of interventions to reduce fertility rates.
The report also said: “The findings show that women who had their first child in adolescence are less educated than those who became mothers at 20 or older. An adult mother is three times more likely to complete her university studies. Subsequently, when entering the labour market, she has an income up to three times higher than women who had their first child in adolescence.
“Both for the health expenses related to adolescent pregnancy and for the potential loss of tax revenues due to the lower income of young mothers, the State bears the annual USD 1.8 billion of the estimated total cost.”
The report consolidates results from studies UNFPA conducted between 2019 and 2024 in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Suriname.