For Canada as a whole, the teenage pregnancy rate has increased from a low of 41 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 in 1987, to 47 in 1995. Among young men of the same age, about 6 in 10 reported sexual activity in 1990 compared to 4 in 10 in 1996. This chart displays the lower rates for young women aged 15-17 and the higher rates for older teens. In 1994, about 1 in 5 births to women aged 18-19 was a second or later birth. Health Reports , Winter 1997, Vol. 9, No. 3, Statistics Canada.
Relative rankings are therefore more valid than the specific values provided here.
PEI, Newfoundland, Quebec, and Ontario were lower. Alberta's teen pregnancy rate of 54.2 was higher than B.C.'s. The live birth rate was lowest for Quebec at 17.4. Rankings are more informative than specific values. Japan, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway all had lower rates.