Is Teen Pregnancy Declining In The U.S.?

The birthrate for girls ages 15-19 has declined significantly, according to the latest federal data released Thursday by by the National Center for Health Statistics, USA Today reports.

Numbers of teen births from 2011 as compared to 1991 show a downward trend in teens giving birth, at the rate of 31.1 births per 1,000 teens in 2011, as compared to the 1991 rate of 61.8 births per 1,000 teens.

"The decline in teenagers giving birth has been "sustained, widespread, and broad-based," the CDC said, attributed to factors such as strong teen pregnancy prevention messages, according to Dawn.com.

Save for the blips in 2006 and 2007, the teen birth rate has been steadily dropping since 1991, including a 25 percent decline in the overall rate since 2007. Texas had the highest number of teen births in the U.S. in 2011 at close to 43,000, and nearly two-thirds of those teens were Hispanic. While every demographic saw a decrease, the most "astounding was within the Hispanic population," according to KERA News.

Five years ago the Hispanic teen birth rate was 75 per 1,000, and now it's 49 per 1,000, though in states like Texas with large Latino populations, "the teen birth rate of Hispanics continues to be much higher than that of whites and blacks."

Giving birth as a teenager has its share of health risks.

"Births to teenagers are at elevated risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, and of dying in infancy compared with infants born to women aged 20 and over," the CDC said. 

Despite the rapid decline in the teen birth rate, "the US teen birth rate remains one of the highest among Western countries," said the CDC.

Click here to see the list of states and their percentage declines in the teen birth rate since 2007.