While the overall birth rate in Thailand is decreasing, pregnancy among women
under the age of 20 is rising. According to public health statistics compiled by the
Department of Health, there were a total 801,737 births in 2012. Of that number,
129,451 mothers were teenagers aged 15-19, out of a total 2.4 million teens in the
same age group. The ratio of adolescents giving birth is 53.8 per 1,000 girls the
same age. In 2000, this ratio was only 31.1 to 1,000, which means there has been
an alarming increase in adolescent pregnancies.
The Department of Health, under the Ministry of