New figures show fewer teenagers are having babies.
Photo: 123rf.com
Statistics New Zealand says teenage fertility rates have continued to drop each year since 2008.
In 2015, the rate for women aged 15-19 years was 19 births-per-thousand women.
That was down from 33 births-per-thousand in 2008.
The decreasing rate of teen pregnancies was in contrast to overall higher fertility.
Statistics New Zealand figures show there were 61,038 live births last year.
That was a seven percent increase on the previous year - though there had been a dip in the preceding four years.
Last year, women aged 30-34 years had the highest fertility rate of any age group since 2002.
There were 125 births for every thousand women aged 30-34 years, up from 119 in 2014.
Report figures to show number of births-per-thousand by age group:
- 25-29 years - up 1,137 - largely due to population increase
- 35-39 years - up 696 - largely due to increased fertility
- 20-24 years - up 544 - due to slightly higher fertility and increased population.
