Mum At 15 More Teenagers Here Gave Birth In 2024

Slight increase marks a reversal from the steady fall in teen births over past 20 years

- Theresa Tan

Despite her mother's vehement objections and her former partner's indifference to her pregnancy, Sarah dropped out of school at Secondary 3 and became a mum at the age of 15.

Sarah (not her real name), whose baby daughter is now 11 months old, said: "I considered abortion at first, but when I saw my baby on the ultrasound, I felt a very strong connection to her."

The 16-year-old added: "I feel the baby is innocent. I wanted to step up and take responsibility for the mistake I made."

More teenagers, like Sarah, are becoming mothers, according to the Report on Registration of Births and Deaths 2024 released by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority on July 18.

In 2024, there were 244 babies born to teenagers aged 19 or younger, up 7 per cent from the 228 such babies in 2023. In 2022, the figure was 218.

The slight increase marks a reversal from the steady fall in teen births in the past 20 years, especially when the numbers for teen births were much higher in the decade leading up to 2010.

For example, there were 853 teen births in 2005.

Ms Melisa Wong, executive director at Babes Pregnancy Crisis Support, a charity that provides support to pregnant teens, cited a combination of reasons for the rise.