Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs in Emergencies
KEY STATISTICS
• Nearly 1.2 million adolescents die each year, mainly to preventable causes—such as complications from pregnancy and/or giving birth—around the world.1 Two-thirds of these deaths occurred in the least developed countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.1
• Approximately 23 million girls aged 15-19 years have an unmet need for contraception, and every year approximately 3.9 million girls aged 15-19 years undergo unsafe abortions.2
• Globally, about 1 in 5 women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18.3
• In the least developed countries, around 40% of women were married before 18, with 12% of women married before 15 years old.4 Girls who marry before 18 years old are more likely to experience violence within the marriage than girls who marry later.5
• Estimates of deaths caused by direct conflicts suggest that more than 90% of all casualties occur among young adult males.6