Data set - Adolescent births - Ecuador, 2023

Background: Adolescent (15-19) and early adolescent (10-14) pregnancy remains a major public health challenge in Latin America, disproportionately affecting girls from marginalized communities. In Ecuador, births to girls under 15 years old, though infrequent, reflect deep structural inequalities rooted in ethnicity, geography, and social exclusion. These pregnancies often occur in contexts of poverty, low educational attainment, and limited access to health services—highlighting violations of reproductive rights and persistent barriers to equity in health. Results: Among all births, 1,667 (0.7%) occurred to girls aged 10–14 years. This group had the lowest access to prenatal care (only 45% received ≥6 checkups), the highest frequency of out-of-facility births (20%), and increased rates of low birth weight (12.4% vs. 9.2%, OR 1.39, CI 1.20–1.61) and prematurity (10.5% vs. 7.1%, OR 1.56, CI 1.32–1.84) compared to older mothers. Indigenous and Amazonian girls were disproportionately represented, with Indigenous ethnicity associated with over two-fold higher odds of adverse perinatal outcomes.