A study by the If To Be Precise project says that in Russia about 11,000 underage girls become mothers every year, while another 3,000 roughly terminate their pregnancies.
Most of these cases involve girls aged 16 to 17. At the same time, the authors note that hundreds of pregnancies are recorded every year among girls aged 14 to 15, and in 37 cases pregnancy was registered even among adolescents aged 12 to 13.
According to Rosstat, more than 97% of all abortions are performed on women aged 18 to 45. Only about 1% of these procedures involve minors, which in absolute terms amounts to around 3,346 cases in 2023. The study’s authors stress that the share may appear small, but it still means thousands of teenage cases every year.
The article says the causes of teenage pregnancy are complex. By these estimates, most young mothers live in disadvantaged regions with low living standards.
An expert assessment cited by the authors shows that more than 50% of teenagers want information about modern methods of preventing pregnancy. However, comprehensive sex education in Russian schools, the article says, is still almost entirely absent.
“No one talks to children either about menstruation or about sex,” rights advocate Sofia says.
One of her interviewees, a 13-year-old schoolgirl, said she first learned about menstruation only from an adult aunt because at home “these issues cannot be discussed with mom.” According to the study, the lack of education means that more than a third of teenagers do not know even basic facts about intimate hygiene and contraception.