Youth Indicators 1996 / Indicator 8

Indicator 8. Births to Unmarried Women, International Comparisons

Births to unmarried women as a percentage of all live births in selected countries: 1960 to 1992

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                                                              Percent change in live
                                                               births, 1960 to 1992
                                                              ----------------------
       Country         1960    1970    1980    1990     1992      To         To
                                                                 all      unmarried
                                                                women       women
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United States .......    5.3    10.7    18.4    28.0    30.1       -4.1       446.6
Belgium .............    2.1     2.8     4.1     ---     ---      -19.2         ---
Canada ..............    4.3     9.6    11.3     ---     ---        ---         ---
Denmark .............    7.8    11.0    33.2    46.4    46.4      -11.0       427.9
France ..............    6.1     6.8    11.4    30.1 \1\33.2       -8.9       396.0
Germany..............    7.6     7.2    11.9    15.3    14.9      -35.9        26.3
Greece ..............    1.2     1.1     1.5     2.2     2.6      -33.8        40.9
Ireland .............    1.6     2.7     5.0    14.6    18.0      -15.1       860.6
Italy ...............    2.4     2.2     4.3     6.5 \1\ 6.8      -38.4        72.4
Japan ..............     1.2     0.9     0.8     ---     ---        ---         ---
Luxembourg ..........    3.2     4.0     6.0    12.9    12.7        2.6       311.9
Netherlands .........    1.3     2.1     4.1    11.4    12.4      -17.7       658.2
Portugal ............    9.5     7.3     9.2    14.7    16.1      -46.2        -8.5
Spain ...............    2.3     1.4     3.9     9.6     ---      -40.9         ---
Sweden ..............   11.3    18.4    39.7     ---     ---        ---         ---
United Kingdom ......    5.2     8.0    11.5    27.9    30.8      -14.9       402.7
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---Data not available.

/1/ Provisional data.

NOTE: Some data have been revised from previous years.

SOURCE: Statistical Office of the European Communities, Demographic Statistics, 1988, 1990, and 1994; and various national sources. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Monthly Vital Statistics Report, various years.

Indicator chart and text.

[Indicator 7. Births to Unmarried Women, by Age and Race] [Indicator 9. Pregnancy, Abortion, and Births]