The reproductive health situation for adolescents in Ethiopia

According to the Census conducted in 2007, Ethiopia has a population that is predominantly young (40% below the age of 15) and rural, with a high level of fertility (5.4 children per woman), early age of marriage (16 years) and a low level of contraceptive use (14%). This signifies the potential for considerable population growth for the coming years.

Young people, aged 10 to 24 years, constitute 32% of the total population, which was estimated to be around 27 million in July 2010. Ethiopia has one of the highest population growth rates in the world (2.6% per year), which has put substantial pressure on the health sector to meet the needs of the population. Projecting from the 2007 census, around 62% of the Ethiopian population were estimated to be less than 25 years of age in 2010.

Close to half the Ethiopian population (47%) lives below the poverty line, earning less than one US dollar per day. Unemployment is high, the young accounting for the majority of job-seekers.

In Ethiopia, girls have their sexual debut (first sexual experience) on average at the age of 16 years - around 5 years earlier than boys. Most girls (94%) have their sexual debut within marriage. Over a quarter of pregnant young women have unwanted pregnancies and there are therefore high abortion rates. Studies indicate that girls in late adolescence (aged 15-19 years) are twice as likely to experience obstetric fistula (explained in Study Session 5) compared with other women of reproductive age. Over half (54%) of pregnancies to girls under 15 are unwanted compared with 37% for those aged 20-24.