Teenage pregnancy continues to pose a critical public health challenge in Nigeria, with northern states bearing the brunt of the crisis, according to the latest national health report.
Kebbi, Zamfara, and Kaduna states were identified as hotspots, registering the country’s highest rates of adolescent pregnancy.
The findings are drawn from the 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report, released Sunday in Abuja under the framework of the National Health Act (2014).
The report, which analysed adolescent reproductive health trends across Nigeria, underscores emerging regional disparities and the urgent need for targeted interventions.
In Kebbi, 32 per cent of girls aged 15–19 have experienced pregnancy, followed by 30 per cent in both Zamfara and Kaduna.
In contrast, southern states such as Lagos and Edo reported far lower rates, with approximately three per cent of adolescent girls affected.
The data, sourced from the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), reflects a stark north-south divide in adolescent reproductive health outcomes.
Education as a Protective Factor
The report highlights education as a significant protective factor against early pregnancy.
Teenage pregnancy prevalence drops dramatically from 34 per cent among girls with no formal schooling to just four per cent among those with education beyond secondary school.
Experts said this illustrates the vital role of education in safeguarding adolescent health and delaying early childbearing.
According to the report, the 2025 health sector expanded initiatives targeting adolescents, aimed at improving reproductive health outcomes and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Strategies included strengthening primary healthcare services and broadening community outreach programmes nationwide.
Investments focused on adolescent-friendly services in primary healthcare, encompassing family planning, HIV prevention, and sexually transmitted infection management.
Community health workers were deployed to provide counselling and limited family planning services, ensuring adolescents in remote areas gained access to critical reproductive health information and interventions.
School- and community-based water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programmes were also enhanced, contributing to improved adolescent well-being and a reduction in preventable infections.
The report notes that 95 per cent of adolescent girls reported being able to manage menstrual hygiene privately at home, while 94 per cent used appropriate menstrual materials.
Despite these gains, the report raises alarms about adolescent mental health and substance abuse.
Nationwide, secondary school students increasingly experiment with alcohol, tramadol, and cannabis.
Adolescents and young people aged 10–24 account for roughly 32 per cent of Nigeria’s population and carry a significant burden of mental health disorders, particularly depression and anxiety.
Government interventions have sought to integrate mental health services into HIV care programmes, guided by frameworks like the National Policy on the Health and Development of Adolescents.
The policies emphasise youth-friendly mental health services, early intervention, prevention, and stigma reduction.
During World Mental Health Day and International Adolescent Health Week in 2025, the government promoted multisectoral collaborations to tackle substance abuse.
Partnerships involved the Ministry of Health, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and civil society organisations.
Several states, including Kaduna, have launched school- and community-based programmes to raise mental health awareness, foster resilience, and support adolescents in managing stress, substance use, and other psychosocial challenges.
The report concluded that while progress has been made in adolescent reproductive and mental health, targeted strategies remain essential, particularly in northern Nigeria, to curb teenage pregnancy and ensure the holistic well-being of the nation’s youth.
