Ghana recorded 53,415 adolescent pregnancies between January and July 2026, including 1,501 cases involving girls aged between 10 and 14, according to data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The figures, captured through the GHS routine Health Information System, represent pregnancies recorded at health facilities across the country during the first seven months of the year.
Sharifa Mohammed, Programme Manager for Adolescent Health and Development at the GHS, disclosed the figures at a National Multisectoral Dialogue on the Reduction of Teenage Pregnancy held in Accra on Monday.
She said the data showed that thousands of adolescent pregnancies were being recorded every month, with the majority involving girls aged between 15 and 19.
According to her, the monthly figures were approaching the country’s estimated annual burden of more than 100,000 adolescent pregnancies.
The 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) also reported that 15.2 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 had ever been pregnant.
Mohammed said the statistics represented more than just numbers, as each case involved a young girl whose education, health and future prospects could be affected by pregnancy, particularly where adequate support was unavailable.
She noted that adolescent pregnancies were significantly more common among girls who were out of school than among those who remained in school.
“This is evident that once we keep girls in school, we are bound to reduce adolescent or teenage pregnancies,” she said.
The regional data also highlighted significant variations in adolescent pregnancy rates across the country.
The Savannah Region recorded 117.5 births per 1,000 adolescent girls, exceeding the reported Sub-Saharan African average of 104 births per 1,000.
In the Bole District of the region, Mohammed said the rate was even higher, with 230 births recorded per 1,000 girls aged between 18 and 19.
The Upper East Region also recorded more than 2,400 adolescent pregnancies within the first five months of the year, including about 520 cases in the Bongo District alone.
The GHS has been implementing measures to address the issue, including the “Safety Net” intervention introduced in 2017 to respond to the health and social needs of adolescent girls.
The programme provides adolescent-friendly maternal and child health services, sexual and reproductive health education, psychosocial support, referrals and links to social protection services.
Pregnant adolescents are also supported to return to school through collaboration between the GHS and Ghana Education Service (GES), where their health and circumstances allow.
For girls unable to return to formal education, Mohammed said they could be connected to civil society organisations and other support services to acquire vocational and livelihood skills.
She added that the GHS had provided sexual and reproductive health information to more than 310,000 young people, while about 54,000 pregnant adolescents had been reached with services so far in 2026.
Madam Clara Nyarkoah Anim, Programme Manager at MSI Reproductive Choices Ghana (MSIG), said teenage pregnancy was linked to several factors, including education, access to information and services, gender and social norms, and poverty.
She said Ghana already had policies, strategies and programmes designed to address adolescent pregnancy, but the challenge was ensuring that these measures were properly implemented, coordinated and adequately funded.
She also stressed the need for stronger accountability in the implementation of existing interventions.
Anim called for young people to be placed at the centre of efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy, saying they had a direct understanding of the barriers and opportunities facing them that might not always be fully reflected in policy and programme documents.
The latest figures have renewed attention on the scale of adolescent pregnancy in Ghana and the need for sustained interventions that keep girls in school while ensuring they have access to health, reproductive and social support services.
