By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 13: Teen pregnancies in Malaysia have risen by 0.5 per cent this year, with Sarawak retaining its position as the state with the highest number of cases for the second consecutive year, followed by Sabah and Pahang.
Deputy Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad revealed that a total of 2,737 cases were recorded in 2023, which increased to 2,752 cases in 2024, marking an increase of 15 cases based on Health Ministry (MOH) statistics of registered teen pregnancies at government health facilities.
She added that preliminary data for the period of January to March 2025 recorded 655 cases of pregnant teenagers under the age of 18.
“According to a 2015 study published in the Medical Journal of Malaysia titled A Review of Teenage Pregnancy Research in Malaysia, one of the main causes of teenage pregnancy is the lack of access to comprehensive reproductive health education.
“This has left many teenagers unaware of methods to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies,” she said in the Dewan Rakyat today during the ministerial question-and-answer session, as reported by TVS, in response to a question from Sri Aman MP Dato Sri Doris Sophia Brodi on the current status of rising pregnancy cases among children under 18 in each state.
She further cited the SRH Investment for Human Capital in Malaysia report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2022, which found that comprehensive reproductive health education could reduce teen pregnancies by up to 49 per cent, or around 1,800 live births, within five years.
“A study in the Malaysian Journal of Psychology (2020) also revealed other contributing factors such as peer pressure, media influence, and exposure to sexual content, which can shape norms or perceptions that encourage teenagers to experiment,” she added.
To address the issue, Noraini said the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) is urging all relevant agencies to strengthen and expand holistic initiatives to ensure the well-being of teenagers in Malaysia is improved. — DayakDaily
