Overview
- Public facilities recorded 1,669 births on 1 January 2026, up from 1,448 a year earlier, with more than 160 delivered by teenage mothers.
- Gauteng had the most New Year’s Day deliveries with 396, while the Northern Cape reported the fewest at 50.
- The Health Department is calling for coordinated prevention efforts spanning government, schools, parents and civil society.
- Officials want expanded access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services at clinics to help reduce teen pregnancies.
- Statistics South Africa data show nearly 124,000 births to mothers aged 19 and younger between January 2024 and February 2025, underscoring the broader challenge.