According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.2 million teens died in the year 2015 mostly from preventable or treatable causes. Teens are young people aged between 15 to 19 years. Their numbers globally are estimated to be 1.2 billion. One in six people worldwide is a teenager. Most of their deaths are caused by illnesses, injuries, and prematurities. According to the WHO, a majority of these deaths are due to physical inactivity, unprotected sex, violence and substance abuse.
Global teenage deaths
Early teenage pregnancy is the leading cause of deaths among teenage girls.
11% of pregnancies around the world is recorded among young girls. A majority of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. According to the organization, a majority of teenagers end up being pregnant because of illiteracy, lack of contraceptive knowledge, early child marriage, engaging in sexual activities at a young age, poverty and the lack of laws that specify a minimum age of marriage.
HIV is also a killer disease among teenagers. Two Million Young youths worldwide are believed to be living with the HIV virus. Most of this infections are recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa. The risks of HIV in this region is caused by the lack of HIV awareness. An estimated 90% of young males and 85% of young females aged between 15 and 24 in this region are not aware of their HIV status.
There is also the lack of condom use amongst some teens while HIV rates are high among the gay and lesbian community and those who inject themselves with drugs.
Teens are also experiencing violence. 10% of teen girls under the age of 20 has experienced sexual abuse at one point in their lifetime. Alcohol and drug use is also reducing self-control among teens and it is increasing their risk of engaging in activities such as unsafe sex and dangerous driving.
In the year 2015, over 115,000 youths died as a result of road traffic accidents. Drowning is also causing the death of 57,000 adolescents worldwide, two-thirds of them being boys.
Teenage deaths in the United States.
Deaths amongst teenagers represent 0.68% of all deaths in the United States. About 16,000 teens die in the US each year.
The majority of their deaths are caused by homicide, cancer, suicide and accidents. Male teenagers are at a high risk of dying than their female counterparts. Accidents represent 48% of total teen deaths; murder represents 13%, suicide 11%, cancer 6% while heart diseases represent only 1%. Road accidents cause 73% of accidents amongst U.S teen deaths.
