This study measured the levels and characteristics of early teenage pregnancy (that is,
pregnancy before age 17) among women age 17-24 in Ethiopia, based on analysis of the Ethiopia
Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) conducted in 2000 and 2005. The 2005 EDHS
showed that, despite a minimum legal marriage of 18 years in Ethiopia, early marriage remains
common, with a median age at first marriage among women age 25-49 of 16.1 years. Almost all
pregnancies in Ethiopia occur within marriage, and the median age at first birth is about 17 years.
Levels of contraceptive use are low, at 15% among married women of reproductive age.
The study measured the percentage of early teenage pregnancy by background
characteristics of women age 17-24 in 2000 and 2005. The association of different background
characteristics with early teenage pregnancy in 2000 and 2005 was ascertained using odds ratios
with their confidence intervals in logistic regression analysis.