The reproductive health of adolescents is an area designated in need of special attention in USAID's statement of objectives, approach, and program priorities in reproductive health (May 1994): recognition of the special needs of adolescents...[is] critical to the implementation of reproductive health programs and deserve[s] priority attention.

This report collects and summarizes information on the reproductive behavior of adolescent women in the major regions of the developing world. Combining information for all countries from the Census Bureau's International Data Base with information from demographic surveys, this report identifies key trends and patterns that will assist policymakers, program directors, and specialist in making appropriate and effective decisions.

Although the report was not planned as a complement to the growing body of work on adolescent reproductive behavior in developed countries (see, for example, United Nations 1988a; Jones et al. 1986; The Alan Guttmacher Institute 1994; as well as WHO 1989a and 1989b, which draw heavily on available data from more developed countries), it should also contribute to our understanding of the commonalities in adolescent reproductive behavior, contraceptive use, and fertility trends worldwide.