Pretoria – South Africa recorded 2,103 births among girls aged 10 to 14 in 2024, with KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape reporting the highest numbers, according to Statistics South Africa.
These cases were part of 98,351 births registered to mothers aged 19 and younger, raising ongoing concerns over early and unintended pregnancies among adolescents. KwaZulu-Natal reported 438 births in this age group, followed by 349 in the Eastern Cape.
Women aged 20 to 34 accounted for 68.4% of all births in 2024, representing the largest share of mothers nationwide.
The agency reported a modest improvement in early birth registration, with 83.2% of births registered within 30 days, up from 80.7% in 2023.
Onalerona and Lethabo were the most popular first names for girls and boys respectively, while Junior and Precious were the most common second names. Dlamini remained the top surname for newborns, followed by Ndlovu and Nkosi.
Overall, South Africa recorded 863,858 births in 2024, with 787,933 registered within the year. Male babies numbered 396,845, slightly more than the 391,088 female births. Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal reported the largest numbers, while Limpopo and the Northern Cape recorded the highest birth rates relative to population size. Births peaked during March, May, and April, and were lowest in November.
The statistics cover registrations received from the Department of Home Affairs between January 2024 and February 2025, including late registrations from previous years.
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