Bengaluru Urban Records 60 Teenage Pregnancies in Four Months, Assembly Told

Bengaluru Urban recorded 60 pregnancies among girls aged 14 to 17 between April and July 2026, according to provisional Health Department data presented in the Karnataka Assembly. The city accounted for 8.3 per cent of the 725 teenage pregnancy cases reported across the state during the four-month period.

Presenting the figures in the Assembly, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated that Bengaluru Urban had recorded 394 cases involving girls aged 14 to 17 in 2024-25 and 262 cases in 2025-26. While the annual totals showed a 33.5 per cent decline over the previous financial year, the capital continues to log a substantial share of reported cases across Karnataka.

An age-wise breakdown of the 60 cases reported in Bengaluru Urban between April and July 2026 showed that 37 involved 17-year-olds, 16 involved 16-year-olds, five involved 15-year-olds, and two involved 14-year-olds. In 2024-25, the district recorded 342 cases among 17-year-olds, 37 among 16-year-olds, 12 among 15-year-olds, and three among 14-year-olds. In 2025-26, the figures stood at 230, 19, nine, and four, respectively.

Across Karnataka, total cases among girls aged 14 to 17 dropped from 4,579 in 2024-25 to 3,308 in 2025-26, marking a decrease of nearly 28 per cent. In the April to July 2026 period, Raichur recorded the highest count in the state with 100 cases, followed by Belagavi with 73, Tumakuru with 65, and Bengaluru Urban with 60. Other districts reporting cases during this period included Ballari with 41, Mysuru with 30, and Kolar with 22.

The figures were sourced through the Health Department’s Reproductive and Child Health portal. The department noted that the data remains provisional and can change as health facilities update records, as the portal has not yet been frozen by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Highlighting the clinical risks, gynaecologist Dr N Lakshmi stated that pregnancies in girls under 18 pose major medical hazards. She noted that developing bodies face elevated risks of anaemia, pregnancy-related hypertension, eclampsia, infections, and delivery complications, alongside higher risks of premature birth and low birth weight for the baby.