MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (06/02/2025) — Pregnancy and birth rates among Minnesota youth have reached their lowest levels since 1990, continuing a decades-long decline, according to the newly released 2025 Minnesota Adolescent Sexual Health Report from the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Center for Healthy Youth Development (CHYD).
This annual report aims to help Minnesotans understand the current landscape of young people’s sexual and reproductive health and how it is tied more broadly to healthy youth development.
“Adolescent sexual health is about more than just avoiding pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,” said Jill Farris, MPH, director of training and education for the Center for Healthy Youth Development. “These encouraging trends show that young people are making informed, healthy choices, and they deserve recognition for that. But progress depends on continued investment in supporting the whole adolescent — physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively — with tools and resources that empower them to make thoughtful decisions about their own sexual health.”
The new report shows that while STIs are still prevalent among youth, they continue to decline. Chlamydia rates are at the lowest point in decades.
This year’s report also found:
- Teen birth and pregnancy rates for 15-to-19-year-olds have dropped nearly 5% and 3%, respectively, from 2022 to 2023. Since 1990, these rates have declined by 70%.
- Minnesota youth represent a small segment of the population, yet they continue to bear a significant burden of STIs — 25% of chlamydia and 13% of gonorrhea cases statewide.
- Disparities in sexual health outcomes among Minnesota youth are complex and intersect across geography, race, gender identity and sexual orientation.
This year’s report also spotlights an often-overlooked group: youth in the legal system. The findings call attention to how the current approach to youth with sexually harmful behaviors often does more harm than good.
Evidence shows punitive responses, such as incarceration or sex offender registration — often based on models developed for adults — are largely ineffective for youth and can increase the likelihood of reoffending.
Despite recent progress, social determinants of health — including demographic differences, racial/ethnic disparities, and gender identity — and access to care continue to play a key role in young people’s ability to access high-quality sexual health information and care.
“To effectively support adolescent sexual health, we must address the diverse experiences of all youth,” said Farris. “Every young person deserves access to accurate, inclusive sexual health information, and families, caregivers, clinicians and decision-makers in the legal system play a vital role in providing that education.”
Interactive reports for each of Minnesota’s 87 counties are available online.
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University of Minnesota Medical School
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People