Dundee has retained its unenviable position as Scotland’s underage pregnancy capital.
Although the number of girls under 16 becoming pregnant in Dundee has fallen to a record low, the pregnancy rate among under 16s is still twice the Scottish average.
Figures released by NHS Scotland show that in Dundee, calculated over a three-year rolling average, 86 girls under the age of 16 became pregnant each year between 2009 and 2011.
Although this was the lowest level recorded since 2001/03, the pregnancy rate of this age group in Dundee was 13.3 per 1,000 girls, more than double the national average of 6.6 per 1,000 and the highest rate of any council area in the county.
The statistics also revealed a stark gulf between rich and poor.
Girls from the poorest areas are 10 times more likely than those from affluent areas to become pregnant before they are 16.
The pregnancy rate in most disadvantaged areas at 56 per 1,000 teenagers, compared to only 5.5 per 1,000 in the most affluent zones.
Abortions are more common than deliveries in under 16s from all sections of society. Just nine very rich under-16s had babies while five times as many (45) had abortions. Conversely, 178 very poor under-16s had babies and 314 had abortions.
Scottish Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: “It is encouraging to see a fall…for the fourth successive year.
“I am concerned, however, that there are significant differences in teenage pregnancy rates between those from the most deprived communities and those from more affluent communities.
Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said: “Slowly, but surely, the hard work of schools and the NHS appears to be paying off but the rate, particularly among under-16s, is still too high, and that is played out by the fact abortions in that age group outweigh deliveries.”