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This third Innocenti Report Card presents the most up-to-date and comprehensive survey so far of teenage birth rates in the industrialized world. And it attempts at least a partial analysis of why some countries have teenage birth rates that are ten or even fifteen times higher than others. The starting point is a new league table of teenage birth rates, showing the number of births per 1,000 15 to 19-year-olds in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations under review. Additional figures show how those rates have changed over the last 30 years. Data reveals that the five countries with the lowest teenage birth rates are Korea, Japan, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden-- all with teen birth rates of fewer than 7 per 1,000. The United States teenage birth rate of 52.1 is the highest in the developed world-- and about four times the European Union average. As a contribution to the debate, this report draws on international experience and comparison to establish current facts and trends, to identify some of the forces that offer young people both motive and means to delay childbearing, and to look at what might be learnt from those societies that have already succeeded in reducing the problem. (Contains 44 references.) (GCP)

Noting that injuries are the leading cause of child death in all the world's more developed countries, this report is the second in a series of "Innocenti Report Cards" designed to monitor the performance of industrialized nations in meeting the needs of their children. The report focuses on child death by injury in the member countries of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). A standardized league table is presented, ranking 26 nations according to their injury death rates for children age 1 to 14 years. The report notes that Sweden, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands report the lowest injury death rates, below 7 per 100,000. The United States and Portugal report child injury deaths over twice the level of the leading countries, and South Korea has a rate four times higher. Overall, the likelihood of a child dying from injury has been falling steadily in recent years, with national variations in rate of decline. There is a clear relationship between child injury death and national wealth, although the relationship is far from fixed. Although most countries lack data, it is suggested that the risk of child injury death rises steeply with poverty. The likelihood of child injury or death is also associated with single parenthood, low maternal education, low maternal age at the child's birth, poor housing, large family size, and parental drug abuse. Child's gender and ethnic group is also related to injury death rates. The report concludes by asserting that overall, there is a lack of adequate data and research into exactly which children are most at risk, thus leaving prevention public policy efforts under-informed. (Contains 31 references notes.) (KB)

The tables of child poverty presented in this document are the most comprehensive estimates of child poverty across the industrialized world. Based on an analysis of the latest data from the Luxembourg Income Study of household surveys, the first figure shows the proportion of children living in poverty in 23 nations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. It shows that child poverty rates vary from under 3% to more than 25% in the world's economically advanced nations. One in six of the rich world's children is living in poverty. In the league table of relative child poverty, the bottom four places are occupied by the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, and Mexico. In the table of absolute child poverty, the bottom places are occupied by Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. A child's chance of living in poverty is, on average, four times greater in single-parent families. The countries with the lowest child poverty rates allocate the highest proportions of the gross national product. This analysis seeks to bring together recent data from across the industrialized world in order to explore what can be learned about the causes of child poverty and the policies most likely to reduce it. (SM)

This report covers countries in transition--the 27 nations of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States--that embarked on market and democratic reforms after the collapse of the Iron Curtain. The theme is a generation in transition--65 million young people aged 15-24. Are these youths better off? Are they healthier or safer? More or less educated? How do they participate in the economic, social, and political life of their countries? What about family life? What do they think and how do they feel about their changing societies? This report addresses the answers to these questions. It identifies a number of significant gaps between the views and capacities of youth in the region on the one hand and their realities and achievements on the other. The analysis also finds growing similarities between youth in transition and those in other industrialized countries, especially those in Western Europe. It also discusses how youth can be empowered to seize new opportunities while avoiding greater hazards. Issues that should be considered when developing youth-friendly policies are suggested as well as ways to help these policies be more effective. (Contains a statistical annex, glossary, bibliographic notes, and an extensive bibliography.) (MKA)