Table 1 Levels and trends of child marriage, childbearing and sexual debut among adolescents by sex and sub-region in Sub-Saharan Africa, based on national surveys 1990–2018 in 37 countries, sub-Saharan Africa, in 2000 and 2015 (in parenthesis 95% confidence intervals)

34.8 [25.5, 44.2]

28.0 [18.6, 37.4]

− 1.4

0.32

9.4 [5.9, 12.9]

6.7 [3.1, 10.2]

− 2.3

0.29

4.4 [3.4, 5.3]

2.5 [1.0, 4.1]

− 3.6

0.04

***

***

***

50.9 [47.0, 54.8]

46.5 [42.5, 50.5]

− 0.6

0.12

3.8 [2.5, 5.0]

2.9[1.7, 4.2]

− 1.6

0.38

60.7 [51.7, 69.7]

54.3 [45.2, 63.3]

− 0.7

0.33

16.7 [11.8, 21.7]

12.3 [7.3, 17.3]

− 2.0

0.22

52.7 [43.5, 61.9]

42.8 [33.5, 52.1]

− 1.3

< 0.001

16.1 [12.0, 20.3]

11.6 [7.4, 15.8]

− 2.2

0.13

42.6 [34.8, 50.3]

32.4 [24.4, 40.4]

− 1.8

0.07

12.0 [7.9, 16.2]

8.6 [4.3, 12.9]

− 2.2

0.27

5.1 [3.5, 6.7]

3.9 [0.8, 7.0]

− 1.7

0.51

***

***

***

57.8 [52.9, 62.6]

51.4 [46.0, 56.7]

− 0.7

0.08

4.8 [3.3, 6.4]

4.2 [2.4, 5.9]

− 1.0

0.59

74.1 [68.7, 79.5]

65.5 [59.7, 71.2]

− 0.8

0.03

22.7 [14.8, 30.6]

17.4 [9.4, 25.4]

− 1.8

0.36

66.8 [56.3, 77.3]

57.6 [47, 68.2]

− 0.9

 < 0.01

23.2 [19.9, 26.4]

17.6 [14.1, 21.2]

− 1.8

0.12

43.5 [35.5, 51.6]

35.0 [26.8, 43.1]

− 1.4

0.14

13.1 [9.0, 17.3]

9.8 [5.5, 14.0]

− 2.0

0.27

2.1 [1.6, 2.5]

1.8 [0.9, 2.7]

− 0.9

0.61

***

***

***

52.4 [45.9, 58.8]

46.9 [40.4, 53.4]

− 0.7

0.24

5.0 [3.7, 6.3]

3.9 [2.5, 5.3]

− 1.7

0.25

66.2 [58.1, 74.3]

57.8 [49.6, 66.0]

− 0.9

0.15

20 [16.1, 23.9]

14.6 [10.7, 18.6]

− 4.0

0.06

44.2 [36.9, 51.5]

29.6 [22.2, 37.0]

− 2.6

< 0.001

11.3 [8.9, 13.7]

6.2 [3.7, 8.7]

− 2.1

 < 0.001

34.9 [27.3, 42.5]

29.4 [21.3, 37.4]

− 1.1

0.33

8.4 [5.5, 11.2]

6.0 [3.1, 9.2]

− 2.2

0.27

5.5 [3.4, 7.5]

4.8 [2.1, 7.6]

− 0.8

0.73

***

***

***

48.4 [39.6, 57.2]

44.4 [35.5, 53.4]

− 0.5

0.54

3.1 [2.1, 4.1]

2.5 [1.5, 3.6]

− 1.3

0.48

51.8 [40.3, 63.2]

46.9 [35.5, 58.4]

− 0.6

0.57

15.0 [11.1, 18.8]

11.2 [7.2, 15.3]

− 1.9

0.19

48.4 [38.5, 58.3]

41.1 [31.1, 51.1]

− 1.0

< 0.001

16.7 [12.6, 20.9]

12.0 [7.7, 16.3]

− 2.2

0.12

14.6 [6.5, 22.7]

13.2 [5, 21.4]

− 0.6

0.83

1.7 [0.9, 2.6]

1.4 [0.6, 2.3]

− 1.2

0.65

1.3 [1.2, 1.4]

1.0 [0.7, 1.2]

− 1.8

0.01

***

***

***

42.5 [37.6, 47.4]

41.3 [36.1, 46.4]

− 0.1

0.76

1.5 [1.1, 1.8]

1.0 [0.5, 1.4]

− 2.8

0.08

47.9 [42.6, 53.2]

46.7 [40.5, 52.9]

− 0.1

0.77

7.3 [6.1, 8.4]

5.6 [4.4, 6.7]

− 1.8

0.04

46.7 [31.4, 62.0]

49.3 [32.3, 66.3]

0.3

< 0.01

13.3 [6.7, 19.8]

12.0 [6.0, 18.1]

− 0.6

0.80