The rate of teen pregnancies in Canada dropped 36.9 per cent between 1996 and 2006, according to research released Wednesday by the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.

The teen pregnancy rate also dropped 25 per cent in the U.S.A. during the same period, and 4.75 per cent in England and Wales. It increased by 19.1 per cent in Sweden.

Reducing socio-economic inequality within communities is the most significant factor in setting the direction of teen pregnancy rates, according to research coordinator Alexander McKay.

Rates of teenage pregnancy, for example, are higher in pockets of poverty in the U.S.

High-quality sex education in schools and easy access to health services are also factors, and must be maintained to keep teen pregnancy levels low, McKay added.

“Complacency could quickly lead to a reversal in indicators of adolescent sexual and reproductive health,” he said.

Canada has the lowest pregnancy rate per 1,000 women ages 15-19 among the four countries studied, according to the report, which appears in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, published by the sex information council.

In 2006 the there were 27.9 pregnancies per 1,000 women ages 15-19 in Canada. In Sweden the figure was 31.4. England and Wales had 60.3 and the U.S.A., 61.2.

The pregnancy rates in the four countries are calculated by adding live births and abortions. Miscarriages are not included because of differences between the countries in collecting that data.

Since 1996, abortions have accounted for about half the pregnancies in Canada included in the study.

The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, a national registered charitable organization, receives funding from the makers of Trojan condoms, and provides educational materials about sex education to schools, health professionals and community organizations.