Over 91,000 girls under the age of 18 give birth in Turkey per year, the UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) Turkey representative Zahidul Huque said in Eskisehir, local Daily News reported Wednesday.

"The ratio of teenage births is 29 per thousand among women every year in Turkey," Huque told reporters, adding that teenage pregnancies are more common in Turkey's relatively poor rural eastern provinces, including Agri and Kars.

As for the solution to the problem, Huque stressed the importance of raising awareness on gender equality and maintaining open access to information on sexual and reproductive health.

In addition, keeping teenagers in school, especially young girls, is also important to reduce teenage births, Huque emphasized.

As many as 7.3 million teenage girls give birth each year in developing countries, 2 million of them aged less than 14, according to a report released by the UNFPA this week. Endi

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