The rate of teen pregnancies, abortions and births have reached historic lows since their peak in the 1990’s.

According to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute, and detailed in “U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2010: National and State Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity,” the rates have sharply declined among all ethnic and racial groups across the U.S.

However, wide variations still persist among different races and ethnic groups despite the overall decline, with black and Hispanic teens having rates twice as high as non-Hispanic white teens.

The rate of pregnancies per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 to 19 was 57.4 in 2010, marking a remarkable 51 percent decline from the peak in 1990, and a 15 percent reduction from 67.8 in 2008.

The birth rate among teens dropped by 44 percent from 1991 down to 34.4 per 1,000, and the abortion rate among this age group decreased by 66 percent from 1988 down to 14.7 per 1,000.

Lead author Kathryn Kost believes these numbers represent very positive news, and that the efforts put forth over the years to educate teens in the realm of sex and teen pregnancy have been worthwhile.

“Other reports had already demonstrated sustained declines in births among teens in the past few years; but now we know that this is due to the fact that fewer teens are becoming pregnant in the first place. It appears that efforts to ensure teens can access the information and contraceptive services they need to prevent unwanted pregnancies are paying off,” said Kost in a statement.