Nearly one-in-ten births in both countries was to a teenager or girl even younger in 2015, the latest year for which data is available – that is more than three times the EU average. The data, from Eurostat, also uncovered hundreds of girls in the 10-14 age group from France, Germany, Bulgaria and Romania become mothers each year.

Experts say a repressive sexist culture and a lack of respect for women in some countries is fueling the problem. Nearly 1,000 births in Bulgaria and Romania in 2015 were to girls between the ages of 10 and 14. Bulgaria had nearly 300 of the young mothers – representing nearly five percent of all the country’s teenage births.