Washington, Aug 13 (DPA) The birth rate among US teenagers is twice the average for all developed nations and has increased in recent years, according to a report released Wednesday.

The current US rate is 42 births for every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, while the overall rate for developed countries is 21 per 1,000, the internationally-known non-governmental research organization, Population Reference Bureau (PRB), reported.

Noting the especially high teen birth rate among the US Hispanic population, the PRB's Linda A Jacobsen called for special attention to be focussed on the country's increasingly diverse youth population in terms of education and training.

'By 2050 almost 40 percent of the population will be Hispanic. The ability of this increasingly diverse youth population to obtain education skills and secure employment will be critical to the US's future economic growth and our ability to meet the challenges of an aging population,' Jacobsen said.