In South Africa, the high incidence of early childbearing among the youth remains one of the major challenges facing the country. The overwhelming majority of early childbearing occurs outside marriage, and most of these are not planned. The implications of early childbearing are likely to be severe. It is therefore important to understand the factors influencing childbearing among young people in South Africa. The aim of this paper is to identify the extent and determinants of childbearing among people, aged 15–24 years, in South Africa. The data for the study comes from the 2008 National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). The sample consists of 2 623 females aged 15–24 years. More than one-third (36,6%) of females aged 15–24 years have given birth. Of the four main population groups, 40% of coloured females have given birth, followed by 37% of African females aged 15–24 years. A significant association has been identified between place of residence and early childbearing for females aged 15–24 years. Socio-economic status is an important determinant of early childbearing for females aged 15–24 years. The results suggest that females living in lower- wealth households are six times more likely to experience early childbearing compared with females living in higher- wealth households.