The following lists include countries by total reported abortions, annual abortions and rates according to reports from governments and statisticians.
The CDC or Guttmacher estimates do not account for medical abortions outside a clinic. [1] Some analysts have estimated that the cumulative number of abortions in the United States may have reached a hundred million [2] and that up to two million abortions occur annually. [3] The Soviet Union had more than 200 million reported abortions throughout its history according to the Johnstons Archive. [4] Since legalization in 1967, there have been 9,331,978 abortions in the United Kingdom according to government reports collected by the Johnstons Archive. [5]
The Guttmacher study numbers used in the table below are estimates based on statistical models and are not actual reported numbers. [6]
Country | Rate per 1,000 women | Number of abortions per year | Year | Age range |
---|---|---|---|---|
Greenland | 84.7 | 870 | 2022 [7] [8] | 17–64 |
Vietnam | 64.0 | 1,630,000 | 2019 [9] | 15–49 |
Madagascar | 60.0 | 376,000 | 2019 [10] | 15–49 |
Guinea-Bissau | 59.0 | 26,600 | 2019 [11] | 15–49 |
Cuba | 55.0 | 147,000 | 2019 [12] | 15–49 |
Cape Verde | 49.0 | 7,100 | 2019 [13] | 15–49 |
India | 48.0 | 16,600,000 | 2019 [14] | 15–49 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 48.0 | 17,100 | 2019 [15] | 15–49 |
Cambodia | 45.0 | 195,000 | 2019 [16] | 15–49 |
Sierra Leone | 45.0 | 82,600 | 2019 [17] | 15–49 |
Barbados | 45.0 | 3,000 | 2019 [18] | 15–49 |
Congo | 44.0 | 54,700 | 2019 [19] | 15–49 |
Pakistan | 43.0 | 2,240,000 | 2019 [20] | 15–49 |
Kenya | 43.0 | 551,000 | 2019 [21] | 15–49 |
Uganda | 43.0 | 418,000 | 2019 [22] | 15–49 |
Samoa | 43.0 | 1,800 | 2019 [23] | 15–49 |
Peru | 42.0 | 353,000 | 2019 [24] | 15–49 |
Liberia | 42.0 | 47,600 | 2019 [25] | 15–49 |
Maldives | 42.0 | 4,700 | 2019 [26] | 15–49 |
Nepal | 41.0 | 348,000 | 2019 [27] | 15–49 |
Gabon | 41.0 | 21,100 | 2019 [28] | 15–49 |
Mozambique | 40.0 | 277,000 | 2019 [29] | 15–49 |
Vanuatu | 39.0 | 2,800 | 2019 [30] | 15–49 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 39.0 | 1,900 | 2019 [31] | 15–49 |
Tanzania | 38.0 | 482,000 | 2019 [32] | 15–49 |
Haiti | 38.0 | 111,000 | 2019 [33] | 15–49 |
Bolivia | 38.0 | 108,000 | 2019 [34] | 15–49 |
Jamaica | 38.0 | 29,800 | 2019 [35] | 15–49 |
Ghana | 37.0 | 266,000 | 2019 [36] | 15–49 |
Dominican Republic | 37.0 | 101,000 | 2019 [37] | 15–49 |
Saint Lucia | 37.0 | 1,900 | 2019 [38] | 15–49 |
Philippines | 36.0 | 973,000 | 2019 [39] | 15–49 |
Papua New Guinea | 36.0 | 77,200 | 2019 [40] | 15–49 |
Guyana | 36.0 | 7,300 | 2019 [41] | 15–49 |
Bangladesh | 35.0 | 1,580,000 | 2019 [42] | 15–49 |
Ivory Coast | 35.0 | 207,000 | 2019 [43] | 15–49 |
Zambia | 35.0 | 140,000 | 2019 [44] | 15–49 |
Cameroon | 34.0 | 201,000 | 2019 [45] | 15–49 |
Laos | 34.0 | 64,100 | 2019 [46] | 15–49 |
Paraguay | 34.0 | 60,900 | 2019 [47] | 15–49 |
East Timor | 34.0 | 10,100 | 2019 [48] | 15–49 |
Nigeria | 33.0 | 2,000,000 | 2020 [49] [50] | |
DR Congo | 33.0 | 593,000 | 2019 [51] | 15–49 |
Argentina | 33.0 | 368,000 | 2019 [52] | 15–49 |
Angola | 33.0 | 229,000 | 2019 [53] | 15–49 |
Brazil | 32.0 | 1,830,000 | 2019 [54] | 15–49 |
Benin | 32.0 | 84,300 | 2019 [55] | 15–49 |
Togo | 32.0 | 60,300 | 2019 [56] | 15–49 |
Bhutan | 32.0 | 6,400 | 2019 [57] | 15–49 |
Solomon Islands | 32.0 | 4,900 | 2019 [58] | 15–49 |
Belize | 32.0 | 3,300 | 2019 [59] | 15–49 |
Mexico | 31.0 | 1,040,000 | 2019 [60] | 15–49 |
Malawi | 31.0 | 134,000 | 2019 [61] | 15–49 |
Kyrgyzstan | 31.0 | 49,500 | 2019 [62] | 15–49 |
Puerto Rico | 31.0 | 23,100 | 2019 [63] | 15–49 |
Botswana | 31.0 | 18,600 | 2019 [64] | 15–49 |
Comoros | 31.0 | 6,100 | 2019 [65] | 15–49 |
Suriname | 31.0 | 4,500 | 2019 [66] | 15–49 |
South Africa | 30.0 | 461,000 | 2019 [67] | 15–49 |
Burkina Faso | 30.0 | 136,000 | 2019 [68] | 15–49 |
Panama | 30.0 | 31,200 | 2019 [69] | 15–49 |
Somalia | 29.0 | 93,200 | 2019 [70] | 15–49 |
Namibia | 29.0 | 18,600 | 2019 [71] | 15–49 |
Eswatini | 29.0 | 8,800 | 2019 [72] | 15–49 |
French Guiana | 29.0 | 2,100 | 2019 [73] | 15–49 |
China | 28.0 | 9,700,000 | 2021 [74] | |
Sri Lanka | 28.0 | 149,000 | 2019 [75] | 15–49 |
Ecuador | 28.0 | 123,000 | 2019 [76] | 15–49 |
Rwanda | 28.0 | 84,300 | 2019 [77] | 15–49 |
Colombia | 27.0 | 360,000 | 2019 [78] | 15–49 |
Central African Republic | 27.0 | 28,500 | 2019 [79] | 15–49 |
Myanmar | 26.0 | 387,000 | 2019 [80] | 15–49 |
Guinea | 26.0 | 77,400 | 2019 [81] | 15–49 |
Burundi | 26.0 | 65,000 | 2019 [82] | 15–49 |
Tajikistan | 26.0 | 58,100 | 2019 [83] | 15–49 |
Indonesia | 25.0 | 1,770,000 | 2019 [84] | 15–49 |
Thailand | 25.0 | 437,000 | 2019 [85] | 15–49 |
South Sudan | 25.0 | 63,600 | 2019 [86] | 15–49 |
Tonga | 25.0 | 620 | 2019 [87] | 15–49 |
Ethiopia | 24.0 | 632,000 | 2019 [88] | 15–49 |
El Salvador | 24.0 | 43,300 | 2019 [89] | 15–49 |
Uzbekistan | 23.0 | 198,000 | 2019 [90] | 15–49 |
Mali | 23.0 | 92,600 | 2019 [91] | 15–49 |
Lesotho | 23.0 | 12,800 | 2019 [92] | 15–49 |
Egypt | 23.0 | 1,050,000 | 2015 [93] | 15–44 |
South Korea | 21.0 | 50,000 | 2019 [94] | 15–44 |
Honduras | 21.0 | 53,000 | 2019 [95] | 15–49 |
Costa Rica | 21.0 | 27,500 | 2019 [96] | 15–49 |
Mongolia | 21.0 | 17,400 | 2019 [97] | 15–49 |
Eritrea | 21.0 | 16,500 | 2019 [98] | 15–49 |
Djibouti | 21.0 | 5,100 | 2019 [99] | 15–49 |
Kazakhstan | 20.1 | 71,442 | 2022 [100] | |
Guatemala | 19.0 | 85,400 | 2019 [101] | 15–49 |
Turkmenistan | 19.0 | 28,900 | 2019 [102] | 15–49 |
United Kingdom | 18.6 | 214,256 | 2021 [103] | |
Zimbabwe | 18.0 | 67,300 | 2019 [104] | 15–49 |
Moldova | 18.0 | 19,400 | 2019 [105] | 15–49 |
Taiwan | 17.0 | 93,211 | 2007 [106] [107] | 15–44 |
Chad | 17.0 | 58,400 | 2019 [108] | 15–49 |
Sweden | 17.0 | 37,300 | 2019 [109] | 15–49 |
Mauritania | 17.0 | 17,800 | 2019 [110] | 15–49 |
Australia | 16.0 | 93,800 | 2019 [111] | 15–49 |
Gambia | 16.0 | 8,800 | 2019 [112] | 15–49 |
Georgia | 15.7 | 35,401 | 2022 [113] | 15–44 |
France | 15.5 | 201,000 | 2021 [114] [115] | 15–49 |
Niger | 15.0 | 69,000 | 2019 [116] | 15–49 |
Senegal | 15.0 | 57,900 | 2019 [117] | 15–49 |
Greece | 15.0 | 34,600 | 2019 [118] | 15–49 |
United States | 14.4 | 930,160 | 2020 [119] | 15–44 |
Nicaragua | 14.0 | 26,800 | 2019 [120] | 15–49 |
North Macedonia | 14.0 | 7,300 | 2019 [121] | 15–49 |
Russia | 13.1 | 553,500 | 2020 [122] [123] | |
Iceland | 13.0 | 990 | 2019 [124] | 15–49 |
Armenia | 12.8 | 10,718 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Canada | 12.0 | 97,500 | 2019 [127] | 15–49 |
New Zealand | 12.0 | 13,100 | 2019 [128] | 15–49 |
Denmark | 12.0 | 14,600 | 2019 [129] | 15–49 |
Bulgaria | 11.9 | 19,328 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Azerbaijan | 11.8 | 34,712 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Belarus | 11.4 | 16,696 | 2022 [130] | |
Norway | 11.0 | 13,100 | 2019 [131] | 15–49 |
Uruguay | 11.0 | 9,500 | 2019 [132] | 15–49 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11.0 | 8,500 | 2019 [133] | 15–49 |
Iran | 10.7 | 450,000 | 2021 [134] | |
Estonia | 10.3 | 3,741 | 2019 [125] [126] | |
Poland | 10.0 | 93,000 | 2019 [135] | 15–49 |
Hungary | 9.8 | 23,901 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Israel | 8.4 | 17,582 | 2019 [136] | 15–49 |
Belgium | 8.0 | 19,500 | 2019 [137] | 15–49 |
Spain | 7.5 | 88,269 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Chile | 7.0 | 33,000 | 2019 [138] | |
Netherlands | 7.0 | 26,500 | 2019 [139] | 15–49 |
Romania | 6.7 | 31,889 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Finland | 6.5 | 8,322 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Czech Republic | 6.4 | 16,886 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Latvia | 6.4 | 2,848 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Slovenia | 6.1 | 2,945 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Japan | 5.1 | 122,725 | 2022 [140] | |
Ukraine | 6.0 | 64,893 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Montenegro | 6.0 | 860 | 2019 [141] | 15–49 |
Portugal | 5.6 | 14,075 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Germany | 5.4 | 99,948 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Luxembourg | 5.2 | 559 | 2022 [142] | |
Switzerland | 5.1 | 10,775 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Singapore | 5.0 | 7,400 | 2019 [143] | 15–49 |
Italy | 4.9 | 65,757 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Serbia | 4.8 | 8,005 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Slovakia | 4.4 | 6,180 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Lithuania | 4.3 | 2,794 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Turkey | 2.7 | 43,000 | 2021 [144] | |
Croatia | 2.7 | 2,594 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Austria | 1.3 | 1,800 | 2021 [145] | |
Albania | 1.2 | 873 | 2020 [125] [126] | |
Algeria | 0.4 | 8,000 | 2018 [146] |
Country | Total Reported [147] [148] [149] [150] |
---|---|
China | 336,000,000+ |
India | 100,000,000+ |
United States | 62,000,000+ |
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by murder of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of all pregnancies. When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy, it is called an induced abortion, or less frequently "induced miscarriage". The unmodified word abortion generally refers to an induced abortion. The most common reasons women give for having an abortion are for birth-timing and limiting family size. Other reasons reported include maternal health, an inability to afford a child, domestic violence, lack of support, feeling they are too young, wishing to complete education or advance a career, and not being able or willing to raise a child conceived as a result of rape or incest.
In the United States, abortion is a divisive issue in politics and culture wars, though a majority of Americans support access to abortion. Abortion laws vary widely from state to state.
The Guttmacher Institute is a research and policy NGO that aims to improve sexual health and expand reproductive rights worldwide. The organization was started in 1968 and functions as both a research and educational organization. It operates mainly in the United States but also focuses on developing countries. Founded as part of Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher Institute became independent from Planned Parenthood in 2007.
An unsafe abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by people lacking the necessary skills, or in an environment lacking minimal medical standards, or both. An unsafe abortion is a life-threatening procedure. It includes self-induced abortions, abortions in unhygienic conditions, and abortions performed by a medical practitioner who does not provide appropriate post-abortion attention. About 25 million unsafe abortions occur a year, of which most occur in the developing world.
A crisis pregnancy center (CPC), sometimes called a pregnancy resource center (PRC) or a pro-life pregnancy center, is a type of nonprofit organization established by anti-abortion groups primarily to persuade pregnant women not to have an abortion.
The legality of abortion in the United States and the various restrictions imposed on the procedure vary significantly, depending on the laws of each state or other jurisdiction, although there is no uniform federal law. Some states prohibit abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with few exceptions; others permit it up to a certain point in a woman's pregnancy, while some allow abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. In states where abortion is legal, several classes of restrictions on the procedure may exist, such as parental consent or notification laws, requirements that patients be shown an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, mandatory waiting periods, and counseling requirements.
Both the Guttmacher Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regularly report abortion statistics in the United States. They use different methodologies, so they report somewhat different abortion rates, but they show similar trends. The Guttmacher Institute attempts to contact every abortion provider. The CDC relies on voluntary reporting of abortion data from the states and the District of Columbia. As of July 2022, the Guttmacher Institute had reported abortion data for the years 1973 through 2020 and the CDC had reported abortion data for the years 1970 through 2019.
A medical abortion, also known as medication abortion or non-surgical abortion, occurs when drugs (medication) are used to bring about an abortion. Medical abortions are an alternative to surgical abortions such as vacuum aspiration or dilation and curettage. Medical abortions are more common than surgical abortions in most places around the world.
Abortion in Oklahoma is illegal unless the abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant individual.
Abortion in Texas is illegal in most cases. There are nominally exceptions to save the mother's life, or prevent "substantial impairment of major bodily function", but the law on abortion in Texas is written in such an ambiguous way that life-threatening or harmful pregnancies do not explicitly constitute an exception. Attempts to clarify and codify these exceptions into law have been rejected by Republican lawmakers in Texas.
Abortion in Arkansas is illegal except when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant individual. Doctors determined to have performed an abortion face up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $100,000.
Abortion in Hawaii is legal. 66% of adults in Hawaii said in a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The 2023 American Values Atlas reported that, in their most recent survey, 79% of people from Hawaii said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Hawaii began allowing abortion care de jure in 1970, the first state to do so. State law enacted at that time stated said, "the State shall not deny or interfere with a female's right to choose or obtain an abortion of a nonviable fetus or an abortion that is necessary to protect the life or health of the female."
Abortion in Minnesota is legal at all stages of pregnancy and is restricted only to standards of good medical practice. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled the Minnesota Constitution conferred a right to an abortion in 1995 and the DFL-led Minnesota Legislature passed and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law a bill in 2023 to recognize a right to reproductive freedom and preventing local units of government from limiting that right. The Center for Reproductive Rights labels Minnesota as one of the most abortion-protective states in the country.
As of July 1, 2023, abortion in North Carolina is currently illegal after 12 weeks of pregnancy. In the case of rape or incest, abortion is legal through the 20th week of pregnancy. In the case of a "life-limiting" fetal abnormality, abortion is legal through the 24th week of pregnancy. If the woman's life is determined by a qualified physician to be at risk, abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy. North Carolina is destination for many out-of-state women seeking abortions, as most US Southern states have implemented laws banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy or near-total prohibitions on abortion.
Abortion in South Carolina is illegal after detection of a "fetal heartbeat", usually around 6 weeks from the woman's last menstrual period, when many women are not yet aware that they are pregnant. On May 25, 2023, Governor Henry McMaster signed a 6-week ban, and it took effect immediately. The ban was indefinitely blocked in court on May 26, and reinstated by the South Carolina Supreme Court on August 23.
Abortion in Tennessee is illegal from fertilization and provides no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the pregnant individual. Tennessee's abortion legislation provides no explicit exceptions for the pregnant patient’s health. It makes an exception for an “affirmative defense” for emergencies, but the vagueness of what constitutes an emergency means that physicians hesitate to provide abortions even when the pregnant individual's life is in jeopardy. Attempts to codify the exceptions into law have been rejected by Republican politicians in Tennesse. Tennessee is among the four states which forbid abortion access through their state constitution; alongside Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia.
Abortion in Maryland is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The first laws regulating abortion in the state were passed in 1867 and 1868, banning abortion except by a physician to "secure the safety of the mother." Abortion providers continued to operate both within and outside of the law. Legal enforcement became more strict from the 1940s through 60s, with numerous police raids on abortion providers. In 1968, Maryland passed a liberalized abortion law that clarified the wording of the previous law, allowing abortion in hospital settings in cases of rape, severe fetal deformity, or when life and health were endangered.
Abortion in New Mexico is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The number of abortion clinics in New Mexico has declined over the years, with 26 in 1982, 20 in 1992 and 11 in 2014. There were 4,500 legal abortions in 2014. There were 7 facilities providing abortion in New Mexico in 2017, and 6 of those were clinics. In 2017, 91% of New Mexico counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and 48% of New Mexico women lived in those counties.