Make a Donation

Abortion Statistics Worldwide

Print

Abortion Statistics

World - U.S. – Demographics

Abortion Statistics – World

  • In 54 countries (61% of the world population) abortions are legal.
  • In 97 countries (39% of the world population) abortions are illegal.
  • There are approximately 46 million abortions conducted eacy year, 20 million of them obtained illegally.
  • There are approximately 126,000 abortions performed each day.

    • Abortions Worldwide

  • Number of abortions per year: Approximately 46 Million
  • Number of abortions per day: Approximately 126,000

    • Where abortions occur:

  • 78% of all abortions are obtained in developing countries and 22% occur in developed countries.

    • Legality of abortion:

  • About 26 million women obtain legal abortions each year, while an additional 20 million abortions are obtained in countries where it is restricted or prohibited by law.

    • Abortion averages:

  • Worldwide, the lifetime average is about 1 abortion per woman.

    • Abortion Statistics - U.S.

    Approximately 1,370,000 abortions occur annually in the U.S. according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

    88% of abortions occur during the first 6 to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

    60% of abortions are performed on women who already have one or more children.

    47% of abortions are performed on women who have already had one or more abortions.

    43% of women will have had at least one abortion by the time they are 45 years old.

    Abortion Statistics - Demographics

    Age - The majority of women getting an abortion are young. 52% are younger than 25 years old and 19% are teenagers. The abortion rate is highest for those women aged 18 to 19 (56 per 1,000)

    Marriage - 51% of women who are unmarried when they become pregnant will receive an abortion. Unmarried women are 6 times more likely than married women to have an abortion. 67% of abortions are from women who have never been married.

    Race - 63% of abortion patients are white, however, black women are more than 3 times as likely to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.5 times as likely.

    Religion - 43% of women getting an abortion claimed they were Protestant, while 27% claimed they were Catholic.

    Abortion Statistics - Decisions to Have an Abortion (U.S.)

    25.5% of women deciding to have an abortion want to postpone childbearing.

    21.3% of women cannot afford a baby.

    14.1% of women have a relationship issue or their partner does not want a child.

    12.2% of women are too young (their parents or others object to the pregnancy.)

    10.8% of women feel a child will disrupt their education or career.

    7.9% of women want no (more) children.

    3.3% of women have an abortion due to a risk to fetal health.

    2.8% of women have an abortion due to a risk to maternal health.

    Abortion Statistics - Using Contraception (U.S.)

    54% of women having an abortion said they used some form of contraception during the month they became pregnant.

    90% of women who are at risk for unplanned pregnancies are using contraception

    8% of women having an abortion say they have never used contraception.

    It is possible that up to 43% of the decline in abortion from 1994-2000 can be attributed to using emergency contraception.

    Abortion Statistics - Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice

    According to a USA Today, CNN Gallup Poll in May, 1999 - 16% of Americans believe abortion should be legal for any reason at any time during pregnancy and 55% of American believe abortion should be legal only to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest.

    According to a Gallup Poll in January, 2001 - People who considered themselves to be pro-life rose from 33% to 43% in the past 5 years, and people who considered themselves to be pro-choice declined from 56% to 48%.