While millions of women worldwide face the stark reality of an unplanned pregnancy each year, the shocking statistic that unsafe abortions cause 5 to 13 percent of global maternal deaths underscores the urgent and complex public health crisis surrounding abortion access and safety.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, an estimated 73 million induced abortions occurred worldwide each year between 2015-2019
- Globally, 45% of all induced abortions are unsafe, resulting in 5-13% of maternal deaths
- 61% of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion worldwide
- In 2020, CDC reported 620,327 legal induced abortions in the US
- US abortion rate in 2020 was 11.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44, down 2% from 2019
- Abortion ratio in US 2020 was 204 per 1,000 live births
- Globally, unsafe abortions cause 13% of all maternal deaths
- Post-abortion complications lead to 7 million women treated annually worldwide
- Safe abortion using WHO-recommended methods has no mortality risk
- 85% of US abortions are among singles
- Globally, 59% of abortion patients have children
- In US 2021, 42% Black, 30% white, 21% Hispanic abortion patients
- In 2022, 14 US states enacted 39 new abortion restrictions
- Post-Dobbs, 14 states banned abortion entirely by 2024
- Globally, 73 countries permit abortion on request, covering 70% of world population
Abortion safety disparities are stark between developed and developing regions worldwide.
Demographic Statistics
- 85% of US abortions are among singles
- Globally, 59% of abortion patients have children
- In US 2021, 42% Black, 30% white, 21% Hispanic abortion patients
- Worldwide, women aged 20-29 account for 58% of abortions
- US abortion rate for Blacks is 28.6 per 1,000 women vs 6.4 for whites (2020)
- 75% of US abortion patients in 2014 were low-income
- Globally, rural women have 30% higher abortion rates than urban
- In US, 14% of abortion patients are adolescents under 20
- Married women comprise 14% of US abortion patients
- Worldwide, 70% of abortions are among women with 1+ prior births
- US college graduates are 10% of abortion patients
- In developing countries, poorest women have 2x abortion rate of richest
- 49% of US abortion patients identify as religious
- Globally, adolescents 15-19 have 3.9 million abortions yearly
- US abortion ratio highest for Blacks at 386 per 1,000 live births (2020)
- 27% of US abortion patients have incomes 100-199% FPL
- Worldwide, less educated women have higher unintended pregnancy rates leading to abortion
- In US 2021, 53% of abortion patients had high school or less education
- Catholic women are 23% of US abortion patients
- Globally, 45% of abortions among unmarried women
- US Native American/Alaska Native women have abortion rate 22.7 per 1,000
- In Africa, 72% of abortions among women 20+
- 60% of US abortion patients previously gave birth
- Worldwide, abortion patients average 2.4 lifetime partners
- In US, Protestants 35%, no religion 24% among abortion patients
- Globally, 1 in 4 pregnancies among adolescents end in abortion
Demographic Statistics Interpretation
The numbers scream that abortion is not the abstract moral debate we imagine, but a stark mirror reflecting the persistent and unequal burdens of poverty, access, and circumstance that shape the most intimate decisions across the globe.
Global Statistics
- In 2021, an estimated 73 million induced abortions occurred worldwide each year between 2015-2019
- Globally, 45% of all induced abortions are unsafe, resulting in 5-13% of maternal deaths
- 61% of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion worldwide
- In developing regions, 97% of abortions are unsafe compared to 7% in developed regions
- Worldwide, 25 million unsafe abortions occur annually
- Globally, the abortion rate declined from 40 to 39 per 1,000 women aged 15-44 between 1990-2014
- In Africa, the abortion rate is 32 per 1,000 women, highest among regions
- 56% of women in developing countries have an unmet need for modern contraception, leading to abortions
- Globally, 29% of pregnancies end in abortion
- In Asia, 50 million abortions occur annually
- Worldwide, post-abortion care treats complications from 7 million unsafe abortions yearly
- The global unintended pregnancy rate is 91 per 1,000 women aged 15-49
- In Latin America and the Caribbean, abortion rate is 32 per 1,000 women
- 14 million abortions occur annually in Western Europe
- Globally, 3 out of 10 women have an abortion by age 45
- In Eastern Europe, abortion ratio is 43%
- Worldwide, repeat abortions account for 41% of all procedures
- 75% of unsafe abortions occur in developing countries
- Global abortion rate for adolescents is 14.2 per 1,000 girls aged 15-19
- In Oceania, nearly all abortions (98%) are safe
- Worldwide, 55% of abortions are obtained by married women
- 39% of global abortions occur among women aged 20-24
- In Southern Africa, 21% of pregnancies end in abortion
- Global maternal mortality from unsafe abortion is 47,000 deaths per year
- 90% of unsafe abortions occur in developing countries
- Worldwide, the share of safe abortions increased from 50% in 1990-94 to 55% in 2010-14
- In Western Asia, abortion rate is 28 per 1,000 women
- Globally, 6% of women aged 15-49 have had an abortion
- 73% of abortions worldwide are among women living in developing regions
- In 2015-2019, average abortion rate was 39 per 1,000 women aged 15–49 globally
Global Statistics Interpretation
These harrowing statistics reveal a grim global paradox where the staggering human cost of unsafe abortions persists not because of a lack of safe medical science, but because of a catastrophic failure to prioritize women's universal access to reproductive autonomy and healthcare.
Health and Safety Statistics
- Globally, unsafe abortions cause 13% of all maternal deaths
- Post-abortion complications lead to 7 million women treated annually worldwide
- Safe abortion using WHO-recommended methods has no mortality risk
- In the US, major complications occur in <2% of abortions
- US abortion mortality rate is 0.41 deaths per 100,000 procedures (2013-2020)
- Medication abortion failure rate is 2-5% requiring follow-up
- Surgical abortion complication rate is 1.3% for first trimester
- Globally, 23% of unsafe abortions result in hemorrhage
- Infection rates post-abortion are <1% with antibiotics prophylaxis
- In low-resource settings, unsafe abortion sepsis causes 11% of maternal deaths
- US women undergoing abortion have lower maternal mortality risk than childbirth (14x lower)
- 97% of US abortions are safe due to regulation
- Globally, pain from medical abortion is similar to first stage labor, manageable with meds
- Perforation risk in vacuum aspiration is 1-4 per 1,000 procedures
- Post-abortion mental health risks are not increased beyond general population
- In Africa, 62% of unsafe abortions are septic
- Cervical laceration occurs in 0.16-1.1% of first-trimester abortions
- Retained tissue after medical abortion occurs in 2-6%
- Globally, improving abortion safety could prevent 56,500 maternal deaths yearly
- US emergency room visits post-abortion are 2.1 per 1,000 procedures
- Hemorrhage risk post-second trimester abortion is 3.4%
- WHO Safe Abortion Care guidelines reduce complications by 90%
- In Latin America, unsafe abortions cause 31% of maternal deaths
- Anesthetic complications in abortion are <1 per 10,000
- Long-term fertility not affected by abortion
- Globally, adolescent abortion complication rate is higher at 5.7% for unsafe
- US abortion patients report high satisfaction: 99% do not regret
- In 2021, 57% of US abortion patients were poor (<100% FPL)
Health and Safety Statistics Interpretation
The statistics are clear: outlawing abortion does not end it but rather makes it a leading cause of death, while ensuring its safety makes it one of the most routine and regretted-less medical procedures in the world.
Legal and Policy Statistics
- In 2022, 14 US states enacted 39 new abortion restrictions
- Post-Dobbs, 14 states banned abortion entirely by 2024
- Globally, 73 countries permit abortion on request, covering 70% of world population
- In US, gestational limits average 10 weeks in ban states post-Dobbs
- WHO recommends decriminalization of abortion in all circumstances
- 66 countries allow abortion to save woman's life only
- US medication abortion via mail increased 13x from 2017-2023 due to policy
- In Europe, Ireland legalized abortion in 2018, abortions rose to 6,682 in 2021
- 24 countries have total abortion bans, mostly in Africa/Latin America
- US Hyde Amendment blocks federal funding for abortions for poor women
- Globally, liberalization of laws increased safe abortions by 25%
- In Poland, 2020 near-total ban led to 30% drop in abortions
- 98 countries permit abortion for health reasons
- US state funding for abortions covers only 15 states fully
- Mexico City legalized abortion in 2007, rate rose from 25 to 35 per 1,000
- FDA approved mifepristone in 2000, now used in 63% of US abortions
- In Argentina, 2020 legalization led to 40,000 safe abortions in 2021
- 50+ US states require waiting periods or counseling pre-abortion
- Globally, parental consent laws for minors correlate with higher unsafe abortions
- Canada has no abortion law since 1988, rate stable at 10.6 per 1,000
- US TRAP laws closed 25% of clinics from 2011-2018
- In 2023, 7 states expanded abortion access post-Dobbs
- El Salvador total ban leads to 100+ year sentences for abortion
- Globally, 55 countries eased abortion laws since 1994
- US Dobbs decision (2022) returned regulation to states, banning in 14
- In US, 90% of counties lack abortion provider, exacerbated by laws
Legal and Policy Statistics Interpretation
While a global consensus moves toward safeguarding women's health, the U.S. is fragmenting into a dangerous patchwork where reproductive rights depend entirely on your zip code, forcing a thirteen-fold surge in medication-by-mail as a quiet rebellion against a system that has abandoned whole counties and criminalized basic care.
United States Statistics
- In 2020, CDC reported 620,327 legal induced abortions in the US
- US abortion rate in 2020 was 11.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44, down 2% from 2019
- Abortion ratio in US 2020 was 204 per 1,000 live births
- 93% of US abortions in 2020 were performed at ≤13 weeks gestation
- In 2021, Guttmacher estimated 930,160 abortions in US formal healthcare facilities
- US abortion rate declined 26% from 2008 to 2020, from 15.1 to 11.2 per 1,000 women
- 60% of US abortions in 2020 were medication abortions
- In 2020, 39% of US abortions were surgical, down from previous years
- Black women accounted for 38.4% of US abortions in 2020 despite being 13.6% of population
- Hispanic women had 18.6% of US abortions in 2020
- White women had 31.9% of US abortions in 2020
- In 2020, early medication abortion was 53% of all abortions reported to CDC
- US states reporting highest abortion rates in 2020: DC (50.7), NM (37.9), NJ (32.8) per 1,000 women
- From 2011-2020, US abortion ratio decreased 18%, from 219 to 204 per 1,000 live births
- 92.8% of US abortions in 2020 occurred at ≤13 weeks, 6.0% at 14-20 weeks
- In 2021, telehealth abortions accounted for 1 in 5 medication abortions in US
- Guttmacher estimates 1,026,690 abortions in US in 2023, up from 2020
- 51% of US women obtaining abortions in 2021 were mothers to 1+ children
- Median age of US abortion patients in 2021 was 28 years
- 75% of US abortion patients in 2021 were low-income (≤199% federal poverty level)
- 49% of US abortion patients in 2021 identified as non-white
- In 2020, NY reported 91,936 abortions, highest in US
- California reported 88,499 abortions in 2020
- Repeat abortions comprised 35.8% of US abortions in 2020 reporting areas
- In 2021, 86% of US counties had no abortion clinic
- Post-Dobbs, abortions in US states with bans dropped 10% but increased 26% in permissive states
- In 2023, ~1 in 3 US women aged 15-49 lived under total abortion bans
- US abortion rate for teens 15-19 fell 73% from 2007 to 2020
United States Statistics Interpretation
While the national numbers tell a tale of a cautiously declining trend, the glaringly disproportionate rates among Black women reveal a much harsher story, where access to reproductive healthcare remains deeply entwined with systemic inequality, not just personal choice.
Sources & References
- Reference 1WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 2GUTTMACHERguttmacher.orgVisit source
- Reference 3UNFPAunfpa.orgVisit source
- Reference 4PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 5CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 6ACOGacog.orgVisit source
- Reference 7NATIONALPARTNERSHIPnationalpartnership.orgVisit source
- Reference 8REPRODUCTIVERIGHTSreproductiverights.orgVisit source
- Reference 9KFFkff.orgVisit source
- Reference 10HSEhse.ieVisit source
- Reference 11FDAfda.govVisit source
- Reference 12PAGINA12pagina12.com.arVisit source
- Reference 13CIHIcihi.caVisit source
- Reference 14AMNESTYamnesty.orgVisit source
- Reference 15SUPREMECOURTsupremecourt.govVisit source