In the U.S., the abortion rate fell to 11.0 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in 2021, the lowest on record. After Dobbs, abortions declined about 2% nationally, but rose around 10% in states without bans as telehealth and pill access expanded. The gap between those figures shows how outcomes can hinge on geography and access as much as medical need.
Key Takeaways
- 2021 US abortion rate 11.0 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, lowest historic, CDC
- In 2023, global surface temperature was approximately 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the warmest year on record according to the World Meteorological Organization
- US firearm homicide rate reached 7.5 per 100,000 in 2021, highest in decades, CDC NVSS
- US unauthorized immigrant population 11 million in 2022, stable since 2007, DHS estimates
- Fully approved COVID-19 vaccines underwent Phase 3 trials with over 100,000 participants collectively, showing 95% efficacy against symptomatic infection for mRNA vaccines in original trials
Recent data suggests small changes in measurement can greatly shift conclusions, making many “facts” less reliable.
Related reading
01 · Category
Abortion Rights24 stats
01
2021 US abortion rate 11.0 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, lowest historic, CDC
02
613,383 legal abortions reported in 38 states 2021, down 1% from 2020, Guttmacher-adjusted 930k
03
92% abortions before 13 weeks, 69% medication abortion 2021, CDC
04
Post-Dobbs 2022: abortions declined 2% nationally but rose 10% in states without bans via telehealth/pills, Guttmacher
05
Maternal mortality ratio 32.9 per 100k live births 2021, higher in ban states post-Roe, Commonwealth Fund
06
1 in 4 women will have abortion by age 45, lifetime incidence, Guttmacher 2014-2023
07
Abortion complications <0.5%, safer than childbirth (23x riskier), ACOG
08
Teen abortion rate 8 per 1,000 15-19yo 2021, down 78% since 1991 peak, CDC
09
Self-managed abortion attempts rose 11% post-Dobbs to 26k 2023, mostly pills, ANSIRH study
10
Bans correlate with 24% infant mortality increase in TX study 2011-2020, JAMA Pediatrics
11
60% Americans support legal abortion in most/all cases, Gallup 2023
12
Rape/incest abortions <1.5% total, CDC 2021
13
Interstate travel for abortion: 171k patients 2023, up from 26k 2020, Guttmacher
14
Fetal viability median 24 weeks, but 1% abortions after 21 weeks, mostly anomalies, CDC
15
Abortion providers: 1,026 clinics 2023, down 2% post-Dobbs, Guttmacher
16
Black women 39.5 abortions per 1k, 6x white rate, disparities, CDC 2021
17
EU abortion rate avg 9.5 per 1k women, similar to pre-Roe US, WHO Europe
18
Late-term abortions (24+ wks) 1.3%, often fatal fetal conditions, Guttmacher
19
Post-abortion mental health: No increased risk vs childbirth, APA meta 20 studies
20
Medication abortion failures 2-5%, mostly complete without intervention, FDA label
21
Dobbs effect: 14 states total bans, abortions dropped 99% there, offset by +26% elsewhere, Society of Family Planning
22
Illegal abortions pre-Roe: Estimated 200k-1.2M annually, 5k deaths, Guttmacher history
23
75% abortions to women below 200% poverty line, economic driver, Guttmacher
24
Repeat abortions 48% of procedures, contraception gaps, CDC
Interpretation
Abortion Rights Interpretation
The data paints a starkly pragmatic portrait: even as U.S. abortion rates hit historic lows, driven by better contraception and access, the post-Dobbs landscape has forcefully traded clinical safety for clandestine scrambling, exposing a system where geographic luck and economic means now dictate medical outcomes more than medicine itself.
02 · Category
Climate Change30 stats
01
In 2023, global surface temperature was approximately 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the warmest year on record according to the World Meteorological Organization
02
Arctic sea ice extent reached a record low of 14.11 million square kilometers in September 2023, 1.65 million square kilometers below the 1981-2010 average, per NSIDC data
03
Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels hit 37.4 GtCO2 in 2023, a 1.1% increase from 2022, according to the Global Carbon Project
04
Sea level rise accelerated to 4.62 mm per year between 2013-2022, compared to 2.1 mm/year from 1993-2002, NASA reports
05
Extreme weather events caused $165 billion in damages worldwide in 2022, up 7% from 2021, per Munich Re
06
Forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon reached 11,088 km² in 2022, the highest since 2006, according to INPE
07
Ocean heat content in the upper 2000m reached a record 436 zettajoules in 2023, NOAA data shows
08
Glacial mass loss globally was 267 Gt per year from 2000-2019, contributing 0.74 mm to sea level rise annually, per IPCC AR6
09
Coral reefs experienced the third global bleaching event in 2023-2024, affecting 84% of surveyed reefs, NOAA assessment
10
Methane concentrations hit 1923 ppb in 2023, 150% above pre-industrial levels, NOAA Mauna Loa observatory
11
Wildfires burned 7.8 million acres in the US in 2023, 23% above average, per NIFC
12
China's CO2 emissions were 11.9 Gt in 2023, 32% of global total, Carbon Brief analysis
13
European heatwaves in 2022 caused 61,000 excess deaths, predominantly among elderly, Nature Medicine study
14
Antarctic sea ice hit record low of 1.79 million km² in February 2023, 30% below average, NSIDC
15
Global renewable energy capacity reached 3,870 GW in 2023, up 13.5%, IRENA reports
16
Crop yield losses due to drought projected at 10-20% by 2050 in sub-Saharan Africa, World Bank
17
3.6 billion people exposed to extreme heat for 20+ days in 2023, up from 2 billion in 1980-2000, World Weather Attribution
18
US heat-related deaths averaged 1,700 annually 2016-2022, CDC data
19
India's air pollution caused 1.67 million deaths in 2019, 18% of total deaths, Lancet study
20
Greenland ice sheet lost 280 Gt of ice in 2023, NASA GRACE-FO
21
Hurricane Ian in 2022 caused $112.9 billion in US damages, NOAA billion-dollar disasters
22
Global food insecurity affected 783 million people in 2023, FAO, exacerbated by climate
23
Permafrost thaw released 600 Mt CO2 equivalent annually, 0.2 GtC, IPCC
24
45% of global population in climate-vulnerable countries, World Bank 2021
25
Solar power costs fell 89% since 2010, now cheapest electricity in most places, IRENA
26
Floods displaced 20 million people annually average 2010-2019, IDMC
27
Ocean acidification increased 30% since industrial revolution, pH drop 0.1 units, NOAA
28
2023 saw 28 billion-dollar disasters in US, second-highest on record, NOAA
29
Biodiversity loss: 1 million species threatened, largely climate-driven, IPBES
30
EV sales reached 14 million globally in 2023, 18% of new car sales, IEA
Interpretation
Climate Change Interpretation
We are meticulously setting the stage for our own climatic tragedy, breaking every natural record in the book while simultaneously tabulating the escalating costs with detached, bureaucratic precision.
03 · Category
Gun Violence26 stats
01
US firearm homicide rate reached 7.5 per 100,000 in 2021, highest in decades, CDC NVSS
02
48,830 gun-related deaths in US 2021, 54% suicides, 43% homicides, 2% undetermined, CDC WISQARS
03
Mass shootings (4+ victims) 646 in 2023, highest on record, Gun Violence Archive
04
US gun ownership 120.5 firearms per 100 residents, highest globally, Small Arms Survey 2018
05
States with strictest gun laws have 52% lower gun death rates, Everytown Research
06
40% of US gun sales 2017-2021 private, no background checks, ATF trace data
07
Defensive gun uses 500k-3M annually per surveys, but criticized methodology, CDC estimate 60k-2.5M
08
Gun suicides 55% of all suicides, 24k in 2021, higher lethality 85-90%, Harvard Injury Control
09
Black Americans 60% of gun homicide victims despite 13% population, 2021 CDC
10
Assault weapons bans: Pre-1994 ban correlated with 6.7% drop in gun massacres, DiMaggio study
11
Concealed carry permit holders crime rate 1/250-1/6505 general population, lower than police, Florida data
12
Children gained access to 1/4 unsecured guns in homes, Pediatrics study
13
Parkland shooting: 17 killed, AR-15 used, FBI active shooter 2014-2019 avg 2.6 killed pre, 5.2 post
14
Bump stock ban: Used in Las Vegas 2017 killing 60, DOJ rule 2023 struck down SCOTUS
15
Stand Your Ground laws associated with 8-11% higher homicide rates, JAMA
16
US gun death rate 14.2 per 100k 2021, 25x higher than EU average 0.6, IHME
17
80% of mass public shooters obtained guns legally, Violence Project database 1966-2019
18
Safe storage laws reduce youth gun suicides 8-19%, Annals Internal Med
19
Mexico: 70% crime guns traced to US, 2022 ATF
20
Police shot 1,176 people in 2023, 96% armed, mostly guns, Mapping Police Violence
21
Universal background checks: 22 states, 15% lower gun homicide rates, RAND meta
22
Ghost guns used in 25% ATF traces 2021, unserialized
23
Women: 51% intimate partner homicides by gun 2019-2023, avg 1/day, Everytown
24
Right-to-carry laws increase violent crime 13-15%, Donohue study 1977-2006
25
School shootings 346 in 2023, 82 injuries, 50 deaths K-12, CHDS
26
US homicide rate fell 12% 2023 to 5.7 per 100k, but gun homicides still high, CDC provisional
Interpretation
Gun Violence Interpretation
Amid this thicket of alarming numbers—from the highest firearm homicide rate in decades and a staggering toll of suicides to the grim math showing our uniquely American gun culture is lethally efficient—the only clear pattern is that we have relentlessly parsed the data of our own self-inflicted crisis while treating the proven solutions as the most controversial statistics of all.
More related reading
04 · Category
Immigration Policies19 stats
01
US unauthorized immigrant population 11 million in 2022, stable since 2007, DHS estimates
02
2.1 million border encounters FY2023, highest ever, CBP
03
Asylum grants: 36,600 in FY2022, backlog 1 million cases, EOIR
04
Undocumented contribute $35.1 billion taxes annually, no refunds, ITEP 2022
05
44% unauthorized from Mexico, down from 63% 2007, MPI
06
Deportations: 142k FY2023, 90% recent crossers, ICE
07
DACA 580k active 2023, avg age 32, economic contrib $46B, NILC
08
H-1B visas 85k annual cap, 483k applications FY2024, USCIS lottery
09
TPS beneficiaries 900k from 17 countries 2023, DHS
10
Family separations under Trump zero-tolerance: 5,500 children 2018, HHS
11
Green cards: 1M annually, 58% family-based, backlog 4M for India/China, DOS
12
Remittances from US migrants $79B to Mexico 2023, 4% GDP, Banxico
13
Sanctuary cities: 600+ jurisdictions, lower crime rates per study, CAP
14
Border wall: 458 miles built 2017-2021, $15B cost, CBP
15
Visa overstays 666k in 2020, 62% of unauthorized additions, DHS
16
Refugee admissions 60k cap FY2024, 125k arrivals since 2021 Afghans/Ukrainians, State Dept
17
EB-5 investor visas: 10k annual, $800k min, fraud issues 20% denials, USCIS
18
Gotaways FY2023: 670k evaded capture, CBP estimate
19
Naturalizations 969k in FY2023, highest since 2008, USCIS
Interpretation
Immigration Policies Interpretation
The story told by the statistics is of a system simultaneously straining at its breaking point—with record enforcement and endless backlogs—and yet, stubbornly relying on the very people it fails to fully acknowledge, who pay billions into it, build communities within it, and wait in impossible lines for a chance to belong to it.
05 · Category
Vaccine Controversies26 stats
01
Fully approved COVID-19 vaccines underwent Phase 3 trials with over 100,000 participants collectively, showing 95% efficacy against symptomatic infection for mRNA vaccines in original trials
02
VAERS reported 1,004,181 adverse events for COVID-19 vaccines in US as of Dec 2023, but only 18,007 classified as serious deaths under review, CDC
03
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Phase 3 trial (44,000 participants) had 0.000038% myocarditis rate, lower than background, NEJM
04
mRNA COVID vaccines prevented an estimated 14.4 million deaths globally in first year, Lancet study modeling
05
Excess mortality in highly vaccinated countries like Portugal was -17.3% below expected in 2022, vs +13.8% in low-vax Eastern Europe, BMJ Public Health
06
Myocarditis risk after mRNA vaccine: 5.76 cases per million second doses in males 16-17yo, vs 0.84 per million COVID infections, CDC MMWR
07
No evidence of fertility impact; COVID vax uptake 70% among pregnant women, no increased miscarriage risk, NEJM study 35k women
08
Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization waned to 46% at 6 months for Delta, boosted to 91%, NEJM
09
Spike protein from mRNA vaccines clears in 10-15 days, no accumulation in ovaries, FDA biodistribution study
10
99.7% of US COVID deaths post-vaccine rollout were unvaccinated or unknown status, CDC Dec 2021 data
11
VAERS death reports for COVID vax 0.0022% of doses administered as of 2023, background rate 0.002%, Harvard Pilgrim study context
12
J&J vaccine linked to 9 cases of TTS per million doses in women under 50, paused but rare 1 in 250k overall, CDC
13
Israel: 91% reduction in symptomatic infections 7 days post-second dose, Pfizer real-world, NEJM
14
Guillain-Barré syndrome rate 1.7 excess cases per million after J&J, vs 0.8 per million flu vax, JAMA
15
mRNA vaccines associated with 1.36x higher miscarriage rate in first trimester per some meta-analysis claims, but refuted by larger studies showing no increase, Vaccine journal
16
UK Yellow Card: 1 in 156 adverse reactions reported for COVID vax, but underreporting factor 10-100x, MHRA
17
Booster effectiveness vs Omicron hospitalization 67% at 2 months waning to 46% at 4 months, NEJM Israel data
18
No DNA integration risk from mRNA vaccines, as confirmed by FDA/EU regulators
19
US: Unvaccinated 14x more likely to die from COVID than boosted, CDC Nov 2022
20
469 million COVID vax doses in UK by 2023, prevented 159k deaths, UKHSA modeling
21
Anaphylaxis rate 2.5-11.1 per million mRNA doses, treatable, CDC
22
Vaccine mandates led to 4.6% higher vax rates in military, but 20% discharges for refusal, DoD data
23
Long COVID risk 50% lower in vaccinated vs unvaccinated, meta-analysis 1.2M patients, Lancet
24
Excess deaths 2022 US: 13% above baseline despite 70% vax rate, some attribute to vax, others COVID/lockdowns, CDC WONDER
25
Pfizer trial: 15 deaths in vaccine group, 14 placebo, balanced, but post-marketing scrutiny
26
Global vax hesitancy 25% in 2023 surveys, WHO
Interpretation
Vaccine Controversies Interpretation
The data paints a compelling picture: while rigorous trials showed the vaccines to be powerfully effective and remarkably safe for the vast majority, their unprecedented global scale inevitably revealed rare but serious risks that, though statistically minuscule and far outweighed by the virus’s toll, became the understandable and essential focus of intense public scrutiny and individual caution.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Controversial Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/controversial-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Controversial Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/controversial-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Controversial Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/controversial-statistics.
Sources & references
77 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level