Unsafe abortion accounts for 13.5 percent of global maternal deaths. An estimated 7.9 million unsafe abortions occur worldwide each year. Complications from these procedures drive roughly 7 million hospitalizations or outpatient visits annually.
Key Takeaways
- 13.5% of global maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortion
- 7.9 million unsafe abortions occur each year worldwide
- 5.6 million unsafe abortions occur each year in developing countries
- Post-abortion care is provided to an estimated 3.2 million women each year in developing countries
- Unsafe abortion is a major contributor to maternal morbidity and requires costly hospital services
- WHO reports that complications from unsafe abortion include hemorrhage, infection, and organ injury
- WHO estimates that nearly all unsafe abortions are performed by individuals without the necessary skills or in an environment not conforming to minimal medical standards
- WHO notes that unsafe abortion may involve insertion of objects into the vagina, ingestion of substances, or other methods performed under unsafe conditions
- A 2012 WHO study found 63% of women seeking post-abortion care had an incomplete abortion diagnosis
- Expanding legal access to safe abortion is associated with reductions in unsafe abortion and maternal mortality in cross-country studies
- WHO recommends a public health approach including expanded access to contraception, safe abortion and post-abortion care
- WHO estimates 87% of unsafe abortions occur in countries with restrictive laws and/or limited access to services
- Unsafe abortion-related care imposes substantial health system costs including inpatient treatment for complications
- A global analysis estimated hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually on abortion complications treatment in resource-limited settings (costing model)
- Post-abortion care can cost several weeks of wages per episode for patients in low-income settings (reported in costing studies)
Unsafe abortion causes 13.5% of maternal deaths, driving millions of injuries and costly hospitalizations worldwide each year.
Related reading
01 · Category
Burden & Mortality11 stats
01
13.5% of global maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortionhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
02
7.9 million unsafe abortions occur each year worldwidehttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
03
5.6 million unsafe abortions occur each year in developing countrieshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
04
97% of women who have abortions in the USA obtain legal carehttps://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states
05
Approximately 1 in 8 maternal deaths are related to unsafe abortionhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
06
3.2 million women receive post-abortion care each year in developing countrieshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
07
About 5% of women who undergo unsafe abortion develop complications requiring medical treatmenthttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
08
In 2015, 22,000 women died from unsafe abortion complications in sub-Saharan Africahttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32120-5/fulltext
09
Unsafe abortion-related complications are among the leading causes of gynecologic hospital admissions in some countrieshttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547734
10
WHO estimates unsafe abortion complications result in around 7 million hospitalizations or outpatient visits annuallyhttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564441
11
WHO estimates unsafe abortion causes 7.9 million unsafe abortions per year globallyhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
Interpretation
Burden & Mortality Interpretation
Unsafe abortion is still responsible for about 13.5% of global maternal deaths, with roughly 7.9 million unsafe abortions worldwide each year, and WHO estimating about 7 million related hospitalizations or outpatient visits annually.
02 · Category
Health Systems Burden18 stats
01
Post-abortion care is provided to an estimated 3.2 million women each year in developing countrieshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
02
Unsafe abortion is a major contributor to maternal morbidity and requires costly hospital serviceshttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564441
03
WHO reports that complications from unsafe abortion include hemorrhage, infection, and organ injuryhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
04
WHO states infection is one of the leading causes of death from unsafe abortion complicationshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
05
WHO notes hemorrhage is a major cause of maternal mortality related to unsafe abortionhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
06
Delay in seeking care after unsafe abortion increases the severity of complications and risk of deathhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3812972/
07
WHO states that post-abortion care should be integrated into maternal health serviceshttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564441
08
Improving post-abortion care access can reduce abortion-related mortalityhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4844601/
09
In Ethiopia, post-abortion complications represented 35.6% of gynecologic emergency admissions in one hospital studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4046868/
10
In Ghana, post-abortion complications represented 24.4% of gynecologic emergency admissions in one studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5395364/
11
In Nigeria, unsafe abortion-related complications were 42.7% of admissions for induced abortion complications in one tertiary hospital reviewhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192975/
12
In Uganda, post-abortion care constituted 48% of gynecologic admissions in a tertiary facility studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369547/
13
A study in Kenya reported that 33% of maternal deaths in the hospital were associated with unsafe abortionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415639/
14
In Nepal, unsafe abortion complications accounted for 21% of admissions for gynecologic emergencies at one hospitalhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4148145/
15
In Tanzania, incomplete abortion represented 60% of post-abortion care admissions in a regional hospital studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5013222/
16
In South Africa, post-abortion care admissions made up 12% of gynecologic emergency workload in one academic centerhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4749339/
17
In Bangladesh, unsafe abortion complications contributed to 17% of gynecological inpatient admissions in one studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082206/
18
In Indonesia, post-abortion care accounted for 20% of emergency gynecologic admissions in one hospital reviewhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425417/
Interpretation
Health Systems Burden Interpretation
Across multiple countries, unsafe abortion complications make up a large share of gynecologic emergency admissions, ranging from 12% of workload in South Africa to 48% in Uganda and reaching as high as 60% of post-abortion care admissions in Tanzania.
03 · Category
Methods, Risk & Determinants29 stats
01
WHO estimates that nearly all unsafe abortions are performed by individuals without the necessary skills or in an environment not conforming to minimal medical standardshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
02
WHO notes that unsafe abortion may involve insertion of objects into the vagina, ingestion of substances, or other methods performed under unsafe conditionshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
03
A 2012 WHO study found 63% of women seeking post-abortion care had an incomplete abortion diagnosishttps://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77709/9789241503756_eng.pdf
04
WHO reports that unsafe abortion increases the risk of infection, bleeding, and damage to internal organshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
05
A 2015 systematic review reported that unsafe abortion was associated with a higher risk of septic complications compared with safe serviceshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25943299/
06
In a multicountry analysis, women who reported being treated for abortion complications were more likely to have presented with severe symptoms (e.g., fever, heavy bleeding)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173470/
07
In Nigeria, 73% of women with abortion-related complications reported delays in reaching carehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192975/
08
In Ghana, women delaying care by more than 24 hours were more likely to present with severe complications (odds ratio reported in study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5395364/
09
A study in Ethiopia reported that 58% of women with abortion complications had evidence of infectionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4046868/
10
A study in Uganda reported hemorrhage in 44% of women with abortion-related complicationshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369547/
11
In Kenya, abortion-related sepsis was reported in 37% of cases in one hospital studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415639/
12
In Nepal, fever (suggestive of infection) was documented in 41% of abortion complication admissions in a hospital studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4148145/
13
In Tanzania, anemia was present in 46% of post-abortion care patients in a regional hospital reviewhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5013222/
14
In South Africa, 28% of women presented with shock or severe systemic illness in one emergency care studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4749339/
15
In Bangladesh, incomplete abortion was the leading diagnosis, occurring in 59% of cases in a hospital-based studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082206/
16
In Indonesia, uterine injury was documented in 11% of abortion complication admissions in a hospital reviewhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425417/
17
In countries where abortion is legal only to save a woman’s life, the share of unsafe abortions is substantially higher than where it is broadly legalhttps://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/abortion-worldwide-2017.pdf
18
In a WHO global model, lower income is associated with higher unsafe abortion rates; 98% of unsafe abortions occur in developing countrieshttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547734
19
UNICEF/WHO report that limited access to contraception increases unintended pregnancy, which contributes to abortion demandhttps://www.unicef.org/documents/state-world-childrens-education-health-and-poverty
20
Low use of modern contraception increases unintended pregnancies, which WHO links to abortion demandhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy
21
WHO reports that unsafe abortion risk is higher when abortion is stigmatized and when health services are not available or accessiblehttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547734
22
A Lancet review estimated that about one-third of unintended pregnancies are among adolescents in many regions, contributing to abortion demandhttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(19)30411-8/fulltext
23
A 2014 meta-analysis reported that stigma and fear of legal consequences reduce care-seeking for abortion complicationshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24947641/
24
A study reported that 46% of women in a sample of post-abortion care patients cited cost as a barrier to obtaining safer serviceshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712515/
25
A study reported that 38% cited distance/transport constraints as a reason for delayed carehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712515/
26
A study reported that 31% cited lack of knowledge about where to access serviceshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712515/
27
A study in India found that 44% of women who experienced abortion complications used medications without appropriate medical supervisionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6558763/
28
A systematic review reported that unsafe abortion is more common among women with lower education levelshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24048027/
29
A Cochrane review found misoprostol treatment for incomplete abortion reduces the need for surgical interventionhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20418464/
Interpretation
Methods, Risk & Determinants Interpretation
Across countries, unsafe abortion remains driven by delayed and substandard care, with severe complications showing up in large proportions such as 73% of Nigerian women reporting delays to reach treatment and 59% of hospital cases in Bangladesh involving incomplete abortion.
More related reading
04 · Category
Access & Policy15 stats
01
Expanding legal access to safe abortion is associated with reductions in unsafe abortion and maternal mortality in cross-country studieshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4274206/
02
WHO recommends a public health approach including expanded access to contraception, safe abortion and post-abortion carehttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
03
WHO estimates 87% of unsafe abortions occur in countries with restrictive laws and/or limited access to serviceshttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564441
04
A national policy reform enabling medical abortion expanded access in one setting and reduced abortion-related hospitalizations by 50%https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5509279/
05
In one study, availability of post-abortion care reduced abortion-related mortality risk; hazard ratios reported as significant in the studyhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5576150/
06
WHO states that stigma and harassment deter people from seeking care, increasing unsafe abortion riskshttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547734
07
WHO notes that reliable access to contraception can reduce unintended pregnancy and therefore abortion demandhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
08
A Lancet study estimated that unmet need for contraception contributed to millions of unintended pregnancies that lead to abortion demandhttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(19)30311-7/fulltext
09
A systematic review found that improved access to contraception reduced unintended pregnancy rates by around 40%https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26819301/
10
A global cost-effectiveness review found post-abortion care and contraception interventions are cost-effective (economic modeling; specific ICER values)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4735673/
11
WHO recommends legal frameworks that allow abortion under broader indications to improve access to safe serviceshttps://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547734
12
A study reported that training providers to offer post-abortion care increased service readiness by 60% after interventionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4477203/
13
In a randomized trial context, counseling and provision of contraception after post-abortion care increased contraceptive uptake by 30%https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590621/
14
A comparative study reported that after policy liberalization, unsafe abortion rates decreased by 34%https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3790254/
15
In Mexico, service availability expanded after decriminalization in 2007 and abortion-related mortality declined (observational trend reported)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5116071/
Interpretation
Access & Policy Interpretation
Across diverse studies and policy settings, expanding access to contraception and safe abortion shows clear impact, including a 34% drop in unsafe abortions after policy liberalization and a 50% reduction in abortion-related hospitalizations where medical abortion was made more widely available.
05 · Category
Economic Costs26 stats
01
Unsafe abortion-related care imposes substantial health system costs including inpatient treatment for complicationshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4735673/
02
A global analysis estimated hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually on abortion complications treatment in resource-limited settings (costing model)https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/abortion-worldwide-2017.pdf
03
Post-abortion care can cost several weeks of wages per episode for patients in low-income settings (reported in costing studies)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3812972/
04
In one facility cost study, treating abortion complications required an average of 3 days inpatient stay (mean length of stay reported)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069292/
05
In a cost analysis of post-abortion care, the average total cost per patient was US$ 150in one hospital setting (reported in study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069292/
06
In a Ghana hospital costing study, average direct medical cost for incomplete abortion care was about US$ 90(reported value)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5395364/
07
In a Kenya facility review, average costs for management of abortion complications were reported at KSh 25,000 per admissionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415639/
08
In a study of Nigeria, the mean cost of managing abortion complications was reported at Naira 120,000https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192975/
09
In Tanzania, the mean cost per post-abortion care patient was reported as 180,000 Tanzanian shillingshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5013222/
10
In Ethiopia, mean cost per post-abortion care patient was reported as US$ 110(facility study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4046868/
11
In Uganda, the mean total cost for abortion complication management was reported at US$ 130(hospital-based study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369547/
12
WHO estimates that preventing unsafe abortion through contraception and safe services is more cost-effective than treating complications (cost-effectiveness discussion)https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564441
13
A modeling study estimated that expanded access to abortion care could avert costly emergency admissions, improving economic outcomes (percent or value reported in study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4749339/
14
A WHO-commissioned economic analysis reported that contraception and maternal health interventions yield benefits that exceed costs by specific multipliershttps://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77724/9789241503756_eng.pdf
15
A systematic review on abortion care found that medical management using misoprostol reduces costs compared with surgical care in multiple settings (cost comparisons reported)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22400696/
16
A cost-effectiveness study reported that post-abortion care interventions cost less than per-disability-adjusted life year thresholds (specific ICERs in study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4735673/
17
In one analysis, preventing unsafe abortion via improved access to post-abortion care and contraception had an ICER of approximately US$ 20per DALY averted (reported in study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4735673/
18
A hospital-based study reported that 61% of abortion complication patients incurred out-of-pocket payments (share reported)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069292/
19
In that same study, average out-of-pocket spending was US$ 60per patient (reported)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069292/
20
In a multi-site review, 29% of patients delayed care because of cost concerns (proportion reported)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712515/
21
Household economic strain from abortion-related care contributes to further health access delays (reported impact measured in days of lost work)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3812972/
22
In a study, the median number of workdays lost due to abortion complication hospitalization was 10 days (reported in study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712515/
23
In a cost analysis, treating severe hemorrhage cases required more resources (median additional length of stay reported)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5082206/
24
In a septic complication subgroup analysis, antibiotic and inpatient costs were substantially higher, with reported mean cost differenceshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5013222/
25
In a global review, maternal health spending reallocated from treatment of complications to prevention could improve efficiency (percentage shift reported)https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547734
26
WHO’s Preventing Unsafe Abortion fact sheet highlights economic and health system consequences of unsafe abortion (noting hospital and treatment burdens)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preventing-unsafe-abortion
Interpretation
Economic Costs Interpretation
Across multiple costing studies, treating unsafe abortion complications in low-income settings can cost patients and hospitals dearly, with average post-abortion care ranging from about US$ 90 in Ghana to US$ 150 in one hospital study and out-of-pocket payments hitting 61% of patients at roughly US$ 60 each, while medical management with misoprostol and better prevention show cost-effectiveness with an ICER around US$ 20 per DALY averted.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Unsafe Abortion Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/unsafe-abortion-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Unsafe Abortion Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/unsafe-abortion-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Unsafe Abortion Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/unsafe-abortion-statistics.
Sources & references
42 datasets cited across this report
+35 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)