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Abortion Rate per 1000 Women

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10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

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35.00

40.00

45.00

50.00

55.00

60.00

65.00

70.00

Click on a country for details.

Abortion Rates by Country 2024

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 73 million induced abortions occur worldwide each year, with 61% of all unintended pregnancies and 29% of all pregnancies in general ending with an abortion. The WHO also keeps a database of each country's abortion laws, policies, and level of abortion support in the health care system. Although abortions are not counted among the world's total number of deaths per day, they obviously reduce the total number of births per day.

Tracking the rate of abortion in various countries around the world is difficult because many nations do not record or report abortion rates. This is especially true in nations where abortion is illegal, and thus no official records are kept. One frequently cited database of abortion rates is the World Abortion Policies report created by the United Nations. This report measures the number of abortions performed on women between the ages of 15 to 44 in a given country. The U.N. data offers a strong example of the shortcomings of abortion statistics: It covers less than a third of the world's 193 countries and is increasingly outdated, yet it remains some of the best data available.

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Abortion Rates (annually per 1000 women) - United Nations

Country
Abortion Rate per 1000 Women
Vietnam64.00
Madagascar60.00
Guinea Bissau59.00
Cuba55.00
Cape Verde49.00
India48.00
Trinidad and Tobago48.00
Greenland48.00
Cambodia45.00
Sierra Leone45.00

According to UN data, Russia's abortion rate is 53.7 per 1,000 women. Vietnam has the second-highest rate at 35.2, followed by Kazakhstan with 35. On the opposite end, Mexico has the lowest abortion rate of 0.1, followed by Portugal with 0.2. Abortion is legal in all of these nations.

Top 10 Countries with the Lowest Abortion Rates (annually per 1000 women) - United Nations*

Country
Abortion Rate per 1000 Women
Algeria0.40
Albania1.20
Austria1.30
Turkey2.70
Croatia2.70
Lithuania4.30
Slovakia4.40
Serbia4.80
Italy4.90
Singapore5.00

* Note: Brazil, Panama, and Poland are listed as having a rate of 0.0. As it is unclear whether this indicates missing data or an actual value of 0, those countries have been left off the ranking.

Abortion rates in the United States

The United States has an abortion rate of 20.8 abortions per 1,000 women. A women's right to abortion was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Roe v. Wade. The decision states that the government cannot regulate a women's choice to have an abortion before the fetus's viability. However, specific abortion laws vary by state, including some that attempt to restrict abortions before viability. Because of different regulations on abortion and other factors, abortion rates also vary significantly between states. Moreover, many political analysts and legal experts believe it is increasingly likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs Wade in the near future.

The unusual relation between abortion rates and abortion frequency

Perhaps surprisingly, studies show that abortion rates are often higher in nations where abortion is illegal than they are in nations where it is legal. This is because abortion tends to be more readily available in wealthier, more developed nations, where women are less likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy—in large part because birth control and proper sexual education are also widely available and sexual crimes are less common.

Conversely, women in developing and least-developed countries, who tend to have decreased access to birth control and education, but who are more often the victims of sexual crimes, are three times more likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy. Yet, 93 percent of the countries with the most restrictive abortion laws are developing nations.

As a result of these factors, the market for abortions is greater in underdeveloped countries even when abortion is legally prohibited. With no legal recourse, pregnant women in these countries often turn to unlicensed and illegal abortion clinics to obtain an abortion. Illegal abortions are more dangerous than legal abortions, as they tend to be conducted by people with less training, and they come with higher risks and complications, including the risk of death of the mother. Ultimately, according to the World Health Organization, roughly 45% of all abortions are unsafe, and 97% of those unsafe abortions are performed in developing countries.

Download Table Data

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Country
Abortion Rate per 1000 Women
Total Abortions
Year of Data
Age Range Surveyed
Vietnam64.001,630,000201915–49
Madagascar60.00376,000201915–49
Guinea Bissau59.0026,600201915–49
Cuba55.00147,000201915–49
Cape Verde49.007,100201915–49
India48.0016,600,000201915–49
Trinidad and Tobago48.0017,100201915–49
Greenland48.00870202217–64
Cambodia45.00195,000201915–49
Sierra Leone45.0082,600201915–49
Barbados45.003,000201915–49
Pakistan43.002,240,000201915–49
Kenya43.00551,000201915–49
Uganda43.00418,000201915–49
Samoa43.001,800201915–49
Peru42.00353,000201915–49
Liberia42.0047,600201915–49
Maldives42.004,700201915–49
Nepal41.00348,000201915–49
Gabon41.0021,100201915–49
Mozambique40.00277,000201915–49
Vanuatu39.002,800201915–49
Sao Tome and Principe39.001,900201915–49
Tanzania38.00482,000201915–49
Bolivia38.00108,000201915–49
Haiti38.00111,000201915–49
Jamaica38.0029,800201915–49
Ghana37.00266,000201915–49
Dominican Republic37.00101,000201915–49
Saint Lucia37.001,900201915–49
Philippines36.00973,000201915–49
Papua New Guinea36.0077,200201915–49
Guyana36.007,300201915–49
Bangladesh35.001,580,000201915–49
Ivory Coast35.00207,000201915–49
Zambia35.00140,000201915–49
Cameroon34.00201,000201915–49
Laos34.0064,100201915–49
Paraguay34.0060,900201915–49
Nigeria33.002,000,0002020
DR Congo33.00593,000201915–49
Argentina33.00368,000201915–49
Angola33.00229,000201915–49
Brazil32.001,830,000201915–49
Benin32.0084,300201915–49
Togo32.0060,300201915–49
Bhutan32.006,400201915–49
Solomon Islands32.004,900201915–49
Belize32.003,300201915–49
Mexico31.001,040,000201915–49
Malawi31.00134,000201915–49
Kyrgyzstan31.0049,500201915–49
Puerto Rico31.0023,100201915–49
Botswana31.0018,600201915–49
Comoros31.006,100201915–49
Suriname31.004,500201915–49
South Africa30.00461,000201915–49
Burkina Faso30.00136,000201915–49
Panama30.0031,200201915–49
Somalia29.0093,200201915–49
Namibia29.0018,600201915–49
Eswatini29.008,800201915–49
French Guiana29.002,100201915–49
China28.009,700,0002021
Sri Lanka28.00149,000201915–49
Ecuador28.00123,000201915–49
Rwanda28.0084,300201915–49
Colombia27.00360,000201915–49
Central African Republic27.0028,500201915–49
Myanmar26.00387,000201915–49
Guinea26.0077,400201915–49
Burundi26.0065,000201915–49
Tajikistan26.0058,100201915–49
Indonesia25.001,770,000201915–49
Thailand25.00437,000201915–49
South Sudan25.0063,600201915–49
Tonga25.00620201915–49
Ethiopia24.00632,000201915–49
El Salvador24.0043,300201915–49
Egypt23.001,050,000201515–44
Uzbekistan23.00198,000201915–49
Mali23.0092,600201915–49
Lesotho23.0012,800201915–49
South Korea21.00260,000201915–49
Honduras21.0053,000201915–49
Costa Rica21.0027,500201915–49
Eritrea21.0016,500201915–49
Mongolia21.0017,400201915–49
Djibouti21.005,100201915–49
Kazakhstan20.1071,4422022
Guatemala19.0085,400201915–49
Turkmenistan19.0028,900201915–49
United Kingdom18.60214,2562021
Zimbabwe18.0067,300201915–49
Moldova18.0019,400201915–49
Chad17.0058,400201915–49
Sweden17.0037,300201915–49
Mauritania17.0017,800201915–49
Australia16.0093,800201915–49
Gambia16.008,800201915–49
Georgia15.7035,401202215–44
France15.50201,000202115–49
Niger15.0069,000201915–49
Senegal15.0057,900201915–49
Greece15.0034,600201915–49
United States14.40930,160202015–44
Nicaragua14.0026,800201915–49
North Macedonia14.007,300201915–49
Russia13.10553,5002020
Iceland13.00990201915–49
Armenia12.8010,7182020
Canada12.0097,500201915–49
Denmark12.0014,600201915–49
New Zealand12.0013,100201915–49
Bulgaria11.9019,3282020
Azerbaijan11.8034,7122020
Belarus11.4016,6962022
Norway11.0013,100201915–49
Uruguay11.009,500201915–49
Bosnia and Herzegovina11.008,500201915–49
Iran10.70450,0002021
Estonia10.303,7412019
Poland10.0093,000201915–49
Hungary9.8023,9012020
Israel8.4017,582201915–49
Belgium8.0019,500201915–49
Spain7.5088,2692020
Chile7.0033,0002019
Netherlands7.0026,500201915–49
Romania6.7031,8892020
Finland6.508,3222020
Czech Republic6.4016,8862020
Latvia6.402,8482020
Slovenia6.102,9452020
Japan6.00166,000201915–49
Ukraine6.0064,8932020
Montenegro6.00860201915–49
Portugal5.6014,0752020
Germany5.4099,9482020
Luxembourg5.205592022
Switzerland5.1010,7752020
Singapore5.007,400201915–49
Italy4.9065,7572020
Serbia4.808,0052020
Slovakia4.406,1802020
Lithuania4.302,7942020
Turkey2.7043,0002021
Croatia2.702,5942020
Austria1.301,8002021
Albania1.208732020
Algeria0.408,0002018
showing: 151 rows

What percentage of abortions occur in developing countries?

According to the most recent data, 88% of abortions occur in developing countries.

Which country has the highest abortion rate?

The country that has the highest abortion rate in the world is Russia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources