GLOBAL ABORTION FACTS AT A GLANCE

^{Abstracted from Guttmacher Institute’s Induced Abortion Worldwide 2022 Fact Sheet}

Approximately 1 in 4 pregnancies globally end in abortion (Sedgh 2016).
Unintended pregancy and abortion care occur across all countries’ income groups.
Legal restrictions do not decrease abortion rates, but make abortions much less safe.
Many patients are denied abortion even where legal (ANSIRH Turnaway Study).

Globally, about half of all women want to avoid a pregnancy; of these, about 75% are using modern contraceptives.
A greater proportion of people in non-industrialized countries have an unmet need for contraception, accounting for 84% of unintended pregnancies in those regions.
Reducing the unmet need for modern contraception globally can decrease rates of maternal and infant mortality (Guttmacher 2017).

Abortions are safer where laws are less restrictive and also in countries with higher gross national incomes (Singh 2018).
Stigma is a recognized contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality from unsafe abortion, even where abortion is legal.
Between 4.7–13.2% of pregnancy related deaths worldwide are from unsafe abortion, and this is likely an underestimate (WHO 2021).

In 1994, 179 countries signaled their commitment to prevent unsafe abortions and reduce pregnancy-related mortality by signing the first international consensus document recognizing reproductive rights as human rights (CRR ICPD 2020).
The last 25 years have seen an overwhelming global trend toward the liberalization of abortion laws, with nearly 50 countries worldwide enacting laws expanding legality.
Abortion laws vary widely. Laws by country are on the map below from June 2022 at the courtesy of the Center for Reproductive Rights, where interactive versions are available.
Many global efforts focus on providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality reproductive health care in ways that recognize autonomy.

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