epidemiology

Last edited 02/2022

In 2015-2019, a global rate of 39 abortions per 1000 women between 15 to 49 years old was recorded (1).

In the year 2020, 210,860 abortions were reported in, the highest since records began. Majority of these abortions (209,917) were to residents of England and Wales. This represents an age-standardised abortion rate (ASR) of 18.2 per 1,000 resident women aged 15 to 44. This is the highest rate recorded, exceeding the previous peak in 2019, (18.0 abortions per 1,000 resident women aged 15 to 44) (2).

• Age :
  • in 2020, the rate was highest at 30.6 per 1000 for women aged 21
  • abortion rates for those aged under 18 have declined over the last ten years (from 16.5 to 6.9 per 1,000 between 2010 and 2020)
• Marital status:
• in 2020, 81% of abortions were for women with marital status given as single
• Ethnicity:
• 77% were reported as White, 9% as Asian, 7% as Black , 4% as mixed, and 2% as other
• Location and funding:
• 22% of abortions were performed in NHS hospitals and 77% in approved independent sector places under NHS contract 7while the remaining 1% were privately funded
• Statutory grounds for abortion:
• under ground C – 98.1% (205,930)
• under ground D – 0.4% (776)
• under ground E – 1.5%  (3,083)
• congenital malformations were reported as the most common medical condition (55%)
• chromosomal abnormalities made up 27% of the conditions
• Gestation period:
• vast majority of abortions are performed at under 10 weeks – 88%
• there was a decrease in proportion
• at 10-12 weeks - 6% in 2020 compared to 9% in 2019
• at 20 weeks over - 1% in 2011 compared to 2% in 2019
• legal limit for a abortion is 24 weeks gestation, where fetus is viable outside the mother’s body
• abortions where gestation has exceeded its twenty fourth week account for less than  0.1% of the total (236 cases)
• Previous abortions and obstetric history:
• 42% had one or more previous abortion (increased steadily from 34% in 2010)
• 58% had one ore more previous pregnancies (increased from 50% in 2010)
• Method of abortion:
• medical abortions accounted for 85% of the total in 2020

References:

1. Bearak J, Popinchalk A, Ganatra B, Moller A-B, Tunçalp Ö, Beavin C, et al. Unintended pregnancy and abortion by income, region, and the legal status of abortion: Estimates from a comprehensive model for 1990–2019. The Lancet Global Health. 2020;8(9).
2. Department of Health and Social care. Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2020 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2020/abortion-statistics-england-and-wales-2020 (accessed 14 January 2022)