Unintended pregnancy and abortion rates by abortion legality 2015-2019

From 2015 to 2019, there were 58 unintended pregnancies and 40 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age in countries where abortion is broadly legal, compared to 80 unintended pregnancies and 40 abortions per 1,000 women in countries where abortion is prohibited altogether. The abortion rate for both groups is identical despite the wide difference in restriction levels. This statistic illustrates the unintended pregnancy and abortion rates worldwide from 2015 to 2019, by abortion legality.

Unintended pregnancy and abortion rates worldwide from 2015 to 2019, by abortion legality (per 1,000 women)

Characteristic	Unintended pregnancy rate	Abortion rate
Broadly legal	58	40
Allowed to preserve health	75	36
Allowed only to save a woman's life	70	36
Prohibited altogether	80	40

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Release date

July 2020

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Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

From 2015 to 2019

Age group

15-49 years

Supplementary notes

All rates, percentages and numbers presented in this fact sheet are annual averages for the specified five-year period. Some graphics in this fact sheet present estimates with 80% uncertainty intervals, which correspond to the 10th and 90th percentiles of the posterior distributions. These intervals signify that there is a 10% chance that the true outcome is below the interval and a 10% chance that the true outcome is above the interval.

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