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Legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. 1973-2015
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Legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. 1973-2015
Legal abortions per 100 live births reported in the U.S. from 1973 to 2015 (per 100 live births)*
by John Elflein,
last edited
Sep 18, 2019
The rate of legal abortions in the United States has decreased over the last few decades. In 2015, there were around 19 legal abortions per 100 live births, whereas the rate was 34 abortions per 100 live births in the year 1990. States within the U.S. have the right to enact laws that restrict the practice and availability of abortion, meaning that access to such procedures varies significantly depending on the state or region.
Abortion in the U.S.
In 2015, there were a total of 638,000 legal abortions in the United States. Abortion rates in the U.S. are highest among women aged 20 to 24 years and more common among unmarried women than those who are married. In 2015, there were approximately 37 legal abortions per 100 live births among unmarried women compared to four abortions per 100 live births among women who were married.Public opinion
The issue of abortion has been and remains a divisive topic among the general public and continues to be a relevant political issue. As of May 2019, around 49 percent of the population was estimated to be pro-life, while 46 percent were pro-choice and 2 percent mixed or neither. However, this distribution has fluctuated over the years, with pro-choicers accounting for a larger percentage than pro-lifers as recently as 2017.Legal abortions per 100 live births reported in the U.S. from 1973 to 2015 (per 100 live births)*
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by John Elflein,
last edited
Sep 18, 2019
The rate of legal abortions in the United States has decreased over the last few decades. In 2015, there were around 19 legal abortions per 100 live births, whereas the rate was 34 abortions per 100 live births in the year 1990. States within the U.S. have the right to enact laws that restrict the practice and availability of abortion, meaning that access to such procedures varies significantly depending on the state or region.
Abortion in the U.S.
In 2015, there were a total of 638,000 legal abortions in the United States. Abortion rates in the U.S. are highest among women aged 20 to 24 years and more common among unmarried women than those who are married. In 2015, there were approximately 37 legal abortions per 100 live births among unmarried women compared to four abortions per 100 live births among women who were married.Public opinion
The issue of abortion has been and remains a divisive topic among the general public and continues to be a relevant political issue. As of May 2019, around 49 percent of the population was estimated to be pro-life, while 46 percent were pro-choice and 2 percent mixed or neither. However, this distribution has fluctuated over the years, with pro-choicers accounting for a larger percentage than pro-lifers as recently as 2017.- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- November 2018
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1973 to 2015
- Age group
- 15-44 years
- Supplementary notes
-
* Because overall trends in abortion data are affected by the number of reporting areas that provide data to CDC on an annual basis, CDC also presents estimates for
the 47 reporting areas that provided data for the entire period from 2003 to 2014. The 47 continuous reporting areas include all states except California, Louisiana,
Maryland, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. The District of Columbia and New York City are included in the 47 continuous reporting areas.
This statistic was assembled from several editions of CDC's Abortion Surveillance.
Source
- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- November 2018
More information
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1973 to 2015
- Age group
- 15-44 years
- Supplementary notes
-
* Because overall trends in abortion data are affected by the number of reporting areas that provide data to CDC on an annual basis, CDC also presents estimates for
the 47 reporting areas that provided data for the entire period from 2003 to 2014. The 47 continuous reporting areas include all states except California, Louisiana,
Maryland, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. The District of Columbia and New York City are included in the 47 continuous reporting areas.
This statistic was assembled from several editions of CDC's Abortion Surveillance.
Other statistics on the topic
Abortion in the U.S.
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- Percentage of adults in the U.S. who personally knew someone who has had an abortion as of 2018Share of U.S. adults who knew someone who has had an abortion as of 2018
- Number of legal abortions reported in the U.S. from 1973 to 2015 (in 1,000)Number of legal abortions in the U.S. 1973-2015
- Legal abortions per 100 live births reported in the U.S. from 1973 to 2015 (per 100 live births)*Legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. 1973-2015
- Legal abortions reported in the U.S. in 2015, by age (per 1,000 women)Legal abortions per 1000 women in the U.S. 2015, by age
- Number of legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. from 1973 to 2015, by marital status*Legal abortions rate in the U.S. 1973-2015 by marital status
- U.S. states
The most important statistics
- Leading U.S. states by number of reported legal abortions in 2015*Reported legal abortions in the U.S. by leading states 2015
- Number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years in the U.S. in 2014, by stateAbortion rate in the U.S. in 2014, by state
- Number of abortion-providing facilities in the U.S. in 2014, by stateAbortion-providing facilities in the U.S. in 2014, by state
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- Number of clinics providing abortions in U.S. states with the largest increases in clinics from 2011 to 2014States with the largest increases in clinics offering abortions 2011-2014
- Number of abortions averted due to publicly funded contraceptive services in the U.S. in 2014, by stateNumber of abortions averted by publicly funded contraceptives U.S. 2014, by state
- Specifics
The most important statistics
- Number of abortion-providing facilities in the U.S. in 2011 and 2014, by typeAbortion-providing facilities in the U.S. 2011-2014, by type
- Number of reported abortions among women in the U.S. in 2015, by known method typeNumber of abortions reported among women in the U.S. 2015, by method type
- Number of abortion-related deaths reported in the U.S. from 1973 to 2014Number of deaths resulting from abortions in the U.S. 1973-2014
- Adolescent abortion
The most important statistics
- Abortion rate among adolescent women aged 15 to 19 years in the U.S. from 2004 to 2015 (per 1,000 population)Rate of abortion among teenage girls in the U.S. 2004-2015
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- Number of reported abortions among adolescent women in the U.S. in 2015, by ageNumber of abortions reported among teenage girls in the U.S. 2015, by age
- Number of reported abortions among adolescent women aged 15 to 19 years in the U.S. in 2015, by gestation weekNumber of abortions reported among teenage girls in the U.S. 2015, by gestation week
- Number of reported abortions among adolescent women aged 15 to 19 years in the U.S. in 2015, by ethnicityNumber of abortions reported among teenage girls in the U.S. 2015, by ethnicity
- Public opinion
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- Percentage of adults in the U.S. who thought it was difficult to get an abortion in their community as of 2018U.S. adults who felt it was difficult to get an abortion in their community 2018
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Further Content: Statistics, Studies, and Topic Pages
Statistics
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Kentucky 2012, by ethnicity
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Colorado by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Vermont by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in North Dakota by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Michigan by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Utah by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in New Jersey by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Arizona by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Pennsylvania by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Montana by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Kansas by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Arkansas by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Delaware 2015 by ethnicity
- Distribution of legal abortions in Texas by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in South Carolina by ethnicity 2015
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- Brazil: international organizations & extra-territorial institutions 2010-2016
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Statistics on "Abortion in the U.S."
- Rate of intended pregnancies worldwide from 1990-2014
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- Rate of abortions worldwide 1990-1994 and 2010-2014, by region
- Number of abortions worldwide 1990-1994 and 2010-2014, by region
- Abortions among teenage girls in developing regions worldwide 2016
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- Number of abortions globally 2010-2014, by legal status of the abortions
- Teen pregnancies avoided in developing regions worldwide due to contraceptives 2016
- Unmet contraception needs for in-union women globally 1990-2015, by region
- Share of U.S. adults who knew someone who has had an abortion as of 2018
- Number of legal abortions in the U.S. 1973-2015
- Legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. 1973-2015
- Legal abortions per 1000 women in the U.S. 2015, by age
- Legal abortions rate in the U.S. 1973-2015 by marital status
- Reported legal abortions in the U.S. by leading states 2015
- Abortion rate in the U.S. in 2014, by state
- Abortion-providing facilities in the U.S. in 2014, by state
- States with the largest declines in clinics offering abortions from 2011 to 2014
- States with the largest increases in clinics offering abortions 2011-2014
- Number of abortions averted by publicly funded contraceptives U.S. 2014, by state
- Abortion-providing facilities in the U.S. 2011-2014, by type
- Number of abortions reported among women in the U.S. 2015, by method type
- Number of deaths resulting from abortions in the U.S. 1973-2014
- Rate of abortion among teenage girls in the U.S. 2004-2015
- Rate of abortion among teenage girls in the U.S. 2015, by age
- Number of abortions reported among teenage girls in the U.S. 2015, by age
- Number of abortions reported among teenage girls in the U.S. 2015, by gestation week
- Number of abortions reported among teenage girls in the U.S. 2015, by ethnicity
- Americans' moral stance towards abortion in 2018
- Abortion - Americans who are pro-life or pro-choice in 2019
- U.S. adults who felt it was difficult to get an abortion in their community 2018
- Share of U.S. adults who felt it should not be difficult to get an abortion 2018
- Share of women voters that support the Roe vs. Wade decision by party 2018
- Terrorist attacks in the United States from 1970 to 2016, by target type
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Kentucky 2012, by ethnicity
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Colorado by ethnicity 2015
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- Distribution of legal abortions in North Dakota by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Michigan by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Utah by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in New Jersey by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Arizona by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Pennsylvania by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Montana by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of legal abortions in Kansas by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Arkansas by ethnicity 2015
- Distribution of reported legal abortions in Delaware 2015 by ethnicity
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