In 2021, there were around 40 legal abortions per 100 live births among unmarried women in the United States. In comparison, the rate of abortion per live births among married women was around four per 100. The abortion rates for both married and unmarried women in the United States have decreased over the last few decades.
Abortion statistics in the United States
In 2021, the overall rate of abortion in the United States per 100 live births was 20.4. Abortion in the U.S. is most common among women aged 20 to 29 years, with around 19 abortions per 1,000 women in this age group. The most common method of abortion in 2021 was medical abortion with a gestation of nine weeks or less, followed by surgical abortion with a gestation of 13 weeks or less. Medical abortion involves taking prescription medication to end the pregnancy while surgical abortion involves a surgical procedure. The two main types of surgical abortion are vacuum aspiration and dilation and evacuation (D&E). Abortion-related deaths in the United States are very rare, with only six such deaths reported in 2020.
* Data for years not listed in CDC's Abortion Surveillance were added from CDC's "Health, United States, 2010" report. For the years 2006-2009 no data was available. All values are only for abortions where marital status was known and for states which reported abortion data in the regarding year.
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CDC. (November 24, 2023). Number of legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. from 1973 to 2021, by marital status* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 02, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/185325/number-of-legal-abortions-by-marital-status-in-the-us-since-1973/
CDC. "Number of legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. from 1973 to 2021, by marital status*." Chart. November 24, 2023. Statista. Accessed December 02, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/185325/number-of-legal-abortions-by-marital-status-in-the-us-since-1973/
CDC. (2023). Number of legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. from 1973 to 2021, by marital status*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 02, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/185325/number-of-legal-abortions-by-marital-status-in-the-us-since-1973/
CDC. "Number of Legal Abortions per 100 Live Births in The U.S. from 1973 to 2021, by Marital Status*." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Nov 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/185325/number-of-legal-abortions-by-marital-status-in-the-us-since-1973/
CDC, Number of legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. from 1973 to 2021, by marital status* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/185325/number-of-legal-abortions-by-marital-status-in-the-us-since-1973/ (last visited December 02, 2024)
Number of legal abortions per 100 live births in the U.S. from 1973 to 2021, by marital status* [Graph], CDC, November 24, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/185325/number-of-legal-abortions-by-marital-status-in-the-us-since-1973/