Abortion Statistics in 2023 (Latest U.S. Data)

By

Laurel Davidson

Updated on

February 4, 2023

This is an opinion-free overview of the latest abortion statistics.

The Guttmacher Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer the primary abortion statistics in the U.S.

Guttmacher contacts every abortion provider, while CDC relies on voluntary reporting, which doesn’t include every state.

Thus, Guttmacher data is mainly used for quantitative data, while CDC is for qualitative.

Abortion Statistics

Overview of statistics on abortion:

About 930,160 legally induced abortions are provided annually in the U.S.

20.6% of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion.

61% of Americans believe abortion should be legal all or most of the time.

The top reason for abortion (25%) is not being ready for a child, <0.5% victim of rape.

93% of abortions occur during the first trimester, at or before 13 weeks of gestation.

The majority of American women (57.1%) who have abortions are in their 20s.

There are 1,687 healthcare facilities in the U.S. that provide legal abortion services.

The median self-pay cost for medication abortion in the U.S. is $568.

9.3% of legal abortions are performed on women outside their state of residence.

62% of abortion patients have a religious affiliation.

1. About 930,160 legally induced abortions are provided annually in the U.S.

According to the Guttmacher Institute’s latest U.S. abortions statistics (2022), approximately 930,160 legally induced abortions were provided in 2020 in the U.S. (1)

This is an 8% increase from 2017.

No. of Abortions

in 2020 (latest)No. of Abortions

in 2019No. of Abortions

in 2017

930,160916,460862,320

The number of abortions per year increased in all four regions in the U.S between 2017 and 2020.

Abortions in

WestAbortions in

MidwestAbortions in

SouthAbortions in

Northeast

12% increase10% increase8% increase2% increase

The largest increase in the number of abortions by year was 12% in the West, 10% in Midwest, 8% in the South, and 2% in the Northeast. (1)

Similarly, the abortion rate increased to 14.4 abortions per 1,000 women in 2020. This is a 7% increase from 2017.

The long-term decline of legal abortions in the U.S. reverses.

According to the latest abortion statistics by year from Guttmacher and CDC, the long-term decline in U.S. abortions reverses. (1, 2)

us-abortion

The annual number of abortions skyrocketed in 1973 after Roe v. Wade legalized the health procedure. The peak of abortion per year was 1.6 million in 1990, according to Guttmacher. (2)

Since the peak, there has been a slow and steady decline in the trend. Although CDC and Guttmacher’s numbers are different, they both show a similar trend throughout history.

2. 20.6% of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion.

According to Guttmacher’s statistics on abortion ratios, the abortion ratio in the U.S. is 20.6% of abortions per 100 pregnancies. This means about one in five pregnancies ends in abortion. (1, 3)

U.S. Abortion Ratio

2020U.S. Abortion Ratio

2017U.S. Abortion Ratio

2011

20.6 per 100 pregnancies18.4 per 100 pregnancies21.2 per 100 pregnancies

The U.S. abortion ratio has increased 12% between 2017 and 2020.

According to Guttmacher’s statistics on abortion rates (2020), the abortion rate in the U.S. is 14.4 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. This is a 7% increase from 2017. (1)

U.S. Abortion Rate

2020U.S. Abortion Rate

2019Global Abortion Rate

2019

14.4 per 1,000 women14.2 per 1,000 women39 per 1,000 women

Historically, the U.S. abortion rate has been declining since 1981, when it was 29.3 per 1,000 women. But the last numbers still show a reversal of the abortion rate decline.

States/regions with the highest abortion rates are the District of Columbia (48.9%), New Jersey (29.2%), and New York (28.8%). (1)

StateAbortion Rate

per 1,000 WomenNumber of Abortions

In 2020

District of Columbia48.9%9,410

New Jersey29.2%48,830

New York28.8%110,360

Maryland25.9%30,750

Illinois21.3%52,780

Florida19.7%77,400

California19.2%154,060

Georgia18.9%41,620

Nevada17.9%11,010

Michigan16.8%3

                                                                                                                         One life  that is aborted is to many!