Abortion has been a touchy and personal subject for many years. Whether you are considering an abortion or just want to know more about the numbers of abortions, this article will provide statistical information to hopefully help you in your situation.

First of all there are about 1.38 billion women in the world who are in the childbearing years (ages 15-44). About 6 million women a year become pregnant. Many teenagers are also sexually active throughout the world. By age 20, 

• 77 percent of women in developed countries have had sex, 
• 83 percent of women in Sub-Sahara Africa have had sex, and 
• 56 percent of women in Latin American and the Carribean have had sex.

And a lot of unplanned pregnancies result. More than 25 percent of women in the world get an abortion. Compare this with the United States where nearly 40 percent of women who get pregnant have an abortion. Here are some more statistics concerning the United States: 

• About half of all pregnancies are unplanned 
• 1.29 million abortions took place in 2002 
• More than 42 million abortions were carried out from 1973 to 2002 
• 2 out of every 100 women have an abortion each year. Many of these women have had abortions before 
• In looking at teens and young adults, more than 52 percent of abortions obtained are by women who are under 25 
• Around 66 percent of all abortions are obtained be single women 
• Teenagers obtain 19 percent of abortions 
• As of 2000, there were around 1800 places in the United States where a women could get an abortion 
• Most abortions (88 percent) occur in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy 
• Teenagers are more apt to get a late abortion 
• .3 percent of all abortions cause hospitalization for the woman

So what are the main reasons for abortion? Many women and teens worry about their future plans. Some women and teens do not feel they can afford a child. And still others do not want to go at parenthood alone.

Check out the Guttmacher Institute to look at your own state’s trends on abortion and to find out more information and statistics. Abortion is very serious and causes ethical and medical debates across the country. Some doctors performing abortions have even been killed. Nonetheless, many states have abortion counseling laws that are designed to work with your physician to help you understand the medical options available. Finding out what information is available and laws applicable in your area is an important step in making this decision.

Abortion Statistics Sources:

• Guttmacher Institute, By Chinué Turner Richardson and Elizabeth Nash, “Misinformed Consent: The Medical Accuracy of State-Developed Abortion Counseling Materials,” [online].
• Guttmacher Institute, “Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States,” [online].
• Guttmacher Institute, “Get "In the Know": 20 Questions About Pregnancy, Contraception and Abortion,” [online].
• Guttmacher Institute, “Induced Abortion Worldwide,” [online].
• Guttmacher Institute, “State Center: State Facts on Abortion,” [online].
• Guttmacher Institute, “State-by-State Trends in Abortion in the United States,” [online].

Related Article: Teen Pregnancy Statistics >>