Incidence of Abortion

• In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed in the U.S., down from 1.31 million in 2000. ¹

  

• From 1973 through 2005, more than 45 million abortions occurred. ²
• 22% of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion. ³

  

• The abortion rate in 2005 was 19.4 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, a 9% decline from 2000. ⁴

  

• Each year, about 2% of women aged 15–44 have an abortion; 47% of them have had at least one previous abortion. ⁵

• 50% of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25. Women aged 20–24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 17%. ⁶
• Black women are 4.8 times as likely as non-Hispanic white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.7 times as likely. ⁷

• 54% of women who had an abortion had used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant. ⁸

¹ The Guttmacher Institute, “ Induced Abortion.” Facts in Brief (2008).
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ The Guttmacher Institute, “Abortion in the United States: Incidence and Access to Services, 2005.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Vol. 40, (March 2008).
⁵ The Guttmacher Institute, “ Induced Abortion.” Facts in Brief (2008).
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Ibid.

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