US abortion statistics show decline
January 18, 2023
» Continue to this story on Pew Forum
CWN Editor's Note: Although accurate figures are not available—since abortionists are not required to file reports—the best available statistics show a downward trend in the American abortion rate.
Roughly 620,000 abortions were performed in 2020—down from over 1 million in 1991. There were 14.4 abortions per 1,000 women of child-bearing age: roughly half the figure (29.3) for 1981.
Statistics collected by Pew Research show:
- 86% of women seeking abortions were unmarried;
- 42% of women who aborted pregnancies in 2020 had previous abortions;
- 2% of all abortions— or more than 12,000 cases— resulted in medical complications for the mothers.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!