STATISTICS

Abortion is a common experience for women and girls, worldwide.

Did you know?

  • At least half of American women will experience an unintended pregnancy by age 45, and, at current rates, one in 10 women will have an abortion by age 20, one in four will have an abortion by age 30 and three in 10 will have one by age 45.
  • Women of all ages, races, economic backgrounds, and religious beliefs have abortions.
  • More than one million abortions occur in the United States every year.
  • The lifetime average is about one abortion per woman, worldwide.

*Source: Guttmacher Institute, 2011.

At current rates, about one in three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45. There are over 1.2 million abortions in the United States each year and more than 50 million since 1970.

 

WHO HAS ABORTIONS?

18% are teenagers, more than 50% are in their 20’s

(No statistics were given for women in their 30’s or 40’s, but we know they have abortions.)

RACE

  • 36% are white non-Hispanic
  • 30% are black non-Hispanic
  • 25% are Hispanic
  • 9% other races

RELIGION

  • 37% Protestant
  • 28% Catholic

(No statistics were given for other religions, but we know Muslims in the US do have abortions.)

Abortion rates are highest in California with the possible exception of New York.

*Source: Guttmacher Institute 2014

California is one of the few states with no abortion restrictions (like parental notification, consent requirements for minors, counseling and waiting periods, and limitation on public funding).

There is a problem obtaining accurate abortions statistics, due to faulty reporting from states and areas within states. California did not report for four or five years in a row. So the current rate of 33% of American women could be closer to 42% or higher.