Statistics on abortion (2016)

A note from the House of Commons Library.

This Note presents statistics on abortion in England & Wales, as well as Scotland. Numbers of abortions and rates per 1,000 women aged 15–44 are provided and a brief time series is presented. The period of gestation when the abortion took place is also considered as well as the method of abortion.

Current legislation

Abortion is the commonly used term for the termination of an established pregnancy.

The Abortion Act 1967 came into effect on 27 April 1968, permitting abortion in Great Britain (not including Northern Ireland) by registered practitioners subject to certain conditions. Section 37 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990) made changes to the Abortion Act. It introduced a time limit of 24 weeks for grounds C and D. Grounds A, B and E are now without limit. Before this change, a 28- week limit had applied for all grounds.

Grounds for permitting abortions under the current UK legislation

A legally induced abortion must be certified by two registered medical practitioners as justified under one or more of the following grounds:

A. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated (Abortion Act, 1967 as amended, section 1(1)(c))

B. The termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman (section 1(1)(b)).

C. The pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman (section 1(1)(a)).

D. The pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of any existing children of the family of the pregnant woman (section 1(1)(a)).

E. There is substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped (section 1(1)(d)). Or in the case of an emergency, certified by the operating practitioner as immediately necessary:

F. To save the life of the pregnant woman (section 1(4)).

G. To prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman (section 1(4)). 

Figures for England and Wales

There were 190,092 abortions notified as taking place in England and Wales in 2014. 0.4% fewer than in 2013.

Of these, 184,571 abortions were to residents of England and Wales, representing an age-standardised rate of 15.9 abortions per 1,000 resident women aged 15–44 years. 

Over the past 50 years, the age standardised abortion rate increased from 10.8 in 1974 to a peak of 17.9 in 2007. The rate fell to 17.5 in 2008 and to 16.9 in 2009 where it remained before falling again over the past two years to the current rate of 15.9 in 2014.

Age, marital status and ethnicity

The crude abortion rate in 2014 was highest at 28.0 per 1,000 for women aged 20–24. The under-16 abortion rate was 2.5 per 1,000 women and the under-18 rate was 11.1 per 1,000 women, both lower than in 2013. The rates for younger age groups in 2014 were lower than in 2013, most markedly for the under-18 age groups.

81% of abortions in 2014 were carried out for single women – of which 26% were single without a partner and 52% with a partner (3% did not state whether they had a partner), a proportion that has been rising from about two thirds since 1997.

The recording of ethnicity, as self-reported by the women involved, was introduced in 2002. In 2014, among women with ethnicity recorded, 77% of those having an abortion were White, 9% Asian or Asian British and 8% Black or Black British.

Gestation period

The majority of abortions (92% in 2014) are performed at or under 13 weeks gestation. In 2014, 80% were at or under ten weeks and a further 12% at ten to 12 weeks. The proportion of abortions at under ten weeks has increased since 1997, and the proportion at over 13 weeks has reduced.

Abortions where gestation has exceeded its 20th week account for 2% of the total. There were 2,769 such abortions in 2014.

Statutory grounds for abortion

The majority of abortions (98%) in 2014 were under ground C. The proportion of ground C abortions has risen steadily since 1997, with a corresponding reduction in ground D cases.

3,099 abortions (2%) were under ground E, risk that the child would be born handicapped. Congenital malformations were reported for 46% of cases under ground E and chromosomal abnormalities in 37%. Down’s syndrome (21% of all ground E cases) was the most commonly reported chromosomal abnormality. Ground F or G abortions are rare.

Location and funding

Treatment for the termination of pregnancy can only be carried out in an NHS hospital, NHS agencies (approved independent sector places under NHS contract) and approved places in the private sector. After 24 weeks, terminations can only be performed in an NHS hospital.

32% of abortions in 2014 were performed in NHS hospitals and 67% in NHS agencies, totalling 98% of abortions. The remaining 2% were privately funded. The proportion performed under NHS contract has been rising steadily since the early 1990s while the proportion of NHS hospital and private abortions has been falling.

Method of abortion

Different methods exist to terminate a pregnancy, depending on the duration of gestation and personal circumstances of women involved. The main medical method involves the use of the abortifacient drug Mifegyne (Mifepristone, also known as RU486). The main surgical methods are vacuum aspiration (recommended at up to 15 weeks gestation) and dilatation and evacuation (D&E) (recommended where gestation is greater than 15 weeks).

Medical abortions accounted for 51% of the total in 2014. There has been a continuing upward trend in medical abortions since 1991 when Mifegyne was licensed for use in the UK. The proportion of medical abortions has more than doubled in the last five years.

Surgical abortions accounted for 49% of the total in 2014 and vacuum aspiration was used for 44% of these surgical abortions in 2014 and D&E alone in 4% of cases.

Repeat abortions

37% of women undergoing abortions in 2014 had one or more previous abortions. The proportion has risen over the last decade from 32% in 2004.

Among women who had experienced a previous abortion 27% were under 25 and 46% were over 25.

Older women were more likely to have had a previous abortion: 47% of those aged 30–34 compared with 7% of those aged under 18.

Figures for Scotland

There were 11,475 abortions performed in Scotland in 2014, the lowest reported since 1995.

The rate of terminations is highest among women aged 20–24 (18.9 per 1,000 women) and those aged 25–29 (15.1 per 1,000 women). Lower rates are seen in women aged 35–39 (6.7 per 1,000 women) and in women aged over 40 (2.3 per 1,000 women). For the first time between 2005 and 2014 the rate of terminations in the 25–29 age group in 2014 surpassed those in the 16–19 age group.

There is a clear link between abortion rate and levels of deprivation. The rate is 14.2 per 1,000 women in areas of high deprivation, compared to 8.2 per 1,000 women for the least deprived areas in Scotland.

The proportion of early terminations has been rising steadily in the last five years, with 80.5% of all terminations performed at less than ten weeks in 2014, compared to 76.1% in 2010. Only 0.5% of abortions were performed at 18 weeks or more.

The vast majority (98.5%) of terminations are undertaken under ground C.

15 March 2016

• The above information is reprinted with kind permission from the Department of Health. Please visit researchbriefings.parliament.uk for further information.

© House of Commons Library 2016