UK Abortion Statistics

• Since the 1967 Abortion Act was passed, more than 10.5 million babies have been killed by abortion in the UK.
• 2023 saw the highest number of abortions ever recorded in both England & Wales and Scotland.
• In 2023, abortion numbers reached a record high. There were an estimated 299,614 abortions across the United Kingdom - up 11% on the prior year. 
• In Scotland, abortions rose to 18,207 in 2023, an increase of 9.7% from the previous year.
• In England & Wales, abortions rose to 278,740 in 2023, a 10.6% increase from 2022.
• In Northern Ireland, there were 2632 abortions in 2023
• Preliminary data for the first half of 2024 suggests Scotland is on track to break this record yet again.
• Jersey statistics are produced more promptly than the rest of the UK. You can view their 2025 report here: Jersey-Termination_of_Pregnancy_Report_2025_(1).pdf

The Headlines:

• Total abortions: 278,740.
• This is the highest annual figure since the Abortion Act 1967.
• The age-standardised abortion rate for residents in England and Wales rose to 23.0 per 1,000 women, the highest rate since the Abortion Act was introduced.

The Detail:

• Repeat Abortions: 42% of women had undergone at least one previous abortion.
• Methods: 87% were medical; 72% were "Pills by Post" (both medications taken at home).
• In 2023, 98% of abortions in England and Wales were funded by the NHS, with 81% performed in the independent sector.
• Deprivation: While specific 2023 IMD population data was delayed, 2022 trends show women in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to have an abortion as those in the least deprived areas (31.2 per 1,000 vs 13.5 per 1,000).
• Rate by Age: The abortion rate increased for every age group. For those aged under 18, the rate rose to 7.8 per 1,000 (up from 7.6 in 2022).
• Gestation: * 89.3% (248,250) were performed at or under 9 weeks gestation.
  • 1.3% (over 3,600) were performed at 20 weeks and over.
• Life of Mother: Less than 1% of abortions were performed under Grounds A, B, D, F, or G combined. 98% were performed under Ground C (risk to mental or physical health).
• Ground E (Disability): There were 3,205 babies killed by abortion for having a disability in 2023.
  • 300 of these disability-selective abortions were performed at 24 weeks and over, an increase of 17% from the previous year.

Abortion numbers by grounds for England and Wales:

• Ground C (Mental/Physical health): 98%
• Ground E (Disability): 1.2% (3,205)
• Grounds A, B, D, F, G: <0.8% combined

The Headlines:

• There were 18,207 abortions in Scotland in 2023, the highest number ever recorded.
• This is a 9.7% increase from 16,596 in 2022 and a staggering 30.6% increase from 2021.
• The abortion rate rose to 18.2 per 1,000 women aged 15-44.

The Detail: 

• Deprivation: Women in the most deprived areas are twice as likely to have an abortion as those in the least deprived (27.2 per 1,000 vs 11.4 per 1,000).
• Repeat Abortions: 40.3% of women had one or more previous abortions.
• Age Groups: The highest increase was among the 20-24 age group.
• Methods: 98.7% of abortions in Scotland were medical.
• At Home: In 79.9% of medical abortions, the first medication (mifepristone) was taken at home; in 99.5% of cases, the second medication (misoprostol) was taken at home.

While the full-year report for 2024 is not yet finalised, preliminary data from Scottish Health Boards and local monitoring indicates that the upward trajectory has not stalled.

• Record Pace: Indicators for the first quarter of 2024 suggest that monthly abortion totals are exceeding 2023 levels in major boards like NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian.
• Cost of Living: Advocacy groups note that the continued rise in 2024 is increasingly linked to economic pressures and the normalisation of "at-home" abortion procedures.
• Policy Shifts: The 2024 period is the first full year following the intensified rollout of telemedicine, which is being cited as a primary driver for the increased volume of procedures.

Early medical abortions are defined as taking place within the first 10 weeks of the pregnancy using two abortion pills. 

From 30 March 2020 for England, the 31st of March 2020 for Wales, and the end of March for Scotland, temporary measures were put in place to limit the transmission of COVID-19 by approving the use of both pills for early medical abortion at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic. These were made permanent in Wales from 24 February 2022. On 30 March 2022, Parliament voted in favour of an amendment to the Health and Care Bill, making the temporary approval allowing home use of both pills for early medical abortions permanent in England and Wales. Likewise, home abortions continue in Scotland^xi.

Full or partial home abortions are now the most common procedure, accounting for 79.3% of all abortions in Scotland in 2023.  72% of abortions in England and Wales in 2022, saw the mother take both medications at home. Up from 61% the previous year. 

Information about the two main methods of abortion, medical and surgical, can be found here.

Gestation Period

The legal limit for a woman having an abortion is 24 weeks gestation. Abortions may be performed after 24 weeks in certain circumstances, for example, if the mother’s life is at risk or the child would be born disabled.

Under the Abortion Act 1967, which applies in England, Wales and Scotland, a pregnancy may be lawfully terminated by a registered medical practitioner in approved premises, if two medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that the abortion is justified under one or more of grounds A to G:

Ground A:

That 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))

Ground B:

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

Ground C:

That 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))

Ground D:

That 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 child(ren) of the family of the pregnant woman (section 1(1)(a))

Ground E:

That there is a 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))

Ground F:

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

Ground G:

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