In 1973, the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion in all 50 states. From 1973 to 1980, the abortion rate rose almost 80%, peaking at 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 1980 and 1981.
From 1981 through 2017, the abortion rate fell by more than half, always falling faster in Democratic administrations than Republican ones. The abortion rate fell below the 1973 rate in 2012 and continued to fall through 2017, when it stood at 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age. The abortion rate then rose from 2018 through 2020.
During the 1980s, the population of women of childbearing age grew faster than the abortion rate fell, so the annual number of abortions performed did not peak until 1990, at about 1.6 million abortions. The number of abortions generally fell from 1991 through 2017, and rose thereafter. The largest percentage decrease in the number of abortions occurred in 2013, the year the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act took effect for most health insurance plans. Approximately 860,000 abortions were performed in 2017, rising to about 930,000 in 2020.
From 1973 to 1983, the abortion ratio reported by the Guttmacher Institute rose about 60%, peaking at 30.4 in 1983. From 1984 through 2016, the abortion ratio fell about 40%. It hit a low of 18.3 in 2016 and rose to 20.6 in 2020. The abortion ratio was slightly lower in 2016 and 2017 than in 1973 because a 40% decrease more than offsets a 60% increase.
This summary is largely based on data collected by the Guttmacher Institute. Data collected by the CDC shows similar trends, but the CDC consistently finds fewer abortions.
In 2022, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v. Wade. The effect of Dobbs on the abortion rate will not be known for several years.
Abortion data for the four most recent years reported by the Guttmacher Institute appears below. The abortion ratio is the number of abortions per 100 pregnancies ending in an abortion or a live birth. From 2017 through 2020, the abortion rate rose 6.7%.[5]
Guttmacher Institute data| year | number of abortions | abortion rate | abortion ratio |
|---|
| 2016 | 874,100 | 13.7 | 18.3 |
| 2017 | 862,300 | 13.5 | 18.4 |
| 2019 | 916,460 | 14.2 | not yet reported |
| 2020 | 930,160 | 14.4 | 20.6 |
Abortion data for the ten most recent years reported by the CDC appears below. The data comes from 47 states, excluding California, Maryland, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia. The abortion ratio is the number of abortions per 1,000 live births. In 2018 and 2019, for the first time since 1979 and 1980, the abortion rate rose two years in a row.
CDC data| year | number of abortions | abortion rate | abortion ratio |
|---|
| 2010 | 762,755 | 14.6 | 228 |
| 2011 | 727,554 | 13.9 | 219 |
| 2012 | 696,587 | 13.2 | 210 |
| 2013 | 661,874 | 12.5 | 200 |
| 2014 | 649,849 | 12.1 | 186 |
| 2015 | 636,902 | 11.8 | 188 |
| 2016 | 623,471 | 11.6 | 186 |
| 2017 | 609,095 | 11.2 | 185 |
| 2018 | 614,820 | 11.3 | 189 |
| 2019 | 625,346 | 11.4 | 195 |
Independent clinics provide about 60% of abortions in the United States while Planned Parenthood provides about 35% of abortions in the United States.
The abortion rights research and policy organization Guttmacher Institute estimates the number of abortions in the United States by surveying abortion providers. Every third year they attempt to contact every abortion provider. They ask for data for the two most recent years, and they estimate abortion statistics for the missing year by interpolation.[1]
For 2020, the Guttmacher Institute reported 930,160 abortions, an abortion rate of 14.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years, and 20.6 abortions per 100 pregnancies ending in abortion or live birth.
