There are 25.5 million unsafe abortions performed worldwide every year
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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According to a recent study by the World Health Organization and the American Institute of Guttmacher (Guttmacher Institute), which deals with reproductive health, 55.7 million abortions are performed each year, 46% of which are 25.5 million abortions - are considered unsafe. 24 million annual abortions (97% of all dangerous manipulations for abortion) are in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Between 2010 and 2014, approximately 55% of all abortions (30.6 million per year) were safe (medical abortion or vacuum aspiration); 30.7% of all abortions (17.1 million) were classified as less safe (for example, if abortion was performed by scraping). And 8 million abortions (14.4% of all abortions in the world) were classified as dangerous, because they were conducted by unqualified persons using dangerous or invasive methods (for example, the use of chemicals, the introduction of foreign bodies, etc.). Almost all abortions in developed countries (87.5%) were safe with similar indicators by region. The exception was Eastern Europe, where unsafe abortions accounted for more than 14.2% of pregnancy interruptions. The share of dangerous abortions in Western Asia exceeded 48%, South-East Asia - 40%, southern Africa - 26.5%. In countries where the law prohibits abortion, almost one third (31.3%) of abortions were classified as the most insecure for women's life and health.
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