Legal abortions

.. - data not available

Source: UNECE Statistical Database, compiled from national and international (Eurostat, UN Statistics Division Demographic Yearbook, WHO European health for all database and UNICEF TransMONEE) official sources.

Definition: Legal abortions refer to legally induced early foetal deaths and do not cover spontaneous abortions (i.e. miscarriages).
The abortion rate is defined as the number of abortions per 1000 live births during a given year.

General note: Data come from registers, unless otherwise specified.

Country: Austria

Additional information (1990 - 2012): Data refer to abortions carried out in hospitals.

Country: Azerbaijan

Data include illegal abortions.

Country: Canada

2002-2005 : data do not cover abortions performed on non-Canadian residents.

Country: France

Data do not cover overseas territories.

Country: Georgia

From 1995 : data do not cover Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Tshinvali).

Country: Israel

Data include East Jerusalem and Israeli residents in certain other territories under occupation by Israeli military forces since June 1967.
Data refer to applications for abortions and not to actual abortions performed.

Country: Italy

Incomplete data for the mentioned years and Regions: 1990 (Piemonte), 1995 (Piemonte), 2002 (Campania), 2003 (Campania), 2004 (Sicilia), 2005 (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Molise, Campania, Sicilia), 2006 (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Campania, Sicilia), 2007 (Campania).

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Data include spontaneous abortions (i.e. miscarriages).

Country: Netherlands

Data refer to abortions performed on women living in the Netherlands.

Country: Russian Federation

Additional information (1995 - 2012): Data include interruption of pregnancy for the total of 21 weeks.

Country: Serbia

Data do not cover Kosovo and Metohija.

Country: Switzerland

Break in methodlogy (2004): A new data collection system took place following the legal changes regarding abortion in 2002.

Country: Tajikistan

Data include menstrual cycle regulation procedures (also known as mini-abortions) carried out within the first 5 to 6 weeks of a possible pregnancy.

Country: United Kingdom

Change in definition (1980 - 2012): Data include residents and non-residents.

Country: United Kingdom

Territorial change (1980 - onwards): Data do not cover Northern Ireland.