Guttmacher/WHO Abortion Study: By the Numbers

• 29 per 1,000: The rate of women of childbearing age who had an induced abortion in 2003.

• 29 per 1,000: The rate of women in developing nations who had an induced abortion.
• 26 per 1,000: The rate of women in developed nations who had an induced abortion.
• 12 per 1,000: The abortion rate in western Europe.
• 17 per 1,000: The abortion rate in northern Europe.
• 21 per 1,000: The abortion rate in North America
• 20 million: The extimated number of unsafe abortions performed every year.
• 97 percent: The percentage of unsafe abortions performed in developing regions.
• 50 percent: The estimated percentage of induced abortions that are unsafe.
• 70,000: The number of women who die worldwide each year due to unsafe abortion procedures.
• 5,000,000: The number of women who suffer temporary or permanent disability due to unsafe abortion. procedures.

Source: “Induced Abortion: Rates and Trends Worldwide,” by Gilda Sedgh, Stanley Henshaw, Susheela Singh, Elisabeth Aahman and Iqbal Shah.)

(Main story: Local Activists Respond to Abortion Study)