New official figures show that abortions in England and Wales reached a record high in 2023, while the number of births continued to fall. As a result, about one in three pregnancies now ends in abortion.
According to the latest statistics, 278,740 abortions were carried out in England and Wales in 2023, an enormous number. This represents a 10.6pc increase on the previous year and marks the highest number ever recorded. Ten years earlier, in 2013, 190,800 took place.
At the same time, the number of births continued to decline. In 2023 there were 591,072 live births in England and Wales compared with 698,512 in 2013. The decline in births comes despite a growing population, something that is driven almost entirely by immigration.
Comparing the number of terminations with the number of births, we see that there were approximately 47 abortions for every 100 live births. This represents a substantial shift from the previous year, when the figures stood at 37 abortions per 100 live births.
Taken together, these figures mean that England and Wales now have the highest proportions of pregnancies ending in abortion in the Western world.
Scotland has seen a similar overall trend. In 2024 (Scotland’s data is reported a year ahead of England and Wales), there were 18,710 abortions, a 3pc increase on the 18,242 recorded in 2023. Ten years earlier, in 2014, they were 11,787.
While abortion numbers have been rising gradually for over a decade, the most recent data show a sharper increase. One likely explanation is the widespread use of abortion pills. Originally introduced as a temporary measure during the Covid pandemic, the option to take abortion pills at home was made permanent in England and Scotland in 2022. As a result, 72pc of abortions in England and Wales in 2023 took place at home, and 57.1pc in Scotland in 2024.
The England and Wales report also shows that a large proportion of abortions are repeat procedures. In 2023, 42pc of women having an abortion had previously had one or more abortions, up from 37pc ten years earlier.
The breakdown by marital status has remained broadly unchanged. In 2023, 82pc of abortions were carried out on women recorded as ‘single’. Of these, 52pc were unmarried but in a relationship. These proportions have been relatively stable over the past decade. A married woman is vastly less likely to have an abortion than a unmarried woman.
The data also include women travelling from abroad. In 2023, 235 women resident in Ireland had abortions in England, up from 201 the previous year. Among them, 55pc were single, 13pc had previously had an abortion, and 72pc identified their ethnicity as Irish. For 62pc of these women, the abortion was authorised under Ground C (mental or physical health).
In at least 50 cases, the baby was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, up from 37 the year before. However, the true number may be higher, as such diagnoses were underreported in earlier years.
With abortion rates at record highs and births continuing to fall, what will be the UK’s long-term demographic future?
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