Website of the Department of Health

Key Facts

In 2008, for women residents in England and Wales:

• the total number of abortions was 195,296, compared with 198,499 in 2007, a fall of 1.6%
• the age-standardised abortion rate was 18.2 per 1,000 resident women aged 15-44, compared with 18.6 in 2007
• the abortion rate was highest at 36 per 1,000, for women age 19, the same as in 2007
• the under-16 abortion rate was 4.2 and the under-18 rate was 18.9 per 1,000 women, both lower than in 2007
• 91% of abortions were funded by the NHS; of these, just over half (58%) took place in the independent sector under NHS contract
• 90% of abortions were carried out at under 13 weeks gestation; 73% were at under 10 weeks
• medical abortions accounted for 38% of the total
• 1,988 abortions (1%) were under ground E, risk that the child would be born handicapped

Non-residents: