Definition of table data (see notes after table for additional information):

• Live births.
• Abortions, reported includes legal reported induced abortions.
• Abortions, residents, in country only includes reported abortions obtained within the country by residents only.
• Abortions, residents, obtained abroad includes reported abortions by country residents obtained in other countries.
• Abortions, residents, total includes reported abortions by residents, obtained both within the country and abroad.
• Fetal deaths generally includes fetal deaths or stillbirths of at least 20 weeks` gestation.
• Miscarriages generally includes spontaneous fetal losses/ abortions, fetal deaths, or stillbirths, regardless of gestation period.
• Abortion ratio is abortions per 1000 live births.
• Abortion % is abortions as percentage of pregnancies (excluding fetal deaths/miscarriages).
• Abortion rate is abortions per 1000 women of childbearing age.

United Kingdom regional level data also available here.

Notes:

• Parenthetical figures are estimates, some of which are derived from reported data.
• Abortion ratios, percentages, and rates may be based on a mix of data from different sources and thus may not represent a consistent time series.

Sources:

• Brookes, Barbara, 1988, Abortion in England 1900-1967, Croom Helm (London, UK).
• Callahan, Daniel, 1970, Abortion: Law, Choice and Morality, Macmillan Co. (New York, NY).
• Council of Europe, 2004, "United Kingdom, Table 2: Births, deaths and legal abortions," in Recent Demographic Developments in Europe: Demographic Yearbook 2003, on line at COE [http://www.coe.int/t/e/social_cohesion/population/UKTAB2.xls].
• Department of Health, 27 July 2005, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 2004," Department of Health, on line [http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/75/74/04117574.pdf].
• Department of Health, 30 Oct. 2003, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 2002," Department of Health, on line [http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/00/59/04080059.PDF].
• Department of Health, 4 July 2006, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 2005," Department of Health, on line [http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/68/59/04136859.pdf].
• Department of Health, Aug. 2004, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 2003," Department of Health, on line [http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/66/26/04116626.pdf].
• Johnston, Wm. Robert, Jan. 2010, "United Kingdom abortions by area," working paper, see "United Kingdom abortions by region," Johnston's Archive, on line [http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/index.html#UK].
• Office for National Statistics, 1992, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1991," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB18_1991/ab18_1991.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 1993, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1992," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB19_1992/ab19_1992.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 1994, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1993," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB20_1993/ab20_1993.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 1995, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1994," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB21_1994/ab21_1994.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 1996, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1995," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB22_1995/ab22_1995.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 1997, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1996," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB23_1996/ab23_1996.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 1998, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1997," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB24_1997/ab24_1997.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 1999, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1998," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB25_1998/ab25_1998.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 2000, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 1999," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB26_1999/ab26_1999.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 2001, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 2000," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB27/AB_No27_V1.pdf].
• Office for National Statistics, 2002, "Abortion Statistics: Legal abortions carried out under the 1967 Abortion Act in England and Wales, 2001," National Statistics, on line [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/AB28_2001/AB28_2001.pdf].
• Potts, Malcolm, Peter Diggory, and John Peel, 1977, Abortion, Cambridge Univ. Press (Cambridge, UK).
• Tietze, Christopher, ed., 1981, Induced Abortion: A World Review 1981, Population Council (New York, NY).
• U.K. Parliament, 2 April 1978, "Abortion," HANSARD 1803-2005, on line [http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1978/apr/21/abortion#S5CV0948P0-06970].
• U.K. Parliament, 30 Nov. 1987, "Abortion," HANSARD 1803-2005, on line [http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1987/nov/30/abortion].
• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2000, "Table 5. Live births by age of mother, sex and urban/rural residence: 1948-1997," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 1948-1997: Historical Supplement, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYBHist/HistTab05.pdf].
• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2005, "Table 13. Legally induced abortions: 1994-2003," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2003, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2003/Table13.pdf].
• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2006, "Table 13. Legally induced abortions: 1995-2004," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2004, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2004/Table13.pdf].
• United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 9 Oct. 2009, "Table 4. Vital statistics summary and expectation of life at birth: 2003-2007," in United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2007, United Nations (New York, NY), on line at United Nations Statistics Division [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2007/Table04.pdf].
• World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Aug. 2009, "European health for all database (HFA-DB)," World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, on line [http://data.euro.who.int/hfadb/].

© 2000-2008, 2010 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 27 January 2010.
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