Historical abortion statistics, New South Wales (Australia)
compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 7 June 2026
| year | live births | abortions,
legal reported | abortions, legal
reported (Medicare) | fetal deaths | abortion ratio | abortion % | abortion rate
(per 1000 women
ages 15-44) |
|---|
| 1960 | 81,983 | | | | | | |
| 1961 | 86,392 | | | | | | |
| 1962 | 85,439 | | | | | | |
| 1963 | 84,065 | | | | | | |
| 1964 | 80,518 | | | | | | |
| 1965 | 78,069 | | | | | | |
| 1966 | 77,776 | | | | | | |
| 1967 | 78,841 | | | | | | |
| 1968 | 81,696 | | | | | | |
| 1969 | 85,781 | | | | | | |
| 1970 | 88,269 | | | | | | |
| 1971 | 98,736 | | | | | | |
| 1972 | 95,607 | | | | | | |
| 1973 | 87,745 | | | | | | |
| 1974 | 86,483 | | | | | | |
| 1975 | 81,172 | | | | | | |
| 1976 | 78,749 | | | | | | |
| 1977 | 78,302 | | | | | | |
| 1978 | 78,052 | | | | | | |
| 1979 | 77,469 | | | | | | |
| 1980 | 79,801 | | | | | | |
| 1981 | 81,971 | | | | | | |
| 1982 | 83,908 | | | | | | |
| 1983 | 83,307 | | | | | | |
| 1984 | 77,994 | | (24,440) | | 313 | 23.9 | |
| 1985 | 87,786 | | (24,800) | | 283 | 22.0 | |
| 1986 | 84,531 | | (25,760) | | 305 | 23.4 | |
| 1987 | 86,093 | | (26,330) | | 306 | 23.4 | |
| 1988 | 84,647 | | (26,590) | | 314 | 23.9 | |
| 1989 | 85,790 | | (27,500) | | 321 | 24.3 | |
| 1990 | 90,534 | | (28,070) | | 310 | 23.7 | |
| 1991 | 87,367 | | (28,650) | | 328 | 24.7 | |
| 1992 | 92,585 | | (29,410) | | 318 | 24.1 | |
| 1993 | 89,354 | | (30,020) | | 336 | 25.1 | |
| 1994 | 87,977 | | (30,700) | 433 | 349 | 25.9 | |
| 1995 | 87,849 | | (31,500) | 467 | 359 | 26.4 | |
| 1996 | 86,595 | | (31,590) | 656 | 365 | 26.7 | |
| 1997 | 87,156 | | (31,020) | 568 | 356 | 26.2 | |
| 1998 | 85,499 | | (31,160) | 463 | 364 | 26.7 | |
| 1999 | 86,784 | | (30,800) | 533 | 355 | 26.2 | |
| 2000 | 86,752 | | (31,720) | 595 | 366 | 26.8 | |
| 2001 | 84,578 | | (32,350) | | 382 | 27.7 | (22.9) |
| 2002 | 86,583 | | (32,310) | | 373 | 27.2 | (22.8) |
| 2003 | 86,344 | | (30,550) | | 354 | 26.1 | (21.5) |
| 2004 | 85,894 | | (30,110) | | 351 | 26.0 | (21.2) |
| 2005 | 86,589 | | (28,050) | | 324 | 24.5 | (19.7) |
| 2006 | 87,336 | | (28,750) | | 329 | 24.8 | (20.2) |
| 2007 | 89,495 | | (28,420) | | 318 | 24.1 | (19.8) |
| 2008 | 94,684 | | (28,300) | | 299 | 23.0 | (19.5) |
| 2009 | 92,783 | | (29,040) | | 313 | 23.8 | (19.8) |
| 2010 | 95,918 | | (28,850) | | 301 | 23.1 | (19.5) |
| 2011 | 99,054 | | (28,070) | | 283 | 22.1 | (18.9) |
| 2012 | 98,508 | | (24,020) | | 244 | 19.6 | (16.0) |
| 2013 | 100,462 | | (23,050) | | 229 | 18.7 | (15.2) |
| 2014 | 91,074 | | (22,980) | | 252 | 20.1 | (14.9) |
| 2015 | 97,618 | | (22,400) | | 229 | 18.7 | (14.4) |
| 2016 | 99,451 | | (21,370) | | 215 | 17.7 | (13.5) |
| 2017 | 97,746 | | (21,400) | | 219 | 18.0 | (13.4) |
| 2018 | 98,626 | | (20,190) | | 205 | 17.0 | (12.5) |
| 2019 | 99,012 | | (19,780) | | 200 | 16.7 | (12.2) |
| 2020 | 95,469 | | (19,230) | | 201 | 16.8 | (11.9) |
| 2021 | 101,332 | | (19,350) | | 191 | 16.0 | (12.1) |
| 2022 | 97,884 | | (19,980) | | 204 | 17.0 | (12.6) |
| 2023 | 91,947 | | (21,180) | | 230 | 18.7 | (13.5) |
| 2024 | 89,030 | | (21,620) | | 243 | 19.5 | (14.0) |
| 2025 | | | (23,070) | | | | |
| 2026 | | | (7,320) | | | | |
| year | live births | abortions,
legal reported | abortions, legal
reported (Medicare) | fetal deaths | abortion ratio | abortion % | abortion rate
(per 1000 women
ages 15-44) |
|---|
Notes: Reporting for abortions is incomplete; reported abortions include only Medicare abortions, and these figures are incomplete for 2010-2011. Medicare abortions are estimated from reported totals for pairs of states/territories. Abortion figures are for calendar years, some figures are interpolated from fiscal year figures.
Sources (incomplete):
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 11 Nov. 2009, "33010DO001_2008 Births, Australia, 2008," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010do001_2008.xls&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&A1AC0DA0560BF50CCA25766A00121D9C&0&2008&11.11.2009&Previous].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 25 Oct. 2011, "3301.0 - Births, Australia, 2010: States and territories," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4DBF6BE0677A9A7ACA257933001675E9?opendocument].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29 Oct. 2007, "3301.0 Births, Australia," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010_table_1_2006.zip&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&0C9BCCC03FFD4F7DCA2573800015B897&0&2006&29.10.2007&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3 June 2003, "Australian Social Trends: Population--State summary tables," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/54f9dc094d0b4814ca256d39001bc333!OpenDocument].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 5 Aug. 2008, "3105.0.65.001 Australian Historical Population Statistics, 2008, 5. Births," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&3105065001ds0005_2008.xls&3105.0.65.001&Data%20Cubes&D15AA24359739174CA25749B00176F62&0&2008&05.08.2008&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 25 Oct. 2012, "Table 1: Births, summary, states and territories--2001 to 2011," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010do001_2011.xls&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&433EE795894F6431CA257AA100127D7E&0&2011&25.10.2012&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 10 July 2014, "Table 1: Births, summary, states and territories--2002 to 2012," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010do001_2012.xls&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&D5F2BC3BBE0663AFCA257C0D000F7DD1&0&2012&24.10.2013&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3 Nov. 2014, "3301.0 - Births, Australia, 2013: States and territories," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3301.0Main%20Features52013?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3301.0&issue=2013&num=&view=].
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2001, "Australia's mothers and babies 1999," Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, National Perinatal Statistics Unit, on line [http://www.npsu.unsw.edu.au/PRERUWeb.nsf/resources/AMB_1995-98/$file/ps11.pdf].
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003, "Australia's mothers and babies 2000," Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, National Perinatal Statistics Unit, on line [http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442458935].
- Family Planning Queensland, July 2000, "Abortion Statistics," Family Planning Queensland, on line [http://www.fpq.asn.au/factsheets_brochures/student_info/Abortion%20stats.pdf].
- HIC, 2005, "Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Item Statistics Reports," HIC, on line [http://www.hic.gov.au/statistics/dyn_mbs/forms/mbs_tab4.shtml].
- Medicare Australia, 2008, "Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Item Statistics Reports," Medicare Australia, on line [https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.shtml].
- Medicare Australia, 2012, "Medicare Item Reports," Medicare Australia, on line [https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.shtml].
- Medicare Australia, Jan. 2015, "Medicare Item Reports," Medicare Australia, on line [https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.shtml].
- Queensland Right to Life, "Number of abortions conducted in Australia," on line, Queensland Right to Life [http://www.qrtl.org.au/abort/facts.htm].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 30 Aug. 2022, "Regional population by age and sex," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population-age-and-sex/latest-release].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 25 Oct. 2022, "Births, Australia," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/2021].
- Services Australia, 2023, "Medicare Item Reports," on line, Medicare Statistics [http://medicarestatistics.humanservices.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.jsp].
- Wright, S. M., D. Bateson, and K. McGeechan, 2021, "Induced abortion in Australia: 2000-2022," Family Planning NSW, Ashfield, Australia, on line [https://www.fpnsw.org.au/sites/default/files/assets/Induced-Abortion-in-Australia_2000-2020.pdf].
© 2004-2025, 2026 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 7 June 2026.
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