abortion
Number of abortions increased
Last year there were 106,000 abortions in Germany (symbolic image). photo
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
The number of abortions in Germany reached its highest level in years in 2023. The last time there were more abortions was in 2012.
The number of reported Abortions in Germany increased in 2023 compared to the previous year. The Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden said there were 106,000 cases, 3.3 percent more than in 2022.
The last time the number was higher was in 2012 with 107,000 reported abortions. Between 2014 and 2020 it was between around 99,000 and 101,000 cases. According to their own statements, the statisticians did not see any “clear cause” for the increase last year in the data.
Women were mostly between 18 and 34 years old
According to the information, seven out of ten women who had an abortion in 2023 were between 18 and 34 years old. 19 percent of the women were between the ages of 34 and 39. The group of women over 40 years old made up around eight percent, and around three percent were younger than 18 years. Around 42 percent of women had not given birth before the abortion.
The vast majority of abortions (96 percent of the pregnancy terminations reported in 2023) were carried out according to the so-called consultation regulation. According to this, an abortion in the first twelve weeks remains unpunished if the woman seeks advice beforehand.
Indications for medical reasons and sexual offenses were the reason for an abortion in four percent of cases, it was said. The procedures were mainly carried out on an outpatient basis, around 84 percent of which were carried out in doctors’ offices or surgical centers and 14 percent on an outpatient basis in hospitals.