Induced abortions 2023

New legislation on induced abortions did not significantly affect the number of procedures

In 2023, the total number of induced abortions was 8300 amounting to 7.1 abortions per
1 000 women of childbearing age (aged 15–49). This was 2.9 per cent more than the previous year. In 2023, there was 5.8 induced abortions per 1000 women aged 15–19 years. There are significantly fewer abortions for young women than ten years earlier and even less than for all women of reproductive age on average.

The updated Act on Induced Abortion (239/1970) entered into force in September 2023. As of 1 September 2023, the grounds for abortion are always a request from the pregnant person if the gestation has lasted 12+0 weeks or less. The pregnant person does not need to justify their request.

The slight increase in the number of abortions does not seem to be related to the legislative amendment that entered into force in September: the number of abortions increased slightly before in 2022 and before September 2023. Despite the increase in the number of induced abortions between 2022 and 2023, the number of abortions has clearly decreased in the first two decades of the 21st century.

At the monthly level, the number of abortions was slightly lower than average in August 2023 and higher than in other months in September 2023. However, the number stabilised at the end of 2023.

One of the objectives of the legislative amendment was to make the induced abortion process smoother by reducing the number of required medical opinions and allowing more abortions to be carried out in primary health care. The average length of gestation at the time of abortion was lower at the end of 2023: in December 2023, it was 54.9 days (approximately 7+6 weeks of gestation), compared to 58.5 days in December 2022 (approximately 8+3 weeks of gestation).

The statistics are based on the registration notifications made to the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) by units in which abortions are performed. Submitting a notification to THL within one month of induced abortion is a statutory obligation.

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Induced abortions per 1000 women of same age 1975-2023

Tables

Background information

Description of statistic

Statistics on abortions contain data on legally induced abortions. The statistics include trends from 1975 onwards.

The Register on Induced abortions contains information for instance on information on previous pregnancy outcomes, contraceptive method used, duration of the pregnancy, the grounds for abortion, the planned contraceptive method after the procedure and possible complications within a month of the abortion.

Statistics for the previous year are published once a year.