Abortions: Year ended December 2007

Media release –: The number of abortions performed in NZ increased slightly in the year ended December 2008.

Key facts

There were 18,380 abortions performed in New Zealand in 2007, compared with 17,930 in 2006 and the peak of 18,510 in 2003.
The general abortion rate was 20.1 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years in 2007, up from 19.6 per 1,000 in 2006 and 19.3 abortions per 1,000 in 2005, but lower than the 2003 rate of 20.8 abortions per 1,000.
Women aged 20–24 years had the highest abortion rate (37 abortions per 1,000 women aged 20–24 years) in 2007.
The median age of women having an abortion was 24.5 years in 2007, unchanged from the previous year.
In 2007, most abortions (65 percent) were a woman's first abortion.

Dallas Welch (Mrs)
Acting Government Statistician

17 June 2008
ISSN 1178-0193