Whenever an abortion takes place in Scotland, confidential information is submitted by the clinic or hospital to Public Health Scotland, and each year they publish a summary of the data. This lets us keep a check on lots of useful information about abortion care in Scotland, year on year. For example, we can see how many people are having abortions, how many weeks pregnant they were, what type of treatment they chose, etc.

 

In May 2025, the data for all abortions carried out in Scotland in 2024 was released. Here is our summary. 

 

Overall numbers:

In 2024, a total of 18710 people had an abortion in Scotland. This means that out of every 1000 women aged 15-44, 17.9 had an abortion in that year. These abortions are provided free of charge by NHS Scotland.

 

The past few years have seen more people having abortions. In 2024, there was a small increase in the number of abortions compared to the previous year. However, over the past 10 years, there has been a significant rise, from about 12000 abortions in 2015, to over 18500 last year. That is an increase of over 50%. Ongoing investment in NHS abortion services is needed to continue to meet this demand.

 

There are many reasons why more people are choosing abortion – it might be related to the cost of living crisis, to financial insecurity, or if there are challenges accessing reliable contraception. With everything going on in the world just now, some people may feel it’s just not a good time to have a pregnancy.

 

Differences by where people live:

Although the overall abortion rate in Scotland is 17.9 per 1000 women, it is quite variable from NHS area to area. The highest rates are in Tayside (21.1) and Lanarkshire (20.9), whereas the lowest rates are in Highland (14.2) and Islands (7.8).

 

The influence of poverty and deprivation:

It is very striking that people who live in the most deprived areas of Scotland are twice as likely to have an abortion as those in the least deprived areas (24.5 per 1000 compared to 12.2 per 1000). This divide is seen across all the health board areas, although in some areas it is even more marked – in the NHS Fife area the most deprived women are over three times more likely to have an abortion than those who are better off.

 

Age of people having abortions:

The most likely age group to have an abortion is those in their 20s. The rate per 1000 in the 20-24 year group is 28.7, and in the 25-29 group is 26.2. Teenagers are less likely to have an abortion – 17.7 per 1000 in the 16-19 year old group, and only 1.3 in the under 16s.

 

Getting an abortion early in pregnancy:

Almost 4 out of every 5 people (79.2%) manage to get their abortion before they are 9 weeks pregnant. This has changed a bit in the past few years – in 2021, 83.8% were able to get the abortion before 9 weeks. This drop may reflect the increased demand for abortion care during this time, which can push up waiting times. The figures also show that where you live can affect how easy it is to get an earlier abortion. Over 83% of people in large urban areas manage to get their abortion before 9 weeks, but in remote rural areas, this falls to 67%, and in remote small towns even further to 61%. This stresses the importance of having accessible services, by both providing remote consultations and providing good transport links.

 

Type of abortion:

Abortions can be done using tablets (medical) or by an operation (surgical). Medical abortion is now the method used by most women (96.8%), with a much smaller number undergoing an operation (3.2%). Access to surgical abortion is variable  – in Grampian 9% of abortions are surgical, whereas in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, it is under 1%. It is important that the health boards ensure that surgical abortion is available to those who prefer this option.  In 2020, the law in Scotland changed, and for the first time allowed women under 12 weeks pregnant to take abortion tablets at home. At home abortion is now chosen by over half (57.1%).

 

In summary, 2024 saw a higher number of women having abortions than in previous years. Deprivation has an influence, with the most deprived women being twice as likely to have an abortion. People in their 20s were the most likely age-group to have an abortion. Most people were able to have the abortion done before they were 9 weeks pregnant, and most used tablet based treatment.

 

Abortion care in Scotland is provided free by the NHS. It is important that service providers ensure that everyone has excellent contraception and abortion services, with particular focus on ease of access for those living with deprivation, or in more remote areas.

 

You can find the statistics here: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics/termination-of-pregnancy-statistics-year-ending-december-2024/#