Abortion rate in Spain 2011-2022

The number of abortions performed per thousand women in Spain reached 12.5 in 2011, the maximum value recorded in the period studied. From 2011 to 2016 there was a gradual decline in the abortion rate, dropping to 10.4 abortions per thousand women. However, there has been an increase in the rate of abortions since then, reaching 11.68 per thousand women in 2022. An exception was observed in 2020 when this figure decreased. In that year, Catalonia was the Spanish region with the highest abortion rate, followed by Madrid, and the Balearic Islands.

Teenage abortion rates

In 2022, the age group that registered the highest abortion rate was that of women from 20 to 24 years old, with more than 18 voluntary abortions performed per thousand women. The abortion rate in women under 20 amounted to 8.5 abortions per thousand women, the second-lowest rate after that of women over 39 years. In addition, the abortion rate in teenage women has generally decreased in the past few years, dropping from 13.7 in 2011 to 8.5 in 2022.

Attitudes towards abortion

During a survey carried out in Spain in 2023, around 37 percent of respondents stated that abortion should be legal in all cases, while another 36 percent was of the opinion that it should be legal in most cases. In contrast, four percent of interviewees thought abortion should be always illegal, with an additional 12 percent stating that it should be illegal in most cases.