World Abortion Policies 2007 provides the most up-to-date, accurate and objective information available on the legal status of induced abortion for the 195 Member and non-Member States of the United Nations. To complement this information, data on abortion rates, contraceptive prevalence, total fertility and maternal mortality are also provided.
The overwhelming majority of countries, 97 per cent, permit abortion to save the woman ’s life. In five countries,abortion is not permitted. Abortion laws and policies are significantly more restrictive in the developing world. In developed countries, abortion is permitted for economic or social reasons in 78 per cent of countries and on request in 67 per cent of countries. In contrast, 19 per cent of developing countries permit abortion for economic or social reasons, while in 15 per cent of developing countries abortion is available on request.
Many countries have additional procedural requirements that must be met before an abortion may be legally performed. Additional requirements may relate to the gestational limits within which abortion may be performed, mandatory waiting period, parental or spousal consent, third-party authorization, the categories of health providers permitted to perform abortions, the types of medical facilities where abortions may be performed and tory counseling. In addition,even when abortion is legally permitted, access to abortion services may be limited.
It is important to point out that up-to-date information on the status of abortion policy is not readily available for all countries. The information for some countries is either incomplete or unclear. Readers are therefore invited to provide information, comments or corrections they deem useful to the Director, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York, NY 10017.
The data included in the chart were based on information available as of 31 December 2006. The wall chart can be downloaded free of charge from the Population Division website.
Hard copies are also available free of charge for distribution limited to libraries and documentation centres of institutions.
Go to the source:
Department of Economic and Social Affairs - Population Division
Full wall chart, pdf
Table (excel)
