Country-specific estimates of unintended pregnancy and abortion incidence: a global comparative analysis of levels in 2015–2019
by Jonathan Marc Bearak, Anna Popinchalk, Cynthia Beavin, Bela Ganatra, Ann-Beth Moller, Özge Tunçalp, Leontine Alkema
BMJ Global Health, 2022;7(3) (Open access)
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Guttmacher Institute have published the first-ever estimates of unintended pregnancy and abortion incidence rates for 150 countries, of which 87 will see reliable abortion estimates for the first time. The study analyses available data on pregnancy intentions and abortion among women of reproductive age (15–49) from 2015 to 2019.
The analysis has revealed major disparities in accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare, WHO said on 31 March 2022. The results will allow health authorities to better understand family planning needs in their countries, including for both contraception and abortion care.
To help improve uptake of this new evidence into policy and programming for contraception and abortion care at the global, regional, and country levels, the Guttmacher Institute has published additional resources for researchers, health workers, policymakers and advocates:
- Sexual and reproductive health country profiles and regional fact sheets
- An explainer to answer some anticipated questions from policymakers and advocates on how to interpret and use these country-specific, model-based estimates
- A global commentary on the state of global abortion and the urgent need for investing in robust abortion data collection systems and research
- The Global Abortion Incidence dataset of global abortion data published on the Open Science Framework.
SOURCES: UN News, 24 March 2022 ; Guttmacher Institute email, 24 March 2022