Published January 5, 2026
New international data indicate that abortion accounted for more deaths worldwide in 2025 than any other single cause, with more than 73 million procedures performed globally during the year. The estimate is drawn from modeling by the World Health Organization and compiled by the global statistics platform Worldometers.According to Worldometers’ analysis of WHO data, the global abortion rate stands at roughly 39 per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 49. The figures suggest that about 61% of unintended pregnancies—out of an estimated 121 million annually—end in abortion.
When compared with other major causes of mortality, abortion far exceeded them all in 2025. Cancer was responsible for approximately 10 million deaths, smoking-related illnesses for about 6.2 million, infectious diseases for roughly 17 million, and HIV/AIDS for around 2 million.