The Department of Health has released new figures detailing the number of abortions carried out in Northern Ireland in the last year.
During 2023/24 there were 2,792 abortions carried out in Northern Ireland, an increase of 28.8% from 2,168 in 2022/23. The majority of these abortions were medical, with only 198 surgical abortions performed.
Abortion was decriminalised here back in October 2019, with legislation passed the following March. NI's abortion laws were liberalised following legislation passed by Westminster at a time when the powersharing government at Stormont had collapsed.
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Latest figures show that the numbers have almost doubled from 1,574 in 2020/21 to a total of 2,792 in the last year. The total in 2021/22 was 1,757, followed by 2,168 in 2022/23.
During 2023/24, there were 72 abortions carried out on women under 18, 2,118 carried out on women aged 18 – 34 years and 567 carried out on women aged 35 years and over. Back in 2020/21, there were 46 abortions carried out on women under 18, 1,149 carried out on women aged 18 – 34 years and 362 carried out on women aged 35 years and over.
During 2021/22, there were 54 abortions carried out on women under 18, 1,360 carried out on women aged 18 – 34 years and 308 carried out on women aged 35 years and over. In 2022/23, there were 60 abortions carried out on women under 18, 1,664 carried out on women aged 18 – 34 years and 409 carried out on women aged 35 years and over.
Responding to the figures, Naomi Connor, Co-convener of Alliance for Choice said: "At Alliance for Choice we hear from people who have not been able to access abortion services every week, whether this is due to barriers such as travel or childcare, because they can’t find information on services, or increasingly because they have been misinformed by rogue so called ‘crisis pregnancy centres’ like Stanton Healthcare.
"We are able to help many people access the abortion they want or need, sometimes this is as simple as signposting them to the correct information, other times it means organising logistics, and often we accompany and advocate for abortion seekers."
But TUV leader Jim Allister said the figures were "deeply troubling".
He added: "They show that the number of abortions being carried out in Northern Ireland increased by a shocking 28.8% since the previous year, with 2,792 performed in 2023/24 compared with 2,168 in 2022/23. If one goes back further the rise is even more stark. In 2020/21 the figure was 1,574 meaning there has been an increase of over 77% when compared with today’s figures.
“While I welcome the increase in the volume of data published by the Department, I note that the information continues to fall well short of the information released by health authorities in Great Britain. In GB the socioeconomic background of the mother, whether she has had more than one abortion and other information is available but not in Northern Ireland. I received an assurance from the then Minister in 2024 that this situation would change. Why hasn’t it?”
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