Historical abortion statistics, Queensland (Australia)
compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 7 June 2026
| year | live births | abortions,
legal reported | abortions, legal
reported (Medicare) | fetal deaths | abortion ratio | abortion % | abortion rate
(per 1000 women
ages 15-44) |
|---|
| 1960 | 35,213 | | | | | | |
| 1961 | 36,637 | | | | | | |
| 1962 | 35,690 | | | | | | |
| 1963 | 35,934 | | | | | | |
| 1964 | 34,972 | | | | | | |
| 1965 | 33,551 | | | | | | |
| 1966 | 32,903 | | | | | | |
| 1967 | 34,692 | | | | | | |
| 1968 | 35,190 | | | | | | |
| 1969 | 36,440 | | | | | | |
| 1970 | 37,351 | | | | | | |
| 1971 | 39,847 | | | | | | |
| 1972 | 39,025 | | | | | | |
| 1973 | 37,900 | | | | | | |
| 1974 | 37,770 | | | | | | |
| 1975 | 36,328 | | | | | | |
| 1976 | 35,268 | | | | | | |
| 1977 | 34,976 | | | | | | |
| 1978 | 34,530 | | | | | | |
| 1979 | 35,220 | | | | | | |
| 1980 | 35,001 | | | | | | |
| 1981 | 38,935 | | | | | | |
| 1982 | 40,599 | | | | | | |
| 1983 | 42,085 | | | | | | |
| 1984 | 40,446 | | (7,460) | | 184 | 15.6 | |
| 1985 | 40,437 | | (7,650) | | 189 | 15.9 | |
| 1986 | 40,371 | | (8,020) | | 199 | 16.6 | |
| 1987 | 39,365 | | (8,400) | | 213 | 17.6 | |
| 1988 | 40,561 | | (9,020) | | 222 | 18.2 | |
| 1989 | 42,071 | | (9,950) | | 237 | 19.1 | |
| 1990 | 44,868 | | (10,440) | | 233 | 18.9 | |
| 1991 | 44,160 | | (10,980) | | 249 | 19.9 | |
| 1992 | 46,240 | | (11,860) | | 256 | 20.4 | |
| 1993 | 46,778 | | (12,470) | | 267 | 21.0 | |
| 1994 | 46,578 | | 13,760 | 259 | 295 | 22.8 | |
| 1995 | 46,484 | | 13,805 | 278 | 297 | 22.9 | |
| 1996 | 47,769 | | 13,859 | 287 | 290 | 22.5 | |
| 1997 | 46,965 | | 13,820 | 271 | 294 | 22.7 | |
| 1998 | 47,046 | | 13,788 | 262 | 293 | 22.7 | |
| 1999 | 46,503 | | 14,129 | 347 | 304 | 23.3 | |
| 2000 | 47,278 | | 14,538 | 354 | 308 | 23.5 | |
| 2001 | 47,678 | | 14,977 | | 314.1 | 23.90 | 19.1 |
| 2002 | 47,771 | | 14,386 | | 301.1 | 23.14 | 18.1 |
| 2003 | 48,342 | | 14,349 | | 296.8 | 22.89 | 17.7 |
| 2004 | 49,940 | | 13,984 | | 280.0 | 21.88 | 17.0 |
| 2005 | 51,661 | | 14,233 | | 275.5 | 21.60 | 17.0 |
| 2006 | 52,665 | | 14,509 | | 275.5 | 21.60 | 17.0 |
| 2007 | 61,249 | | 15,056 | | 245.8 | 19.73 | 17.3 |
| 2008 | 63,132 | | 15,209 | | 240.9 | 19.41 | 17.0 |
| 2009 | 66,097 | | 15,780 | | 238.7 | 19.27 | 17.2 |
| 2010 | 64,467 | | 15,320 | | 237.6 | 19.20 | 16.5 |
| 2011 | 63,253 | | 15,070 | | 238.2 | 19.24 | 16.0 |
| 2012 | 63,837 | | 12,752 | | 199.8 | 16.65 | 13.3 |
| 2013 | 63,354 | | 13,614 | | 214.9 | 17.69 | 14.0 |
| 2014 | 63,066 | | 15,427 | | 244.6 | 19.65 | 15.7 |
| 2015 | 61,417 | | 17,277 | | 281.3 | 21.95 | 17.5 |
| 2016 | 62,274 | | 18,738 | | 300.9 | 23.13 | 18.9 |
| 2017 | 60,625 | | 19,495 | | 321.6 | 24.33 | 19.4 |
| 2018 | 61,076 | | 16,329 | | 267.4 | 21.10 | 16.1 |
| 2019 | 61,654 | | 25,846 | | 419.2 | 29.54 | 25.1 |
| 2020 | 59,490 | | 21,609 | | 363.2 | 26.65 | 20.8 |
| 2021 | 64,111 | | 23,519 | | 366.8 | 26.84 | 22.7 |
| 2022 | 62,094 | | 24,470 | | 394.1 | 28.27 | 23.6 |
| 2023 | 58,458 | | 24,171 | | 413.5 | 29.25 | 23.4 |
| 2024 | 58,838 | | 22,725 | | 386.2 | 27.86 | 22.0 |
| 2025 | | | 25,708 | | | | |
| 2026 | | | 7,311 | | | | |
| year | live births | abortions,
legal reported | abortions, legal
reported (Medicare) | fetal deaths | abortion ratio | abortion % | abortion rate
(per 1000 women
ages 15-44) |
|---|
Notes: Reporting for abortions is incomplete; reported abortions include only Medicare abortions, and these figures are incomplete for 2010-2011. Abortion figures are for calendar years, some figures are interpolated from fiscal year figures.
Sources (incomplete):
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 11 Nov. 2009, "33010DO001_2008 Births, Australia, 2008," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010do001_2008.xls&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&A1AC0DA0560BF50CCA25766A00121D9C&0&2008&11.11.2009&Previous].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 25 Oct. 2011, "3301.0 - Births, Australia, 2010: States and territories," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4DBF6BE0677A9A7ACA257933001675E9?opendocument].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29 Oct. 2007, "3301.0 Births, Australia," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010_table_1_2006.zip&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&0C9BCCC03FFD4F7DCA2573800015B897&0&2006&29.10.2007&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3 June 2003, "Australian Social Trends: Population--State summary tables," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/54f9dc094d0b4814ca256d39001bc333!OpenDocument].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 5 Aug. 2008, "3105.0.65.001 Australian Historical Population Statistics, 2008, 5. Births," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&3105065001ds0005_2008.xls&3105.0.65.001&Data%20Cubes&D15AA24359739174CA25749B00176F62&0&2008&05.08.2008&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 25 Oct. 2012, "Table 1: Births, summary, states and territories--2001 to 2011," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010do001_2011.xls&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&433EE795894F6431CA257AA100127D7E&0&2011&25.10.2012&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 10 July 2014, "Table 1: Births, summary, states and territories--2002 to 2012," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&33010do001_2012.xls&3301.0&Data%20Cubes&D5F2BC3BBE0663AFCA257C0D000F7DD1&0&2012&24.10.2013&Latest].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3 Nov. 2014, "3301.0 - Births, Australia, 2013: States and territories," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3301.0Main%20Features52013?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3301.0&issue=2013&num=&view=].
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2001, "Australia's mothers and babies 1999," Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, National Perinatal Statistics Unit, on line [http://www.npsu.unsw.edu.au/PRERUWeb.nsf/resources/AMB_1995-98/$file/ps11.pdf].
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003, "Australia's mothers and babies 2000," Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, National Perinatal Statistics Unit, on line [http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442458935].
- Family Planning Queensland, July 2000, "Abortion Statistics," Family Planning Queensland, on line [http://www.fpq.asn.au/factsheets_brochures/student_info/Abortion%20stats.pdf].
- HIC, 2005, "Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Item Statistics Reports," HIC, on line [http://www.hic.gov.au/statistics/dyn_mbs/forms/mbs_tab4.shtml].
- Medicare Australia, 2008, "Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Item Statistics Reports," Medicare Australia, on line [https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.shtml].
- Medicare Australia, 2012, "Medicare Item Reports," Medicare Australia, on line [https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.shtml].
- Medicare Australia, Jan. 2015, "Medicare Item Reports," Medicare Australia, on line [https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.shtml].
- Queensland Right to Life, "Number of abortions conducted in Australia," on line, Queensland Right to Life [http://www.qrtl.org.au/abort/facts.htm].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 30 Aug. 2022, "Regional population by age and sex," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population-age-and-sex/latest-release].
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, 25 Oct. 2022, "Births, Australia," Australian Bureau of Statistics, on line [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/2021].
- Services Australia, 2023, "Medicare Item Reports," on line, Medicare Statistics [http://medicarestatistics.humanservices.gov.au/statistics/mbs_item.jsp].
- Wright, S. M., D. Bateson, and K. McGeechan, 2021, "Induced abortion in Australia: 2000-2022," Family Planning NSW, Ashfield, Australia, on line [https://www.fpnsw.org.au/sites/default/files/assets/Induced-Abortion-in-Australia_2000-2020.pdf].
© 2004-2025, 2026 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 7 June 2026.
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