Historical abortion statistics, North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)

Abortion statistics and other data--Johnston's Archive

Historical abortion statistics, North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)

compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 11 October 2025

Definition of table data (see notes after table for additional information):

Abortions, all to residents include all abortions obtained by lander residents.
Fetal deaths includes stillbirths.
Abortion ratio is abortions per 1000 live births.
Abortion % is abortions as percentage of pregnancies (excluding fetal deaths/miscarriages).
Abortion rate is abortions per 1000 women ages 15-49.

year	live births	abortions	fetal deaths	abortion ratio	abortion %	abortion rate
year	live births	all to residents	fetal deaths	all to residents	all to residents	all to residents
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976	166,128	1,768		10.6	1.05
1977	160,940	10,017		62.2	5.86
1978	158,478	18,019		113.7	10.21
1979	159,378	22,476		141.0	12.36
1980	169,828	24,559		144.6	12.63
1981	169,704	27,244		160.5	13.83
1982	169,191	27,583		163.0	14.02
1983	161,589	25,883		160.2	13.81
1984	158,309	25,280		159.7	13.77
1985	159,713	24,798		155.3	13.44
1986	171,891	26,926		156.6	13.54
1987	177,109	26,667		150.6	13.09
1988	185,877	25,289		136.1	11.98
1989	186,714	23,053		123.5	10.99
1990	199,294	22,773	786	114.3	10.26
1991	198,436	22,753	695	114.7	10.29
1992	196,899	22,973	746	116.7	10.45
1993	194,156	21,631	649	111.4	10.02
1994	186,079	20,231	757	108.7	9.81
1995	182,393	19,260	905	105.6	9.55
1996	188,493	26,415	870	140.1	12.29
1997	190,386	27,220	865	143.0	12.51
1998	182,287	26,613	788	146.0	12.74
1999	176,578	26,895	726	152.3	13.22
2000	175,144	27,481	686	156.9	13.56
2001	167,752	27,429	647	163.5	14.05
2002	163,434	26,840	648	164.2	14.11
2003	159,883	26,038	597	162.9	14.00
2004	158,054	26,072	674	165.0	14.16
2005	153,372	25,271	593	164.8	14.15
2006	149,925	24,967	576	166.5	14.28
2007	151,168	24,500	581	162.1	13.95
2008	150,007	24,120	567	160.8	13.85
2009	145,029	23,143	507	159.6	13.76
2010	147,333	22,897	557	155.4	13.45
2011	143,097	22,231	557	155.4	13.45
2012	145,755	21,866	551	150.0	13.04
2013	146,417	20,939	599	143.0	12.51
2014	155,102	20,105	563	129.6	11.47
2015	160,468	20,783	653	129.5	11.47
2016	173,274	21,041	687	121.4	10.83
2017	171,979	21,869	709	127.2	11.28
2018	173,150	21,378	726	123.5	10.99
2019	170,391	21,552	727	126.5	11.23
2020	170,038	20,705	760	121.8	10.85
2021	175,386	20,225	788	115.3	10.34
2022	164,496	22,750	814	138.3	12.15
2023	155,515	23,551	718	151.4	13.15	6.34
2024	152,688	23,815	685	156.0	13.49
year	live births	abortions	fetal deaths	abortion ratio	abortion %	abortion rate
year	live births	all to residents	fetal deaths	all to residents	all to residents	all to residents

Notes:

Sources:

Arbeitskreis Lebensrecht, 26 March 2009, "Statistik der Schwangerschaftsabbrüche 1996 – 2008," Arbeitskreis Lebensrecht, on line [http://www.ak-lebensrecht.de/info/stat_tab.html].
Federal Health Monitoring System, August 2013, "Live births with low birth weight," Gesundheitsberichterstattung des Bundes, on line [http://www.gbe-bund.de/oowa921-install/servlet/oowa/aw92/dboowasys921.xwdevkit/xwd_init?gbe.isgbetol/xs_start_neu/&p_aid=3&p_aid=46893278&nummer=854&p_sprache=E&p_indsp=-&p_aid=91054487].
Federal Statistical Office, 9 March 2005, "Abortions in Germany, 1999 to 2004, by the land of the place of residence and ratio per 1,000 births," DeStatis, on line [http://www.destatis.de/basis/e/gesu/gesutab18.htm].
Federal Statistical Office, 2009, "Abortions: years from 2002 to 2008, by place of residence of the women and quota every 1,000 births," DeStatis, on line [http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Content/Statistics/Gesundheit/Abortions/Tabellen/Content75/StateOfResidence,templateId=renderPrint.psml].
Federal Statistical Office, 2013, "Abortions," DeStatis, on line [https://www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/Health/Abortions/Tables/StateOfResidence.html;jsessionid=D0FF256B3B067B8A38AC6E9333A725DE.cae4].
Statistisches Bundesamt, Aug. 1997 (on line 12 March 2007), "Gesundheitswesen: Schwangerschaftsabbrüche," Destatis, on line [].
Statistisches Bundesamt, 2025, "Totgeborene: Bundeslander, Jahre," Destatis, on line [https://www-genesis.destatis.de/datenbank/online/statistic/12612/table/12612-0106/table-toolbar].
(incomplete)

© 2025 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 11 October 2025.
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