Based on statistics from 1995 and 2003, the joint study by the Guttmacher Institute and World Health Organization found that on average, nearly 90 percent of women worldwide will have an abortion before the age of 45. However, this statistic represents the average of all women, meaning that it accounts for those who have had multiple abortions and those who have had none at all.
Despite these startling numbers, the study revealed that worldwide rates of induced abortion actually fell 17 percent from 46 million to 42 million between 1995 and 2003.
However, the study's authors found that despite the overall reduction in worldwide abortions, unsafe abortion have remained steady, with most concentrated in developing countries.
According to the report, in 2003, 48 percent of all abortions worldwide were unsafe (up from 44 percent in 1995), and 97 percent of unsafe abortions were in developing countries. On the contrary, in developed countries, 92 percent of abortions were safe.
Between 1995 and 2003, Eastern Europe saw the biggest decrease in abortion rates, down nearly 50 percent, with researchers attributing this decline to the increased use and prevalence of modern contraception methods.
