Northern Ireland

2,168 abortions carried out in Northern Ireland in 2022/23 – department

The figure is an increase from 1,755 in 2021/22 and 1,574 in 2020/21.

Castle Buildings, the headquarters for the Northern Ireland Department of Health in the grounds of Stormont
Castle Buildings, the headquarters for the Northern Ireland Department of Health in the grounds of Stormont (Liam McBurney/PA)
By Rebecca Black, PA

More than 2,000 abortions were carried out in Northern Ireland in 2022/23, according to department of health figures.

Abortion laws in the north were liberalised in 2019 following legislation passed by Westminster at a time when the powersharing government at Stormont had collapsed.

According to figures compiled by the department, the number of abortions carried out in Northern Ireland since are 1,574 in 2020/21, 1,755 in 2021/22 and 2,168 in 2022/23.

Of those figures, some 46 abortions were carried out on women aged under 18 years in 2020/21, as well as 1,149 on women aged between 18-34 and 362 on woman aged 35 and over.

During 2021/22, there were 54 abortions carried out on women under 18 years, 1,359 on women aged between 18–34 and 307 on women aged 35 years and over.

The figures for 2022/23 include 60 abortions carried out on women aged under 18 years, 1,663 on women aged between 18–34 and 409 on women aged 35 years and over.