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Accredited official statistics

Abortion statistics for England and Wales: 2021

Statistics and commentary on abortions carried out in 2021.

Updates to this page

From:
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Published:
21 June 2022
Last updated:
15 January 2026
Show all updates

  1. Replaced the ODS file 'Abortion statistics 2021: additional tables (revision)' with the file 'Abortion statistics 2021: additional tables (amended)' to amend the labelling of abortions by method. Full details of the changes are in the 'Revisions' tab of the new ODS file.

  2. Updated to announce a change will be made to the labelling of abortions by method following review.

  3. Updated to correct data on legal abortions (tab T2) in ‘Abortion statistics 2021: data tables (revision)’. Correction notice added to main page and to HTML commentary 'Abortion statistics, England and Wales, 2021'.

  4. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  5. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  6. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  7. Added updated data tables spreadsheet (with an update to a table column heading).

  8. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  9. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version. Added feedback form for views on abortion statistics for England and Wales.

  10. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  11. Updated the 'Complications' section with revised data in the attachment 'Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021'. Replaced the attachments 'Abortion statistics 2021: data tables (revision)' and 'Abortion statistics 2021: additional tables' with revised versions. Figures for number of abortions with a complication have been revised.

  12. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  13. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  14. Replaced 'Abortion statistics 2021: data tables' with a revised version due to a small error in the calculations used in the tables published on 21 June 2022. Figures for number of abortions under 10 weeks gestation in tables T11a and T11c have been revised (see tab 'Revision_16_12_22' for more details).

  15. Added 'Abortion statistics 2021: clinic data tables' spreadsheet.

  16. Replaced the attachment 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases' with an updated version.

  17. Added spreadsheet: 'Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases'.

  18. First published.

Accredited official statistics

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021

HTML

Guide to abortion statistics, England and Wales: 2021

HTML

Pre-release access lists: abortion statistics, England and Wales, 2021

HTML

Abortion statistics 2021: data tables (revision)

ODS, 221 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Abortion statistics 2021: clinic data tables

ODS, 90.8 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Abortion statistics 2021: additional tables (amended)

ODS, 43.2 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Abortion statistics 2021: freedom of information and other data releases

ODS, 61.7 KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Details

This report sets out and comments on abortion statistics in England and Wales for 2021 and provides an update to the abortion statistics during the COVID-19 pandemic: January to June 2021.

The statistics are obtained from the abortion notification forms returned to the chief medical officers of England and Wales.

Correction notice

The labelling of abortions by method has been updated. See the ‘Revisions’ tab of ‘Abortion statistics 2021: additional tables (amended)’ for full details of the changes.

Since the statistics were first published in June 2022, we have published 4 sets of corrections (in December 2022, March 2023, September 2023 and July 2025).

The corrections are listed in full in the ‘Revisions’ tab in the following files:

  • ‘Abortion statistics 2021: data tables (revision)’
  • ‘Abortion statistics 2021: additional tables (amended)’

Tell us what you think

To provide feedback on ‘Abortion statistics for England and Wales’, please contact abortion.statistics@dhsc.gov.uk.  

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