New Zealand Abortion Stats 2024: Six troubling trends the data is painting
New Zealand’s 2024 abortion statistics reveal significant and concerning changes — not only in the number of abortions taking place, but in who is affected, how abortions are being performed, and what risks women are facing.
Released quietly just days before the end-of-year shutdown, the 2024 Abortion Statistics Report contains information that demands serious public attention.
Facts like:
49 abortions are taking place on average every day in New Zealand
Nearly a quarter of all pregnancies end in abortion
The number of abortions has risen 32% since the Abortion Legislation Act was introduced
The number of girls under 15 having abortions has almost doubled since 2022, with 48 under 15-year-olds having had abortions last year
The number of abortion complications has almost doubled since 2021
In the latest Voice For Life Pulse Podcast, Voice For Life President Lydia Posthuma spoke with commentator and bioethics speaker Brendan Malone to unpack the numbers, identify what is missing from the report, and explore what these trends mean for women, families, and society.
Below are six major insights from the interview, grounded in official statistics and expert analysis.
1. Abortion Numbers in New Zealand Continue to Rise After
Liberalisation
The headline statistic from the 2024 report is unambiguous: abortions in New Zealand are increasing.
In the most recent reporting year:
17,785 abortions were performed, up from 16,277 the previous year - that’s a 9.3% year-on-year increase.
When averaged across the year, this equates to nearly 49 abortions every day.
Sadly, it’s not a one-off. This increase has been ongoing since the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 came into force, and since then there’s been a 32% increase in the total number of abortions.
“We were explicitly told there would be no increase,” Malone says. “We were told this was just a technical legal change. But the numbers tell a very different story.”
At the time of the law change, supporters repeatedly stated that decriminalisation would not lead to more abortions — only easier access. Five years on, the data contradicts that assurance.
“If anything else caused nearly 18,000 deaths in a single year, it would dominate headlines. Yet this is treated as routine,” Posthuma says.
2. Rising Abortion Rates Cannot Be Explained by Population Growth
A common explanation offered when abortion numbers rise is population growth or migration. However, the abortion rate per capita has also increased, making it clear this is not simply a demographic effect.
Abortion Rate (per 1,000 women aged 15–44)
2020: 13.0 vs 2024: 16.6
For nearly a decade prior to 2020, the abortion rate remained remarkably stable — fluctuating slightly but hovering around 13 abortions per 1000 women aged 15 to 44. After abortion liberalisation, the rate rose sharply.
Abortion Ratio (per 1,000 known pregnancies)
2024: 232 abortions per 1,000 pregnancies
Almost one in four known pregnancies in New Zealand now ends in abortion.
“This isn’t just about population,” Malone explains. “More pregnancies are now being ended by abortion than prior to the introduction of the Abortion Legislation Act in 2020 by Jacinda Ardern’s Labour government.”
This statistic is particularly significant because it reflects decision-making once pregnancy has already occurred — not just broader social trends.
3. Abortions Among Girls Under 15 Have Nearly Doubled
One of the most disturbing trends in the 2024 report receives almost no public commentary: the increase in abortions among girls under the age of 15.
2022: 26 abortions
2024: 48 abortions
That represents almost a 100% increase in just two years.
“We should be deeply alarmed by this,” Posthuma says. “We’re talking about girls who are 13 or 14 — possibly younger. Yet the report simply lists the number and moves on.”
Historically, abortions in this age group were rare and relatively stable in number. The sharp rise following abortion law reform raises serious safeguarding and welfare concerns.
Brendan Malone highlights the unanswered questions: “Why are more children becoming pregnant? And why are abortions now being presented as the primary response?”
The report provides no analysis, no discussion of possible coercion, and no explanation for this trend — despite its obvious implications for child protection and social services.
4. The Abortion Pill Now Accounts for the Majority of Abortions
— Despite Higher Risks
Perhaps the most dramatic structural change in New Zealand abortion practice is the shift toward early medical abortion, commonly known as the abortion pill.
Method of abortion (2024):
67% early medical abortion (pill)
33% surgical abortion.
Before 2020:
Early medical abortions accounted for approximately 38%.
This change has been driven largely by telehealth abortion services, allowing abortion pills to be prescribed remotely and couriered to women’s homes or local pharmacies.
Proponents describe this as “increased access,” particularly for rural women. However, the medical risk profile is significantly higher.
Complication rates by abortion method:
Surgical abortion: ~0.7%
Early medical abortion: 2.6%
Late medical abortion (pill after 10 weeks): 12.2%
“This is a high-risk pharmaceutical product, which can be dangerous in contexts like unsupervised use,” Malone says. “Any rational assessment of the data shows that.”
Posthuma raises concerns about women managing serious medical events alone: “We’re sending these pills to homes, sometimes far from hospitals, and calling it ‘safe.’ The statistics don’t support that claim.” This is especially important as a higher number of women in rural communities are using the pill.
5. Abortion Complications Have Nearly Doubled Since 2021
The 2024 report shows that 2.2% of abortions result in complications requiring follow-up medical care.
While this percentage appears unchanged from the previous year, it represents a near doubling since 2021, when the rate was 1.3%.
Because total abortion numbers have increased, the absolute number of women experiencing complications is higher than ever.
Common complications include:
Haemorrhage, infection, retained placental tissue, incomplete abortion requiring further medical intervention.
“If advocates truly cared about women’s health,” Malone says, “they would be demanding urgent investigation into why complications have risen so sharply.”
The report also fragments complication categories, making individual percentages appear lower — a statistical presentation choice that can obscure overall risk.
6. Counselling, Follow-Up, and Transparency Are Declining
Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the 2024 abortion statistics is what is missing.
A separate government report released earlier in 2024 found:
85% of women and girls receive no pre-abortion counselling
Of the remaining 15%, most counselling occurs within abortion provider facilities.
Despite this, the main abortion statistics report provides no updated counselling data and minimal discussion of support services.
“We’re celebrating speed and efficiency,” says Posthuma, “but efficiency is not the same as care.”
Additional transparency concerns include:
No gestational breakdown after 20 weeks
No data on repeat abortions
No information on the percentage of women accessing counselling
No information of the number of midwives involved
No data on enquiries that did not result in abortion
No information on the types of contraceptives used at the time of abortion.
This lack of transparency forces members of the public to rely on Official Information Act requests simply to understand the full picture.
In collusion, the 2024 abortion statistics reveal a system that is:
Faster
Less transparent
More medically risky
Less supportive of women and girls.
“Every abortion affects more than one person — mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, entire communities,” Posthuma says.
Voice For Life continues to advocate for greater transparency, genuine support for women, and compassionate alternatives to abortion — grounded in evidence, not ideology. “We are working hard to make New Zealand a place where abortion is unthinkable,” Posthuma says.