California Abortion Statistics
State abortion statistics from the leading public and private sources.
Collective state abortion statistics are gathered privately by the Guttmacher Institute and federally by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Because of reporting lag, their most recent data is generally 2-3 years old. In most cases, state-level abortion facts are more current than the numbers reported by Guttmacher or the CDC. Guttmacher’s abortion statistics are estimates built on surveys of all known and suspected abortion providers. For 2014, 58% of queried providers responded to their information request. Abortion totals were estimated for the 42% of abortion providers who did not respond.
To learn more, visit: Prenatal Development, Abortion Procedures or Abortion Pictures
To read abortion stories from California, visit: Abortion Stories (California)
CDC DATA
California did not provide state abortion data to the Centers for Disease Control for the last reporting period.
GUTTMACHER DATA
Estimated Total Abortions (2014): 157,350
The Guttmacher Institute estimates that approximately 157,350 abortions took place in California during 2014. In 2011, an estimated 181,730 abortions occured—compared with an estimated 214,190 in 2008 and 208,430 in 2005.
Estimated Abortion Percentage (2014): 24%
In 2014, an estimated 24% of pregnancies in California ended in abortion. This number does not take into account miscarriages. It was arrived at by dividing Guttmacher's abortion estimate by the sum total of live births (502,879)—as reported by the CDC—and estimated abortions.
Estimated Abortion Rate* (2014): 19.5
The Guttmacher Institute estimates that the 2014 abortion rate for California was 19.5. In 2011, the abortion rate in California was 23. It was 27.6 in 2008, 27.1 in 2005, and 31.2 in 2000. The 2014 abortion rate across the entire United States was 14.6.
*The abortion rate is the number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years.
Percentage of All U.S. Abortions (2014): 17%
In 2014, approximately 17% of all U.S. abortions occurred in California.
Facilities That Perform Abortions (2014): 512
In 2014, the Guttmacher Institute reports that there were 512 abortion providers in California. There were 512 providers in 2011, 522 providers in 2008, 424 providers in 2005, and 400 providers in 2000.
State Abortion Restrictions (2016):
California does not have any state-level abortion restrictions—such as waiting periods, mandated parental involvement or limitations on publicly-funded abortions.
SOURCE: https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/state-facts-about-abortion-california
