TABLE 15. Number of deaths and case-fatality rates* for abortion-related deaths reported to CDC, by type of abortion — United States, 1973–2021†.
| Year | Type of abortion |
Total deaths | CFR per 100,000 legal abortions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Induced |
Unknown¶ | ||||
| Legal§ | Illegal | ||||
|
1973–1977
|
2.09
|
||||
| 1973 |
25 |
19 |
3 |
47
|
|
| 1974 |
26 |
6 |
1 |
33
|
|
| 1975 |
29 |
4 |
1 |
34
|
|
| 1976 |
11 |
2 |
1 |
14
|
|
| 1977 |
17 |
4 |
0 |
21
|
|
|
1978–1982
|
0.78
|
||||
| 1978 |
9 |
7 |
0 |
16
|
|
| 1979 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
22
|
|
| 1980 |
9 |
1 |
2 |
12
|
|
| 1981 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
9
|
|
| 1982 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
12
|
|
|
1983–1987
|
0.66
|
||||
| 1983 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
12
|
|
| 1984 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
12
|
|
| 1985 |
11 |
1 |
1 |
13
|
|
| 1986 |
11 |
0 |
2 |
13
|
|
| 1987 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
9
|
|
|
1988–1992
|
0.74
|
||||
| 1988 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
16
|
|
| 1989 |
12 |
1 |
0 |
13
|
|
| 1990 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
9
|
|
| 1991 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
12
|
|
| 1992 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10
|
|
|
1993–1997
|
0.52
|
||||
| 1993 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
9
|
|
| 1994 |
10 |
2 |
0 |
12
|
|
| 1995 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
|
| 1996 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
9
|
|
| 1997 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7
|
|
|
1998–2002
|
0.63
|
||||
| 1998 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
9
|
|
| 1999 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
|
| 2000 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
11
|
|
| 2001 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
8
|
|
| 2002 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10
|
|
|
2003–2007
|
0.60
|
||||
| 2003 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10
|
|
| 2004 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
8
|
|
| 2005 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7
|
|
| 2006 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7
|
|
| 2007 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
6
|
|
|
2008–2012
|
0.65
|
||||
| 2008 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
12
|
|
| 2009 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
8
|
|
| 2010 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10
|
|
| 2011 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
|
| 2012 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
|
|
2013–2021
|
0.46 | ||||
| 2013 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
|
| 2014 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
6
|
|
| 2015 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3
|
|
| 2016 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
8
|
|
| 2017 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3
|
|
| 2018 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
|
| 2019 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4
|
|
| 2020 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
6
|
|
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
Abbreviation: CFR = case-fatality rate.
* Number of legal induced abortion–related deaths per 100,000 reported legal induced abortions. Because a substantial number of legal induced abortions occurred outside reporting areas that provided data to CDC, national CFRs (i.e., number of legal induced abortion–related deaths per 100,000 reported legal induced abortions in the United States) were calculated with denominator data from the Guttmacher Institute’s national survey of abortion-providing facilities; for 2021, denominator data for 2020 were used, the most recent year for which data are available. CFRs were computed for consecutive 5-year periods during 1973–2012 and then for a consecutive 9-year period during 2013–2021 because rates based on <20 cases might be unstable.
† Certain numbers might differ from those in reports published previously because additional information has been supplied to CDC after publication.
§ An abortion is defined as legal if it was performed by a licensed clinician within the limits of state or jurisdiction law.
¶ Unknown whether abortion was induced or spontaneous.