NZ abortion total jumps 10 per cent in 2024

There were 17,785 abortions reported in 2024, up from 16,277 in 2023, stated the Abortion Services NZ Annual Report 2025, released in early December.

Some two-thirds of the abortions in 2024 were early medical abortions, using pills. These were for pregnancies up to 10 weeks’ gestation.

Right to Life noted with concern that the 2025 report had seven sections, whereas the report for the previous year had 11 sections. Statistics on repeat abortions, the number of people who accessed pre-abortion counselling, the percentage of midwives involved in providing abortion, enquiries that did not result in abortion and information on contraceptive use at the time of the abortion were not contained in the 2025 report.

In most of the cases reported, the unborn children lost to abortion was a healthy child in a normal pregnancy, Right to Life stated.

“The tragic statistics in this report reinforce how important it is for us to continue promoting the pro-life message,” the group said.

Voice for Life noted that the number of abortions has risen 32 per cent since the Abortion Legislation Act was introduced in Jacinda Ardern’s Labour-led Government, despite the public being told by some members of Parliament that there would be no increase.

There were 232 abortions per 1000 known pregnancies in 2024, up from 221 the previous year, Voice for Life stated.

“While those in favour of abortion are celebrating, citing greater access to abortion is better, those that understand a human life in the womb deserves the most basic of all human rights – the right to live – can see that these numbers are devastating,” Voice for Life added.

FULL STORY

New Abortion Statistics in New Zealand Reveal Rising Numbers and Major Gaps in Transparency (National Right to Life)

Voice for Life Abortion report (Facebook)

Abortion Services Aotearoa New Zealand: Annual Report 2025 (Ministry of Health)