Unwanted pregnancies

Global incidence

The global rate of unintended pregnancy was estimated at 44% of all pregnancies between 2010 and 2014, corresponding to approximately 62 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 years old. While unintended pregnancy rates have been slowly declining in most areas of the world, different geographic regions have different estimated unintended pregnancy rates. Rates tend to be higher in low-income regions in Latin America and Africa, estimated at 96 and 89 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women, respectively, and lower in higher-income regions such as North America and Europe, estimated at 47 and 41 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women, respectively. Unwanted pregnancies continue to be a major public health issue worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The annual number of unwanted pregnancies in Asia is estimated to be 53.8 million. It is estimated that between 2010 and 2014, around 5.4% of Asian women ages 15 to 44 had unintended pregnancies.