A record 251,377 abortions took place in England and Wales in 2022, the highest number since the 1967 Abortion Act was introduced, latest figures from the Department of Health show.
The surge, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year, is being driven by the cost-of-living crisis, abortion healthcare providers claim.
They have also blamed the rise on long waits for contraceptive appointments, plus limited access to birth control medicines and devices.
Analysis found there has been an increase in the abortion rates for those aged 19 and above from 2012 to 2022.
The largest increase in abortion rates between 2012 to 2022 was in the 25 to 29 age group – a rise from 21.8 terminations per 1,000 women to 31.4 per 1,000. There were 62,108 abortions among this age group in 2022, up from 53,017 the previous year and 41,882 in 2012.
For those aged under 18, the number of abortions rose to 7,766 in 2022, up from 6,273 in 2021.
The data also showed there were 12,873 abortions in the under 18 cohort in 2012.
Commenting on the figures, the DHSC said the overall trend for those aged under 18 over the last 10 years is downwards.
The number of under 16s terminating pregnancies also rose slightly from 1,125 in 2021 to 1,311 in 2022. The rate also increased significantly for women aged 35 and over, with 40,789 abortions recorded in 2021 and 46,232 seen in 2022.
Medical abortions accounted for 86 per cent of abortions in 2022, compared with 87 per cent of abortions in the previous year.
In 2022, 99 per cent of abortions in England and Wales were funded by the NHS, with 80 per cent of abortions taking place in the independent sector, the DHSC data shows.
The majority of NHS funded terminations take place in the private sector. Those providing abortion services include MSI Reproductive Choices (MSI) and 98 per cent of its abortion treatments in the UK are funded by the NHS.
Heidi Stewart, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said: “No woman should have to end a pregnancy she would otherwise have continued purely for financial reasons.
“The stories women have shared with us are heartbreaking. The costs of living crisis has placed immense strain on women and families, with too many having to choose between financial stability and having a baby.”
Sarah Salkeld, UK associate clinical director at MSI, said it is no surprise the number of abortions are rising with so many women around the country experiencing inadequate access to contraception.
Ms Salkeld warned that greater demand and finite resources for GPs and sexual health clinics are leaving women at risk of unintended pregnancy at a time when families are struggling to make ends meet.
She added: “These pressures disproportionately impact those on the lowest incomes, meaning those hardest hit by the cost of living crisis are often more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy in the first place.
“At MSI, we have seen numbers continue to rise, with 27 per cent more people turning to us for abortion care in 2023 and a further 22 per cent increase in the first quarter of this year.
“There is rarely one isolated reason why someone needs or chooses abortion but we do know that the combination of the cost of living crisis and lack of access to contraception is playing a bigger role in these decisions.”
Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for charity Right To Life UK, which campaigns against abortion, said: “It is a national tragedy that 252,122 lives were lost to abortion in England and Wales in 2022.”
