The rate of applications for abortions in Israel declined in 2024, with 6.6 applications submitted for every 1,000 women of reproductive age, according to the latest report by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
The rate is down from 6.9 applications per 1,000 women in 2023, and 99.8% of applications were approved as of this report. Within that, a request was filed for 7.5 per 100 known pregnancies in the country, continuing a downward trend since 1988. The rate was more than double at the time, standing at 15.2 per 100 known pregnancies.
Non-Arab Christian women recorded the highest application rate, at 10.0 per 1,000 women. Jewish women had the fourth-highest rate, at 6.8 per 1,000, and Muslim-Arab women had one of the lowest rates at 5.7.
In Israel, abortion applications must be submitted and approved by the Pregnancy Termination Committee before the procedure can take place. Applicants are eligible if they meet one of several legal criteria. In 2024, the most common legal basis for approval was pregnancy outside of marriage, with 43.3% of women citing this on their applications.
However, married women still made up the majority of applicants, accounting for 51.2% of submissions, compared to 38.2% requested by single women.
Apart from non-marital pregnancies, the next most common reasons for termination requests include “risk of physical or mental defect in the fetus” and “risk to the woman’s health.”
Although education-level statistics vary, the majority of applications from Jewish women were submitted by those with less than a high school education. Among Arab women, most held a high school certificate or diploma.
When looking at Israel’s abortion statistics next to those of other countries around the world, the numbers are relatively low. In 2024, 8.0 terminations were performed per every live birth. On the other hand, the 2022 average in the European Union was 19.9.
Abortions in Israel are highly regulated; however, this report shows that applications are overwhelmingly approved, overall application rates continue to decline, and Israeli fertility rates remain strong.
Source:
www.jpost.com
