Number of abortions in Canada by territory and provider| ��ƽ��

Number of abortions reported in Canada in 2023, by provider and territory

Characteristic	Reported by hospitals	Reported by non-hospital settings*
Newfoundland and Labrador	44	984
Prince Edward Island	330	-
Nova Scotia	1,255	720
New Brunswick	853	229
Quebec	7,030	15,736
Ontario	5,355	36,812
Manitoba	1,217	2,502
Saskatchewan	1,674	628
Alberta	187	11,708
British Columbia	2,821	11,081
Yukon	100	-
Northwest Territories	218	-
Nunavut	69	-

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Release date

March 2025

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Region

Canada

Survey time period

2023

Supplementary notes

Induced abortion is defined as the medical termination of pregnancy. Equivalent terms include artificial abortion, therapeutic abortion, voluntary termination of pregnancy, elective termination of pregnancy and active termination of pregnancy.

* Non-hospital setting includes various primary care settings (e.g., nurse practitioner and physician offices, community and public health clinics).

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In 2023, the provinces with the highest number of abortions in Canada were Ontario and Quebec. That year, there were around 22,766 abortions in the province of Quebec. In both Quebec and Ontario, the majority of abortions were performed in clinics, however, in other provinces, such as Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, more abortions are performed in hospitals than in clinics.

The legal status of abortion in Canada

Abortion in Canada has been legal since 1988 when the Supreme Court decided that a previous law that criminalized abortion was unconstitutional. However, access to abortion varies by province and region, depending on the provincial health care system. The two methods of abortion available in Canada are medical abortions, which involves taking medication, and surgical abortions such as vacuum aspiration or dilation and evacuation (D&E). Abortions in Canada are generally safe and have very few complications. In 2020, around 97 percent of abortions performed in hospitals had no complications, while just once percent resulted in hemorrhaging.

Who gets abortions in Canada?

In 2023, the highest number of abortions were performed on women aged 25 to 29 years. That year, there were around 25,677 abortions in this age group. Most women who had an abortion in Canada in 2020 had not had an abortion previously, but 15 percent had one previous abortion. Furthermore, most women who had an abortion in 2020 had not previously given birth.