How many Ukrainian women had an abortion during the Great War: the numbers that statistics hide
12 September 2025 08:42
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has officially registered 21% fewer abortions than in the pre-war period. However, these statistics may be misleading, and the real numbers may be much higher due to mass migration and the destruction of the medical system. This is stated in the article “UP. Life”, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Thus, official statistics say that while in 2021 doctors recorded more than 55 thousand pregnancy terminations, in 2022 their number dropped to 44 thousand, and in 2023-2024 it remained at the level of 42-43 thousand. The relevant data were announced by the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health.
However, gynecologist Victoria Bugro explains that it is too early to rejoice in the decrease.
“The drop in the number of abortions in 2022 reflects logistical and demographic problems rather than a change in the reproductive behavior of Ukrainian women,”
– says the doctor. After all, more than 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have become refugees or IDPs, some hospitals have been destroyed, and territories have been occupied.
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War is stressful
War has become a powerful stressor that directly affects reproductive health. Chronic stress increases cortisol levels, disrupts hormonal balance, and increases the risk of miscarriage by 20-50%.
“In peacetime, the miscarriage rate is 10-15%, while in wartime it can increase to 25-30%,”
– explains the gynecologist. The publication reports that gynecologists have indeed noted a 15-20% increase in miscarriages compared to the pre-war period.
Bugro emphasizes a common misconception about abortion.
“A simplistic view stigmatizes women, reducing a difficult choice to ‘I just didn’t want to’. In reality, it is often a decision made after extensive examinations and internal struggle,”
– says the doctor. The term includes miscarriages, frozen pregnancies (26-30% of all cases), and abortions for medical reasons (10-15%).
The largest share of abortions falls on women aged 20-34, although the number of patients over 35 is growing. The fact that there are children among the patients remains alarming: in 2024, 33 girls under the age of 14 terminated their pregnancies, and 385 adolescents aged 15-17 had an abortion. The number of criminal abortions is also growing – from one case in 2021 to 13 in 2024.
The tip of the iceberg
Experts emphasize that official figures are only the “tip of the iceberg.”
“The statistics are based only on data from the government-controlled territories and do not take into account cases in the occupied territories, abortions in private clinics without official registration, or self-induced attempts,”
– explains Bugro. Some patients avoid official registration because of stigma or fear, especially if the pregnancy is the result of sexual violence.
According to the international organizations UNFPA and WHO, official statistics in war zones may underestimate the real figures by 20-30%. In addition, hundreds of thousands of women of reproductive age have gone abroad, and abortions performed there are not included in Ukrainian data.
In 2023-2024, the situation began to stabilize: women are gradually returning, and the number of requests is growing, mostly for medical abortions. Their share rose from 43% in 2021 to 46% in 2024.
“Without data from all regions, including the occupied ones, it is too early to conclude that there has been a ‘positive’ change in reproductive behavior. Official statistics in times of war are a useful tool for monitoring trends, but their reliability is decreasing,”
– summarizes Victoria Bugro. This situation, according to the doctor, illustrates a broader demographic crisis in Ukraine amid the war.
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