The 'deeply disturbing' rise in unsafe abortions: By the numbers

The number of dangerous abortions occurring worldwide are increasing, with the majority in Eastern Europe and Middle and Eastern Africa.

(Image credit: Silvia Morara/Corbis)

last updated 8 January 2015

The number of women having unsafe abortions is on the rise, according to a report from the World Health Organization. While the global abortion rate has held steady for most of the past decade, researchers found that countries where the procedure is illegal had much higher rates of women dying from complications. Some women in Africa, for instance, resort to using broken soda bottles or consuming dangerous doses of medicine. "An abortion is actually a very simple and safe procedure," says Gilda Sedgh, the study's lead author. "All of these deaths and complications are easily avoidable." Here's a look at this "deeply disturbing" trend, by the numbers:

43.8 million