One in six pregnancies now results in abortion in Ireland, figures reveal

New government data has revealed that abortion has become a routine outcome of pregnancy in Ireland, with 1 in 6 pregnancies now ending in abortion and 10,600 abortions committed in 2025 alone. 

Key Takeaways:

• Before the law legalizing abortion took effect in Ireland, there were 2,879 abortions committed in 2018.

• In 2025, that number soared to 10,600 abortions committed in 2025.

• 1 in 6 pregnancies now end in abortion in the country.

The Details:

The latest abortion figures in Ireland indicate a drastic and disturbing rise from the 2,879 abortions committed in 2018, before Ireland’s abortion law had time to take effect. Statistics from 2024 and 2025 show that, tragically, 1 in 6 pregnancies now end in abortion in Ireland.

In response to recent government data, an article from Irish pro-life group Pro Life Campaign (PLC) called for accountability from the Irish authorities: 

The latest Department of Health numbers come with an appropriate, if unintended, health warning based on previous annual releases.

For 2021, for example, the Department of Health released figures suggesting that 4,577 abortions had taken place that year, a drop of 2,000 on the previous year. However, based on reimbursements made to GPs in 2021, the HSE indicated that 6,686 abortions had in fact been performed.

The Department of Health subsequently admitted there was a discrepancy in the official figures it had presented to the public and gave an undertaking to rectify the matter. Almost five years later, it still has not done so.

If the official figures released by the Department are correct for 2021, then abortion-providing GPs fraudulently claimed close to €1 million from taxpayers for terminations they did not perform. The only other explanation is that the Department of Health underreported the number of abortions carried out that year by approximately 2,000. Whatever the truth may be, the Department of Health still owes the public a full and detailed explanation.

PLC spokesperson Eilís Mulroy slammed the recent data as “deeply concerning,” pointing out that there are “65,000 reasons why government policy in this area has to change,” referring to the approximate number of abortions committed in Ireland since 2019. 

The PLC highlighted that, since abortion was introduced and legalized in Ireland, “there is still no State-backed service whose sole purpose is to ensure that women who are conflicted about having an abortion can access timely information and practical support if they wish to continue their pregnancy.” 

“The State-funded agencies responsible for addressing unplanned pregnancy operate as a de facto fast-track service to abortion,” Mulroy said, adding:

Even a cursory review of these agencies’ websites suggests that their structures are overwhelmingly geared towards abortion. We hear from women all the time who regret their abortions and describe feeling rushed, pressured or carried along by the process, only to be left feeling abandoned and failed by the State afterwards. Women and their babies deserve so much better than this status quo continuing.

Zoom In:

Mulroy contended that the number of abortions currently taking place is far greater than what political leaders said would be committed when they called on people to support the 2018 “Repeal” referendum. 

“Yet in recent months, the only changes in which these leaders have shown any interest are proposals that would lead to still more abortions, not less – their support for the removal of the three-day reflection period being a case in point.,” she said. 

The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference (ICBC) opposed a piece of legislation put forward by Irish political party Sinn Féin last month that would eradicate the compulsory three-day reflection period before an abortion can take place. The bishops' letter read:

Over 90 percent of abortions in Ireland take place in the first 12 weeks but, in a society that is otherwise collapsing under the weight of research statistics, there is no attempt to even find out why. Neither the State, nor the mainstream media, seem to have any interest in exploring what leads women to choose abortion or what happens to them afterwards. We acknowledge with gratitude those public representatives who have courageously affirmed the right to life of the unborn. Unfortunately, there are some who seem determined at all costs to widen the scope of the present law. 

Eventually, the Irish House of Representatives (Dáil) passed the pro-abortion measure by a margin of 86 to 70. 

The Bottom Line:

The scale of Ireland’s abortion figures has renewed debate about Ireland’s post-referendum trajectory, with the country’s latest abortion data acting as a sober warning about what happens when a nation trivializes preborn life. 

Once abortion is normalized, the focus in the public imagination and government circles moves away from protecting life and toward managing its destruction.