Newly released figures from Ireland’s Department of Health reveal that 10,852 abortions were carried out in the country in 2024 — the highest annual total recorded since abortion was legalised in 2019.
This marks an 8.16% rise from the 2023 figure of 10,033, and a staggering 62.8% rise compared to 2019, the year abortion services officially began, when 6,666 terminations were reported.
The legalisation of abortion in Ireland followed the 2018 referendum that rescinded the 1983 Eighth Amendment, which had previously guaranteed equal rights to life for both mother and unborn child.
The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act was enacted on 20 December 2018, and services became available from 1 January 2019.
Prior to this change, abortion access for Irish residents was limited, leading many to travel abroad.
In 2018, the year before the legislation came into effect, 2,879 Irish women underwent abortions in England and Wales, while 32 more were recorded under Ireland’s then-restrictive Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act — a combined total of 2,911.
Since 2019, the number of abortions performed within Ireland has increased each year.
In 2022, there were 8,156 abortions conducted domestically, while 201 Irish residents sought abortions in England and Wales.
A small number of patients from Northern Ireland — 12 in total — also accessed services in the Republic of Ireland that year.
In 2024, nearly all abortions — 98.7% — happened outside of circumstances involving danger to the woman’s life or wellbeing, or instances where the baby was expected to die due to a fatal medical condition.
Monthly breakdowns show that January had the highest number of procedures (1,056), while August recorded the lowest (849).
Since legalisation, Ireland has reported a total of 48,984 abortions from 2019 through 2024.
Reacting to the figures, Catherine Robinson of Right To Life UK said: “The 10,852 abortions in 2024 are a tragedy. Every single one of these was a unique human person whose life was ended shortly after it began.
“The number of abortions has increased dramatically since 2019, when abortion was made legal.
“Less than a decade ago, unborn babies’ lives were protected by law in Ireland. Now, according to the latest data, they are being ended at a rate of over 10,000 per year.”
