The World Heath Organization (WHO) has estimated that 73 million abortions took place last year worldwide. This makes abortion the leading cause of death worldwide for the seventh year in a row. Other causes were far removed from that figure, with cancer claiming 10 million lives and HIV/ AIDS claiming 17 million. According to the WHO, 61% of unintended pregnancies ended with an abortion. The WHO calculated 140 million global deaths from all causes last year, meaning abortion made up 52% of all global deaths. It was also the leading cause of death in the United States. “In the USA, where nearly 30% of pregnancies are unintended and 40% of these are terminated by abortion, there are between 1,500 to 2,500 abortions per day. Nearly 20% of all pregnancies in the USA (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion. Guttmacher Institute reports 930,160 abortions performed in 2020 in the United States, with a rate of 14.4 per 1,000 women,” the agency noted.

The WHO reported the data in a much different light than pro-life advocates, who bemoaned the loss of 73 million lives. “Abortion is a simple health care intervention that can be safely and effectively managed by a wide range of health workers using medication or a surgical procedure,” it stated. “In the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a medical abortion can also be safely self-managed by the pregnant person outside of a health care facility (e.g. at home), in whole or in part. This requires that the woman has access to accurate information, quality medicines and support from a trained health worker (if she needs or wants it during the process).” The WHO focused more on the dangers of “unsafe abortion.” The agency urged for more accessible abortion in order to make it safe.

By contrast, the pro-life site Life News framed the number as lives lost. “The abortion number is incomprehensible, but each of those 73 million abortions worldwide in 2025 represents a living human being whose life was violently destroyed in their mother’s womb,” it stated. “Each unborn baby already had their own unique DNA, making them distinct from their mother. That DNA indicated if the child was a boy or girl, their eye and hair color, their height, possible genetic disorders and other disabilities, and much more. In most cases, the unborn babies’ hearts are beating when they are aborted, too.