United States

Notes: These are model-based estimates, which allow us to assess how certain we are of these trends. For example, there is a more than 99% probability that the unintended pregnancy rate decreased since 1990–1994 and a more than 99% probability that the abortion rate decreased over this period. For information on how to interpret and use these country-specific model-based estimates, see our fact sheet, Unintended Pregnancy and Abortion Worldwide: Country-level Estimates Explained.

Guttmacher has a separate, extensive body of work around unintended pregnancy and abortion in the United States. The findings in this profile are broadly aligned with those from our US-specific work, but they rely on a different methodology and are not directly comparable. There are contexts in which it may be more appropriate to use one body of work over the other: Comparisons of the United States with other countries should rely on the data included here, which were generated using the same methodology across all other countries and regions. In contrast, our US work should be used when focusing solely on the United States; it includes year-specific trends and information on how unintended pregnancy and abortion vary between population groups.

Subregions used in comparisons follow United Nations Statistics Division groupings.

The related data set, technical resources and associated materials are available in the project's OSF repository.

Source: Bearak J et al., Country-specific estimates of unintended pregnancy and abortion incidence: a global comparative analysis of levels in 2015–2019, BMJ Global Health, 2022, 7(3).

Suggested citation: Guttmacher Institute, United States country profile, 2022, https://www.guttmacher.org/regions/northern-america/united-states?page=14&type=All.