Since the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union in 1991, the life expectancy of Russians has decreased and poverty has increased.
One tragic side effect of this economic difficulty is that more Russians choose abortion to avoid the cost of raising children.
According to the World Health Organization, (2023) roughly 73 million induced abortions occur worldwide each year, with 61% of all unintended pregnancies and 29% of all pregnancies in general ending with an abortion. The WHO also keeps a database of each country's abortion laws, policies, and level of abortion support in the health care system.
Currently (2023) Russia leads the entire world in the number of abortions performed each year at 53.7 per 1,000 women. The second highest country is Vietnam with 35.2 per 1,000 women. The USA has an abortion rate of 20.8 abortions per 1,000 women.
