Scotland Reports Record Abortion Numbers as New Data Released

09.06.2026

Scotland has recorded its highest-ever number of abortions, with 18,783 procedures in 2025, according to newly released national data. The figures, published in Public Health Scotland’s report Termination of Pregnancy Statistics: Year Ending December 2025, show a dramatic rise over the past decade and mark a deeply troubling moment for those concerned about the protection of unborn life.

Over ten years, abortions have risen by 54.78%, and the rate per 1,000 women aged 15–44 has climbed from 11.9 to 17.6. Repeat abortions now account for 42.2% of all procedures. Lanarkshire saw the steepest regional increase, with numbers soaring by 85.83% since 2016. The report also highlights 277 disability-selective abortions, a 61% rise since 2018, and a sharp increase in late-term abortions between 18 and 20 weeks.

These statistics land at a moment of intense political pressure. A government‑commissioned review has recommended abolishing Scotland’s 24‑week limit and permitting abortions on broad social grounds, including sex‑selective reasons, up to birth. If enacted, Scotland would adopt one of the most extreme abortion regimes in the world, diverging sharply from the European norm of 12‑week limits and placing viable unborn children at heightened risk.

Right To Life UK, which first broke the story, warns that these proposals would accelerate an already alarming trend and further endanger late‑gestation babies capable of surviving outside the womb.

Scotland now faces a defining moral crossroads, whether to expand abortion access without limit, or to confront the human cost already reflected in these unprecedented numbers.