Portugal's 2024 abortion data reveals steady trends and service expansions

2024 Report Shows 97.2% of Abortions in Portugal Were at the Woman's Request in First 10 Weeks

According to the 2024 report by Portugal's Directorate-General of Health (DGS), abortions performed at the woman's request within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy accounted for 97.2% of the total (18,079), while severe fetal abnormalities or congenital malformations remained the second most common reason (2.3%).

In 2024, 32 healthcare facilities carried out abortions at the woman's request—one fewer than in 2023. The DGS highlighted that, for the first time, such procedures were performed in the Alentejo Coast region, while services resumed in the Tâmega and Sousa region.

The introduction of an unwanted pregnancy counseling service at the Alentejo Coast Local Health Unit is "particularly significant" in ensuring equitable access, as it provides a local response to a need previously met outside the region, reducing the need for women from Alentejo to travel to Lisbon, the report notes.

Public Sector Leads in Procedures

The report states that most abortions at the woman's request were performed in the public sector (67.6%), with the share of private-sector procedures declining by 0.9 percentage points compared to 2023.

Under Portuguese law, women may undergo an abortion at an authorized facility that is not the closest to their place of residence. The Lisbon and Tagus Valley region accounted for over half of all abortions nationwide in 2024.

DGS data also show that of the 5,860 abortions performed at the woman's request in private facilities, 2,225 were referred by public hospitals—a figure that has been rising over the past two years.

Medication Abortion Dominates in Public Sector

As has been the case since 2008, medication abortion remained the most common method in public healthcare facilities in 2024, while in private clinics, 64.7% of abortions at the woman's request were surgical procedures.

"However, this was the year with the lowest use of surgical abortion in the private sector, marking a 16.9 percentage-point drop from 2023," the DGS report states.

In 2024, women seeking abortions at their request waited an average of 2.8 days for the mandatory pre-procedure consultation, with an average 6.2-day wait between the consultation and the abortion itself.

The report indicates that the average age of women undergoing abortions remained consistent with previous years, at around 28. However, 27 abortions at the woman's request were performed on girls under 15 (ages 13–14), accounting for 0.1% of the total—a slight decrease from 2023.

Brazilian Women Lead Among Foreign Nationals

The report further reveals that 10,904 abortions (60.3%) were performed on Portuguese women, while 7,163 involved women of other nationalities.

"Over the past five years, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of non-Portuguese women undergoing abortions," the DGS notes, with Brazilian (22.0%), Angolan (16.4%), and Cape Verdean (13.6%) women being the most represented groups.

The DGS acknowledges that Portugal's abortion referral network has undergone changes in recent years, primarily due to restructuring and staffing limitations, and stresses the need to optimize services through better coordination across care levels.

The report also recommends that in regions where women must travel long distances for abortions, post-procedure family planning consultations should be ensured at local health units to support follow-up care.