Are abortions disproportionately White?

Abortion numbers in England and Wales are highest among White women simply because they are the largest ethnic group. When adjusted for population size, White women do not have disproportionately high abortion rates. Their share of abortions broadly matches their share of women of reproductive age. It is worth noting though that White women have the lowest birth rate across all five major ethnic groups.

Earlier this month, the DHSC published the 2023 abortion statistics for England and Wales, showing that 74% of abortions were recorded as White ethnicity. Some commentators have used this figure to raise concerns about the decline of British national heritage. However, the ethnic distribution of abortions has remained broadly stable for at least a decade and closely reflects the ethnic composition of women aged 15–45.

In its report, the DHSC states: Ethnicity was recorded on 92% of forms. This was similar to 2022 (91%). Where ethnicity was recorded, 74% of those having abortions reported their ethnicity as ‘White’, 11% as ‘Asian’, 9% as ‘Black’, 5% as ‘Mixed’ and 1% as ‘Other’. (See table 3a in the data tables for residents of England and Wales.)[i]

The chart below shows the DHSC ethnicity data for resident women having abortions in England and Wales from 2013 to 2023. Percentages exclude ‘not known’ and ‘not stated’, so the chart displays each of the five reported ethnicities as a share of the total.

There has been a modest decline in the proportion of White women, from a peak of 78% in 2017 to the current 74%.

To place this in demographic context, the next chart compares the ethnic proportions of women of reproductive age (from the 2021 Census) with the proportions of women having abortions and women having live births in 2023.

• The proportion of abortions among White women is slightly lower than their overall share of women of reproductive age, indicating no over‑representation.
• Abortion rates differ substantially by ethnicity: White (21 per 1,000 WRA) and Asian (19) women have much lower rates than Black women (40).
• White women have the lowest birth rate (44 per 1,000 WRA), with Asian and Black women having rates almost 1.5 times higher.

Taken together, the data show a consistent picture: the ethnic distribution of abortions closely matches the ethnic distribution of women of reproductive age, and the higher number of abortions among White women reflects population size rather than disproportionate behaviour. What stands out instead are the differing birth and abortion rates across groups, with White women having the lowest fertility and one of the lowest abortion rates.

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[i] Abortion statistics commentary, England and Wales: 2023. (2026, January 15). GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2023/abortion-statistics-commentary-england-and-wales-2023