Jersey has recorded its highest number of abortions in more than two decades – with new data showing a “statistically significant increase” in terminations among 25- to 29-year-olds.

A new report by Public Health revealed that around 280 abortions were reported in Jersey last year – an increase from 260 in 2023, and the highest number since 2002.

Pictured: The number of abortions carried out annually in Jersey between 2000 and 2024.

This rise pushed the island’s abortion ratio – which indicates how many abortions occur for every 1,000 live births – up to 390 last year.

This was the highest abortion ratio on record for Jersey, and exceeds the most recently reported figures for Sweden (339), Great Britain (328), the EU average (199), Ireland (142) and Germany (141).

The document noted that Jersey increased abortion ratio was driven by “small year-on-year increases in the number of abortions being conducted” alongside a “significant reduction” in the number of live births in recent years.

It also noted that the ratio had steadily declined from the early 2000s, – reaching a low of 167 per 1,000 live births in 2014 – but this trend has “reversed sharply” since 2020 with Jersey’s abortion ratio increasing by over 83% in just four years.

Pictured: The abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years in Jersey between 2000 and 2024.

The data also showed that Jersey’s highest abortion rate was among islanders aged 25 to 29 at 25.7 per 1,000.

This was a “statistically significant increase and the highest ever recorded for this group”, according to the report.

The figures come as Jersey’s abortion law is under review, with proposals on the table to extend the legal time limit for abortions, simplify the process for patients and clinicians, and allow at-home terminations using medication.

In March, a senior health expert told the Health Advisory Board that the current system feels very “patronising” and welcomed changes to the island’s decades-old law.

Express took a look at the key figures for 2024…

  • 93% of abortions took place before ten weeks of pregnancy.
  • 92% of abortions were carried out medically rather than surgically.
  • 73% of abortions were first-time procedures.
  • 20% of abortions were second procedures
  • 6% involved women who had previously had three or more abortions.
  • 19% of abortions were repeat terminations among those under 25 – lower than the 28% repeat rate recorded in England.

The full report can be found online.