America's abortion rate falls 21% in one decade

As shown, the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15-44 has fallen nationally by about 21%, from 15.9 in 2004 to 12.5 in 2013. Similarly, the abortion ratio (i.e., the number of abortions per 1,000 live births) has fallen 17%, from 241 to 200 over the same period.

In reality, the national abortion rate is almost certainly higher than 12.5 per 1,000 women. The reason is because the abortion rate varies substantially across states. South Dakota has the lowest abortion rate (4.7 per 1,000), while New York has the highest rate (23.6 per 1,000).