Dutch abortions hold steady at 39,000, teen procedures decrease
The Netherlands recorded roughly 39,000 abortions in 2024, virtually unchanged from 2023, while procedures among teenagers dropped to 2,800, down 76 from the previous year, according to the Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate. Abortions for girls under 15 fell from 107 in 2023 to 65 in 2024.
Most abortions were performed on women aged 25 to 34, with over half occurring between five and six weeks of pregnancy. Since 2023, Dutch law no longer requires a mandatory five-day reflection period.
Abortions can be performed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Women can end pregnancies with a medical abortion pill up to nine weeks or via a surgical procedure in a clinic, the most common method. Procedures are fully reimbursed for Dutch women.
During the Tweede Kamer election campaign, SGP party leader Chris Stoffer has tried to make abortion a central issue to appeal to conservative voters. The SGP has opposed abortion since the 1984 Abortion Act legalized procedures previously carried out illegally.
