Far fewer immigrant women in Denmark getting abortions

No research has yet been carried out to explain the trend

Lucie Rychla

Far fewer immigrant women living in Denmark are getting abortions than 10 years ago, reports Kristeligt Dagblad.

According to figures from the Danish health authority, Sundhedsstyrelsen, the abortion rate for women with a non-Western ethnic background has fallen by a third from 22 abortions per 1,000 women in 2006 to 15 abortions per 1,000 women in 2015.

Meanwhile, the abortion rate for women with a Danish ethnic background has remained stable over the same period at 11 abortions per 1,000 women.

READ MORE: Fewer teenage abortions and pregnancies

Across all ethnic groups
Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen, a professor in the department of social medicine at Copenhagen University, believes the figures indicate that health inequalities in Denmark have been diminished.

She pointed out, however, that no research has yet been carried out to explain the cause of the new trend.

According to Sundhedsstyrelsen, the decline in abortion rates applies to almost all major immigrant groups in the country, which includes women with Somali, Iraqi, Filipino, Chinese, Pakistani and Balkan backgrounds.

In 2015, Iranian women averaged the highest rate, 26 abortions per 1,000 women, but even that represented a notable decrease compared with 2006, when the rate was at 31.

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