Nations around the world have adopted laws that protect women's right to choose abortion. Currently, 62% of the world's people live in countries where induced abortion is permitted either for a wide range of reasons or without restriction as to reason. In contrast, 26% of all people reside in nations where abortion is generally prohibited. The last 20 years have seen a clear trend toward abortion liberalization. Those countries that are lagging behind should follow the example of their neighbors in regions throughout the world. Guyana, South Africa, India, Cambodia, and Canada have abortion laws that are among the world's most liberal.

The table on page two illustrates the varying degrees of restrictiveness of the world's abortion laws. Countries in the first category have the most liberal laws. Those in each subsequent category are more restrictive, each recognizing fewer grounds upon which abortion is legal.

Without Restriction as to Reason

Forty-one percent of the world's people live in the 50 nations with the world's most liberal abortion laws - those that permit abortion without restriction as to reason. China, France, Guyana, South Africa, and the United States are among the nations that recognize that abortion is a woman's choice.

Socioeconomic Grounds

Fourteen nations, home to nearly 21% of the world's people, have laws that permit abortion on socioeconomic grounds. Such laws allow consideration of a woman's economic resources, her age, her marital status, and the number of her living children. Barbados, Great Britain, India, and Zambia have laws in this category. Laws that permit abortion on socioeconomic grounds are generally interpreted liberally.

Mental Health Grounds

Twenty nations, making up nearly 3% of the world's population, expressly permit abortion to protect women's mental health, as well as her life and physical health. The nations with laws in this category include Botswana, Jamaica, and Malaysia. The interpretation of "mental health" varies around the world. It can encompass, for example, psychological distress suffered by a woman who is raped or severe strain caused by socioeconomic circumstances.

Physical Health Grounds

Ten percent of the world's population lives in the 33 nations that permit abortion to protect a woman's life and physical health. Argentina, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia are among the countries in this category. Laws that permit abortion on health grounds sometimes require that the threatened injury to health be either serious or permanent. While laws in this category do not explicitly permit abortion to protect mental health, some could be interpreted to allow abortion on those grounds.

Permitted Only to Save the Woman's Life or Prohibited Altogether

A shrinking minority - 26% - of the world's people live in the 74 countries with the world's most restrictive abortion laws. These laws either permit abortion only to save a woman's life or ban the procedure entirely. Many countries in this category, including Brazil, Nigeria, and Indonesia, explicitly permit abortion when a pregnancy threatens a woman's life. In other nations, such as the Dominican Republic, Senegal, and Egypt, laws that make no explicit exception to protect life may be interpreted to permit abortion under such circumstances on the grounds of "necessity."

Other Indications and Restrictions

A number of countries explicitly recognize three other grounds for abortion: when pregnancy results from rape; when pregnancy results from incest; and when there is a high probability of fetal impairment. Nations that recognize these grounds may fall within any of the last four categories described above. In addition, countries in any category may restrict access to abortion by requiring a woman to obtain parental or spousal authorization. These additional grounds and restrictions are identified according to the notes set forth in the following table.

Countries, by restrictiveness of abortion law, 1999

IV. Physical health (also to save the woman's life) Argentina-LR Bahamas Bolivia-R/I Burkina Faso-R/I/F Burundi Cameroon-R Comoros Costa Rica Djibouti Ecuador-LR Equatorial Guinea-SA/PA Eritrea Ethiopia Grenada Guinea Jordan Kuwait-SA/PA/F Liechtenstein Maldives-SA Morocco-SA Mozambique Pakistan Peru Poland-PA/R/I/F Qatar-SA/F Rep. of Korea -SA/R/I/F Rwanda Saudi Arabia-SA/PA Saint Lucia Thailand-R Uruguay-R Vanuatu Zimbabwe-R/I/F 33 Nations, 9.9% of World's Population

V. Permitted only to save the woman's life or prohibited altogether (countries in bold make an explicit exception to save a woman's life) Afghanistan Andorra Angola Antigua & Barbuda Bangladesh Benin Bhutan-U Brazil-R Brunei Central African Rep. Chad Chile-ND Colombia Congo (Brazzaville) Dominica Côte d'Ivoire Dem. Rep. of Congo-F Dominica Dominican Republic Egypt-SA El Salvador-ND Gabon Guatemala Guinea-Bissau Haiti Honduras Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Kenya Kiribati Laos Lebanon Lesotho Libya-PA Madagascar Malawi-SA Mali Malta Marshall Islands-U Mauritania Mauritius Mexico-D/R Micronesia-U Monaco Myanmar Nepal Nicaragua-SA/PA Niger Nigeria Oman Palau Panama-PA/R/F Papua New Guinea Paraguay Philippines San Marino Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Soloman Islands Somalia Sri Lanka Sudan-R Suriname Swaziland Syria-SA/PA Tanzania Togo Tonga Tuvalu Uganda United Arab Emirates-SA/PA Venezuela Yemen 74 Nations, 26% of World's Population

*Gestational limit of 12 weeks. †Gestational limit of 14 weeks. ‡Gestational limit of 24 weeks. §Gestational limit of 90 days. **Gestational limit of 18 weeks. ***GESTATIONAL LIMIT OF 8 WEEKS. Notes: For gestational limits, duration of pregnancy is calculated from the last menstrual period, which is generally considered to occur two weeks prior to conception. statutory gestational limits calculated from the date of conception THUS have been extended by two weeks. SA=Spousal authorization required. PA=Parental authorization/NOTIFICATION required. R=Abortion allowed in cases of rape. LR=Abortion allowed in the case of rape of a woman with a mental disability. I=Abortion allowed in cases of incest. F=Abortion allowed in cases of fetal impairment. L=Law does not indicate gestational limit. PV=Law does not limit pre-viability abortions. D=Federal system in which laws differ according to state. classification based on GROUNDS UPON WHICH ABORTION IS AVAILABLE FOR largest number of people. ND=RECENT LEGISLATION ELIMINATING ALL EXCEPTIONS TO PROHIBITION ON ABORTION MAKES AVAILABILITY OF DEFENCE OF NECESSITY HIGHLY UNLIKELY. H=HONG KONG, CATEGORY II WITH NOTES R/I/F. NI=NORTHERN IRELAND, CATEGORY III. U=LAW UNCLEAR.

Population statistics provided by the Alan Guttmacher Institute.