"Figure 1: The number of abortions increased while the number of conceptions and births continued decreasing in 2018","" "Number of conceptions, births and abortions for all women, England and Wales, 1969 to 2018","" "","" "Notes","1. Abortion numbers taken from the [Department of Health and Social Care](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018). 2. Number of births include live births and stillbirths. 3. Prior to 1969, the first full year for which abortions data were available, the number of conceptions was equivalent to the number of maternities. 4. Sharp decreases in number of conceptions and births that occurred between 1970 and 1976 could be explained by the [increased use of contraception](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297204/) over this period. 5. Several scares about the [safety of the contraceptive pill](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297204/) between 1976 and 1996 may have led to increases in the number of conceptions due to less reliable contraception methods, if any, being used. " "Unit","Number in thousands" "","" "Year","Number of conceptions ","Number of births","Number of abortions" "1969","832.7","808.2","49.8" "1970","876.9","794.8","76.0" "1971","835.5","793.1","94.6" "1972","801.0","734.2","108.6" "1973","762.1","683.9","110.6" "1974","724.3","647.1","109.4" "1975","693.3","609.7","106.2" "1976","671.6","590.0","101.9" "1977","686.4","574.7","102.7" "1978","747.9","601.5","111.9" "1979","774.1","643.2","120.6" "1980","765.0","661.0","128.9" "1981","752.3","638.7","128.6" "1982","755.3","629.9","128.6" "1983","753.4","632.8","127.4" "1984","790.1","640.5","136.4" "1985","797.2","660.1","141.1" "1986","818.9","664.6","147.6" "1987","850.4","684.9","156.2" "1988","849.5","697.0","168.3" "1989","864.7","691.0","170.5" "1990","871.5","709.4","173.9" "1991","853.7","702.5","167.4" "1992","828.0","692.6","160.5" "1993","819.0","677.3","157.8" "1994","801.6","668.5","156.5" "1995","790.3","651.7","154.3" "1996","816.9","653.0","167.9" "1997","800.4","646.5","170.1" "1998","797.0","639.3","177.9" "1999","774.0","625.2","173.7" "2000","767.0","607.6","175.5" "2001","763.7","597.8","176.4" "2002","787.0","599.5","175.9" "2003","806.8","625.1","181.6" "2004","826.8","643.4","185.7" "2005","841.8","649.3","186.4" "2006","870.0","673.2","193.7" "2007","895.9","693.6","198.5" "2008","888.6","712.3","195.3" "2009","896.5","709.9","189.1" "2010","909.2","726.9","189.6" "2011","909.1","727.7","189.9" "2012","884.7","733.2","185.1" "2013","872.8","701.8","185.3" "2014","871.0","698.5","184.6" "2015","876.9","701.0","185.8" "2016","863.1","699.4","185.6" "2017","847.2","682.0","192.9" "2018","839.0","659.8","200.6"