North Dakota Abortion Statistics
Clear facts help us protect unborn children and support their mothers.
Why these numbers matter
Behind these numbers are mothers who need support and unborn children whose lives are at risk.
North Dakota’s abortion law protects life. But a state report alone cannot show every abortion that affects our families. We also need to look at travel and pills sent by mail.
We use the best figures we can verify. We explain what they mean so we can speak for life with truth and care.
Three things the reports count
Abortions inside the state
North Dakota’s reports cover reported abortions here. They do not count all abortions our residents obtain elsewhere.
Abortions in other states
Research estimates how many abortions North Dakota residents obtain outside the state.
Pills sent here
Researchers also count abortion pills sent by US providers. They count them where the pills are received.
These counts overlap in some places. They must not be added together without checking what each one includes.
A bigger picture: about 1,370 in 2025
About 1,370 is our combined research estimate for 2025. It includes abortions ND residents obtained in other states and cases counted from pills sent into North Dakota.
Combined estimate: 980 abortions obtained in other states + 390 cases counted from abortion pills sent into North Dakota = about 1,370 in 2025. Source: Guttmacher travel workbook, 2025 sheet, ND_residence column, North Dakota row and final out-of-state total. The groups are separate by the study’s location rules. Counts are rounded estimates, not confirmed completed abortions or a count of individual women. Some abortions are outside the study.
How the estimates changed
| What is counted | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abortions obtained in other states by ND residents | 900 | 940 | 980 |
| Of those, abortions in Minnesota | 780 | 820 | 910 |
| Study total assigned to North Dakota, including mailed pills | 100 | 280 | 390 |
| Online-only provider count assigned to North Dakota | 100 | 280 | 390 |
| Combined ND resident estimate: out-of-state abortions + cases counted from pills sent here | 1,000 | 1,220 | 1,370 |
Minnesota is already part of the out-of-state total. Do not add it again.
The last two rows are also not two separate groups to add. They have the same rounded estimate. They do not mean 390 abortions were done at North Dakota clinics.
Source: Guttmacher State Abortion Travel 2023–2025 workbook, ND_residence column, Minnesota row and final travel-total row; annual summary workbook, ND row. Travel workbook notes give a September 1, 2026 release date. Dataset; study methods.
Travel for abortion has continued
ND residents obtaining abortions outside the state
The estimate rose about 9% from 2023 to 2025. That is based on 980 compared with 900.
This is a serious concern for life. We need to protect children and reach mothers with real help. The figures alone do not prove why the change happened.
What changed after Roe was overturned?
| Year | All patients | ND residents in that count |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,171 | 833 |
| 2021 | 1,153 | 840 |
| 2022 | 754 | 532 |
| 2023 | Count not published | Count not published |
| 2024 | Count not published | Count not published |
| 2025 | Count not published | Count not published |
The US Supreme Court overturned Roe in June 2022. North Dakota’s report says abortion services here stopped in the first week of August that year. The 2022 count therefore covers only part of the year.
For 2023–2025, the state says the number of reported abortions was too low to publish a report. That does not mean the count was zero.
These figures do not include a full count of abortions North Dakota residents obtained elsewhere. They cannot show the full change in abortions among our residents.
ND HHS abortion reports, 2020–2025. Residence tables are on PDF page 4 in 2020–2022. Later years have notices explaining why counts were not published.
North Dakota and nearby states
| State | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 100 | 280 | 390 |
| Minnesota | 15,380 | 16,770 | 15,970 |
| Montana | 2,480 | 2,510 | 2,580 |
| South Dakota | 100 | 340 | 440 |
These are counts for each state, not just for people who live there. They include people from other states. They also include pills received by mail.
States have different populations. A larger count does not, by itself, tell us how likely a resident is to have an abortion.
Source: Guttmacher annual summary workbook, ND, MN, MT and SD rows. Study methods. Small numbers of abortions allowed under exceptions to total bans are left out.
Abortion pills and online visits
“Medication abortion” means an abortion done with drugs. “Telehealth” means a visit by phone, video or online messages. A woman can also get abortion pills at an in-person visit.
The supplied workbook estimates 390 for North Dakota in 2025. Its online-only provider count is also 390. That is why we do not describe it as a count at local clinics.
A separate national report says 29% of US abortions in December 2025 were provided through telehealth. That is a national figure for one month. It is not North Dakota’s yearly share.
Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount report, published June 10, 2026.
How certain are the pill estimates?
Researchers cannot confirm that every person used the pills sent to them. Some people may get pills from more than one source.
For the 390 North Dakota estimate, the annual workbook gives a range of 310–590. This is called a 90% uncertainty interval. It shows the study’s estimate is not exact. The online-only count has a range of 310–580.
An October 2026 journal article reports 360 for a separate measure of shield-law telehealth abortions in North Dakota. We do not treat that figure and the workbook’s 390 as the same count.
JAMA Network Open, October 22, 2026; annual workbook, ND row. The sources’ measures and data versions need to be matched before comparing them.
What about births?
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,111 | 9,557 | 9,639 | 9,622 | 10,021 |
Every birth is a new life to welcome. These figures also help us understand how many families may need support.
The combined estimate helps show the scale of the issue. We do not present it as a complete count of completed abortions. For that reason, we do not use it to claim an exact statewide abortion-to-birth ratio.
ND HHS Vital Events Summary, page 16, Total row.
What is an abortion-to-birth ratio?
It compares abortions with live births in the same year and group of residents. It is often shown as abortions per 1,000 live births.
Using only abortions reported inside North Dakota would miss resident abortions elsewhere. Using only travel would miss other abortions. A ratio is also not the share of all pregnancies ending in abortion.
What the numbers cannot tell us
- The exact number of all abortions among North Dakota residents.
- Which states make up every small travel count.
- Whether every shipment of pills led to a completed abortion.
- How many abortions a single law or support program prevented.
Guttmacher’s estimates leave out some abortions, including those provided outside US clinician reporting. #WeCount has its own limits. Do not add the two studies together.
Honest facts make our work for life stronger. We can name these gaps and still be clear about our goal: protect unborn children and help their mothers.
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