According to the most recent data published by Public Health Scotland, there were 18,783 terminations of pregnancy recorded in a single year. New analysis by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) shows that when these figures are integrated into wider human mortality data from the National Records of Scotland—where all cancers combined accounted for 16,486 deaths recorded in Scotland in 2025, ischaemic heart disease for 7,000 deaths and dementia accounting for 6,612 deaths—the loss of unborn life stands as the highest single source of mortality in the nation.
“If we recognise human life from its earliest stages, the statistics reveal a stark reality: abortion is the number one cause of death in Scotland today,” said Michael Robinson, SPUC General Secretary. “These figures outpace heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined, demanding an urgent reassessment of our public health priorities and a renewed commitment to protecting vulnerable lives.”
In the last year of data before the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019, Scotland recorded 13,583 abortions, representing a rate of 13.2 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. This total was the second-highest annual figure on record since the Abortion Act 1967 came into effect.
The most recent figures reached an all-time high; with the overall abortion rate leveled out at 17.6 per 1,000 women aged 15–44, with over 6000 more annual abortions than there was ten years ago.
SPUC is calling on the Scottish Government and public health officials to acknowledge these figures within the broader context of national mortality and to redirect resources toward comprehensive support for expectant mothers. As part of their 5 Asks campaign ahead of the Programme for Government they want to see the extension of the Scottish Child Payment to pregnant mothers as well as explicit legislation introduced that would make it a criminal offence in Scotland to coerce a woman into having an abortion.
