Abortions up 10% Since 2020, with Over 1 Million Reported in 2023, New Report Says

One researcher noted that it is "the first time there have been over a million abortions provided in the U.S. formal health care system since 2012"

The number of abortions in the U.S. has gone up significantly from 2020 to 2023 — despite several states implementing abortion bans since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, a new report said.

There were more than one million abortions in 2023, which was a 10% increase from 2020, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, which is an organization that aims to improve sexual health and expand reproductive rights worldwide.

"That's the highest number in over a decade, [and] the first time there have been over a million abortions provided in the U.S. formal health care system since 2012," Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist with Guttmacher, told NPR.

The study noted that in states restricting abortion access like Arizona and Georgia, the number of abortions has gone down. Arizona and Georgia each showed a 10% and 22% decrease in abortions. Wisconsin and Indiana, states where total bans were in effect for much of 2023, also had big decreases.

Related: Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Abortion Stories to Help Women Feel Less Alone

However, nearby states where abortion was legal saw significant increases. New Mexico had a whopping 257% increase in abortions between 2020 and 2023 while Kansas had a 114% increase. In the eastern U.S., South Carolina saw abortions go up by 67%, while Virginia had a 76% increase. Wyoming had the biggest increase in abortions out of all the states at 271%.

The study also showed that the number of people traveling out of states with total abortion bans to bordering states and to all other states in general went up from 9% to 16%. Researchers at Guttmacher Institute noted that over 160,000 patients traveled out of state to get an abortion in 2023.

“It is very possible that, while access was dramatically curtailed for people living in ban states, access substantially improved for residents of states without bans,” the study’s researchers wrote.

Related: Shonda Rhimes, Lena Dunham Among 400+ TV Creators to Demand Abortion Protections from Execs

Some experts think that the number of abortions could actually be much higher than the numbers recorded in the study due to abortion medications. "This is probably an undercount because they are not looking at abortions that happen outside of the formal health care system," Dr. Anitra Beasley, an OB-GYN and professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told NPR.

Maddow-Zimet also admitted to the outlet that the “increase in the availability of medication abortion through telemedicine” is a "big part of this story” as it is “much more available now” than in 2020.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

He added, "But we also saw increases in the proportion of abortions provided through medication abortion at brick-and-mortar facilities as well.”

According to another report from Guttmacher Institute, there were approximately 642,700 medication abortions reported in the United States in 2023, which accounted for 63% of all abortions in the U.S.’s formal healthcare system, up from 53% in 2020.

Guttmacher Institute wrote that the new study ultimately shows that people will "continue to seek" abortions "in spite of the policy barriers that anti-abortion policymakers impose." It urged lawmakers to "pass robust laws that support people’s ability to access abortion care with dignity and respect."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.