Abortion around the world: Where are rates highest?

Are abortions on the rise worldwide? Some folks might guess "yes" as a sign of the changing times, but a new study in the Jan. 19 issue of The Lancet found the opposite. Analyzing global data from 1995 to 2008, researchers found abortion rates have remained relatively stable since 2003. Still, abortion rates vary greatly across the world - and in some cases are higher in countries where abortion is illegal. Where in the world are abortion rates highest? Keep clicking to see the regions - as defined by the United Nations - in order of lowest to highest abortion rates among women ages 15-44 years...

18. Western Europe

Countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, France (pictured), Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland

Abortion rate: 12 per 1,000 women

17. Southern Africa

Countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa (pictured), Swaziland

Abortion rate: 15 per 1,000 women

16. Northern Europe (TIE)

Countries: Aland Islands, Channel Islands, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sark, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain (pictured) and Northern Ireland

Abortion rate: 17 per 1,000 women

16. Oceania (TIE)

Countries: Australia (pictured), New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia

Abortion rate: 17 per 1,000 women

14. Northern Africa (TIE)

Countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara

Abortion rate: 18 per 1,000 women

14. Southern Europe (TIE)

Countries: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece (pictured), Holy See, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Abortion rate: 18 per 1,000 women

12. Northern America

Countries: Canada and the United States

Abortion rate: 19 per 1,000 women

11. South-central Asia (TIE)

Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India (pictured), Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Abortion rate: 26 per 1,000 women

11. Western Asia (TIE)

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel (pictured), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Abortion rate: 26 per 1,000 women

9. Western Africa (TIE)

Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal (pictured), Sierra Leone, Togo

Abortion rate: 28 per 1,000 women

9. Eastern Asia (TIE)

Countries: China (pictured), Hong Kong, Macao, Korea, Japan, Mongolia

Abortion rate: 28 per 1,000 women

7. Central America

Countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (pictured), Nicaragua, Panama

Abortion rate: 29 per 1,000 women

6. South America

Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (pictured), Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Abortion rate: 32 per 1,000 women

5. Middle Africa (TIE)

Countries: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon (pictured), Sao Tome and Principe.

Abortion rate: 36 per 1,000 women

5. Southeastern Asia (TIE)

Countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore (pictured), Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

Abortion rate: 36 per 1,000 women

3. Eastern Africa

Countries: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, R

2. Caribbean

Countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius, Saba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint-Barth

1. Eastern Europe

Countries: Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic (pictured), Hungary, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Ukraine

This region has the highest abortion rate in the world, at 43 abortions per 1,000 women.