A total of 10,852 abortions were carried out in Ireland in 2024, marking the highest annual figure since abortion was legalised in the country in 2019. The new data, released by Ireland’s Department of Health, represents a 62.8% increase from the first year of legal abortion access, when 6,666 abortions took place.
The 2024 figures also show an 8.16% rise from the previous year, when 10,033 abortions were reported. In total, 48,984 abortions have taken place in Ireland between 2019 and 2024.
Before legalisation, 2,911 abortions were recorded in 2018 for Irish residents, 2,879 of these were carried out in England and Wales, with just 32 occurring under the limited Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act in Ireland.
The new report highlights that 98.7% of abortions in 2024 (10,711 cases) were not performed due to risk to the mother’s life or health, or for serious foetal abnormalities. The highest number of abortions occurred in January (1,056) and the lowest in August (849).
The current legislation came into force following the 2018 referendum, where 66.4% voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which had protected the life of the unborn since 1983. Abortion services began in Ireland on 1 January 2019 under the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act.
Pro-life groups have raised concern about the ongoing rise in abortion numbers. Eilís Mulroy, spokesperson for Pro Life Campaign, called the trend “truly shocking,” criticising the government for releasing the report late on a Friday evening, and for failing to promote any measures to reduce abortion rates.
“There is no sign of any willingness on the part of the Government to sincerely address what’s taking place,” she said, adding that calls for reasonable pro-life proposals have largely been ignored.
Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right To Life UK, described the figures as a “tragedy.”
“Every single one of these was a unique human person whose life was ended shortly after it began,” she said. “Less than a decade ago, unborn babies’ lives were protected by law in Ireland. Now, they are being ended at a rate of over 10,000 per year.”
A Christian response
These numbers are a sobering reminder of the growing normalisation of abortion in a nation that once upheld strong protections for the unborn. For Christians, this calls for a renewed commitment to prayer, advocacy, and compassionate support for vulnerable women facing crisis pregnancies. Every unborn child bears the image of God, and every life matters. Let us pray for a culture that defends life at all stages and offers real hope and help to both mother and child.
The content of the article is adapted from Right to Life News, UK.
