LONDON - Abortion rates are highest in countries that legally restrict access to terminations, but lowest in high-income countries where abortion and contraception are accessible, a new study has found.

Women in the world’s poorest regions are three times more likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy than women in the global North. Abortion rates are also highest in middle- and low-income countries, the research found.

The number of unintended pregnancies has dropped globally over the past 30 years, but the proportion of abortions has increased — though there has been a slight decline in countries where abortion is broadly legal. The findings are part of a Lancet Global Health study by the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive health research and policy organisation, and the United Nations’ Human Reproduction Programme, published yesterday.

Only half of women in developing regions receive appropriate levels of health care, the UN notes. The Sustainable Development Goals aim to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and include reproductive health in national programmes.

The higher number of abortions in developing countries is likely to be caused by lack of access to contraception that is affordable and acceptable, say the researchers, while family planning programmes likely contributed to declines in unintended pregnancies.

“These findings emphasise the importance of ensuring access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception and abortion care, and for additional investment towards equity in healthcare services,” say the authors.