Official statistics: the number of abortions in Russia has fallen by 5% amid strict restrictions
The Russian Ministry of Health has recorded a decline in the overall number of pregnancy terminations in the country. However, despite a large-scale government campaign to restrict access to this medical procedure, statistics in a number of major regions and metropolitan areas have shown the opposite effect.
A mixed picture across regions: from a halving to a sharp increase
According to official data from the Ministry of Health, the total number of abortions in Russia fell from 338,3 to 321,1 in 2025. Notably, the ministry's latest report was the first to provide detailed data for every region of the country. As a result, the collected statistics turned out to be extremely inconsistent.
While some regions saw the number of abortions drop almost in half, major cities and several republics, on the contrary, recorded a sharp increase. According to the report, the largest declines were seen in Karachay-Cherkessia (a 49,6% drop, from 890 to 449 cases), Vologda Oblast (a 45,7% drop, from 3044 to 1653), and Ivanovo Oblast (a 24,8% drop). Abortions also decreased in Tuva (a 21,8% drop) and Oryol Oblast (a 19,4% drop).
However, in the Tver region, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Moscow, the number of induced abortions has actually increased. This has occurred despite all efforts by authorities and regulatory bodies to make it more difficult for Russian women to access this service.
How the state is tightening the screws: from drug metering to clinic bans
As a reminder, starting in 2023, the Ministry of Health has been actively promoting mandatory pre-abortion counseling for women with psychologists. Consequently, regulatory mechanisms are being continually tightened. Thus, starting September 1, 2024, special medications for medical termination of pregnancy were officially included in the list of products subject to strict quantitative control. In approximately 30% of Russian regions, local deputies have passed laws explicitly prohibiting "inducing women to have abortions."
Furthermore, at the end of 2025, the Ministry of Health issued a new order that radically changed the requirements for the procedure. Terminations are now permitted to be performed not in regular outpatient clinics, but exclusively in day hospital settings. Furthermore, a commercial or public clinic must have a specialized license, a fully functional operating room, and a full-time anesthesiologist-resuscitator on staff.
Regional excesses and the real reasons for abandoning motherhood
Such administrative pressure often leads to excesses at the local level. For example, in February 2025, Vologda Oblast Governor Georgy Filimonov decisively took action to forcefully increase the birth rate. As a result, the local prosecutor's office was forced to issue 19 official warnings to the heads of Vologda medical institutions for illegally refusing to perform abortions, and women themselves began leaving en masse for neighboring regions to undergo this procedure.
However, independent experts emphasize that strict administrative bans and restrictions are incapable of addressing the key socioeconomic issues that are the real reason Russian women choose not to have children. These traditionally include low incomes, a lack of affordable and quality housing, and a general lack of confidence in the future.
