Abortion in Sweden is legal on request up to the end of the 18th week of pregnancy. After that point, an abortion requires permission from the National Board of Health and Welfare, and is generally permitted only in cases involving serious medical indications. Abortion is not permitted if the fetus is considered viable, which generally means that abortions after the 22nd week are not allowed, except in rare cases where the fetus would not be able to survive outside the womb even if the pregnancy were carried to term.Official Statistics of Sweden: Statistics – Health and Medical Care: Induced abortions 2009 (2010) National Board of Health and Welfare. .
Abortion was first regulated in Sweden under the Abortion Act of 1938, which permitted the procedure on medical, humanitarian, or eugenic grounds, including serious risk to the woman's life, pregnancy resulting from rape, or a significant risk of a serious inherited condition. The law was expanded in 1946 to include socio-medical grounds, and again in 1963 to cover cases involving a risk of serious fetal damage. Because each case had to be assessed by a committee, approvals were often delayed until the middle of the second trimester. The current framework was introduced in 1974, when abortion on request was allowed up to the end of the 18th week of pregnancy.
Legislation Current The current legislation is the Abortion Act of 1974 (SFS 1974:595). Under the Act, a woman may choose to have an abortion for any reason up to the end of the eighteenth week of pregnancy. After the 18th week, an abortion requires permission from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). Such permission is usually granted in cases where there are serious health concerns affecting the fetus or the pregnant woman. Abortion is not permitted if the fetus is viable, which generally means that abortions after the 22nd week are not allowed. In rare cases, however, an abortion after the 22nd week may be permitted if the fetus would not be able to survive outside the womb, even if the pregnancy were carried to term.Official Statistics of Sweden: Statistics – Health and Medical Care: Induced abortions 2009 (2010) National Board of Health and Welfare. .Socialstyrelsens meddelandeblad: Rättsliga rådets behandling av abortärenden m.m.
Abortion is a largely settled issue in Sweden, and its legality is not a major subject of political controversy.
There is broad consensus in Sweden in favour of preventing unwanted pregnancies through the use of birth control. The primary policy goal is not necessarily to reduce the number of abortions, but to ensure that all children who are born are wanted. Statistically, the number of abortions follows the number of pregnancies. Compared with the other Nordic countries, Sweden has a relatively high number of abortions and a relatively low number of young parents, while the number of pregnancies in relation to the total population is broadly similar across the Nordic countries.
History The Civil Code of 1734 formally introduced the death penalty for abortion, although there is no confirmed case in which the sentence was carried out. Legal attention was focused more on infanticide than on abortion, and abortion-related court cases were few.Sverige. Utredningen om utländska aborter, Abort i Sverige: betänkande, Fritze, Stockholm, 2005 http://www.regeringen.se/rattsdokument/statens-offentliga-utredningar/2005/11/sou-200590/ The reformed law of 1864 abolished the death penalty for abortion and replaced it with between two and six years of penal labour for both the person who had the abortion and the abortion provider.
During the second half of the 19th century, abortion-related court cases became more common, and the issue entered public debate. A reform in 1921 replaced penal labour with fines or a shorter prison sentence without penal labour for the patient, while retaining the original penalty for abortion providers. Between 1929 and 1933, around 21 patients per year were sentenced for abortion, the vast majority of whom received suspended sentences.
Sweden's first law permitting legal abortions was passed in 1938. It legalised abortion only on a very limited basis, allowing the procedure on serious medical grounds, eugenic grounds, or in cases of rape, following assessment by the Royal Board of Health. From 1946, abortions could also be permitted on social-medical grounds.
During the 1960s, Swedish society underwent a gradual liberalisation in attitudes towards sexuality and abortion, which contributed, among other factors, to an increase in the number of approved abortions.
The current Abortion Act (SFS 1974:595, later amended in 1995 and 2007) entered into force on 1 January 1975. It permits abortion at the request of the pregnant woman until the 18th week of pregnancy, and thereafter only in cases involving strong indications of medical risk. After the 18th week, abortions may be performed only after assessment by the National Board of Health and Welfare.
In 1989, the Board issued general advice on the implementation of the law (SOSFS 1989:6). From 1 September 2004, this was replaced by new advice and policy guidance (SOSFS 2004:4).
Since 1 January 2008, foreign patients, including asylum applicants, non-permanent residents, and people not registered in Sweden, have been allowed to obtain abortions in the country. In 2009, 132 such abortions were performed in Sweden. The National Board of Health and Welfare described this as a comparatively small number in relation to the total number of abortions.
Statistics The National Board of Health and Welfare is Sweden's central national authority for social services, public health, and health care. Its responsibilities include evaluating and monitoring abortions performed in Sweden, as well as establishing standards through regulations and general advice. The Board is also responsible for collecting and publishing official national statistics on abortions. Until 1995, these reports were published by Statistics Sweden.
Statistical reports are published annually and are based on data from all clinics and hospitals where abortions are performed. The data collected include the woman's age, previous pregnancies and abortions, the length of the pregnancy at the time of the abortion, the method of abortion, and where the abortion was performed.
One of the National Board of Health and Welfare's main purposes in publishing these reports is to measure changes and trends over time. Statistics on legal abortions extend back to 1955 and, from 1975 onward, data on rates for different age groups are available. Since 1985, the woman's home municipality has also been recorded.
Trends
The number of induced abortions performed in Sweden increased markedly each year from the early 1960s, but soon levelled off after the liberalization of abortion law in 1975. It is not possible to determine whether the increase recorded after the Abortion Act of 1974 reflected actual circumstances or bias resulting from a greater willingness to report abortions after legalization. Since 1975, the total annual number of cases has averaged between 30,000 and 38,000 abortions.
Abortion rates by age group have changed over time. In 1975, the rate among teenagers was 30 per 1,000 women, while the rate among women aged 20 to 24 was 27 per 1,000. Since 1977, however, the reverse has been true, with fewer abortions performed among teenagers than among women aged 20 to 24. The abortion rate among teenagers was around 11 per 1,000 women in 2018, half the rate recorded in 2009.
Most abortions in Sweden are performed on women aged 25–29, followed by women aged 20–24, 30–34, 35–39, 15–19 (teenage abortions), and 40–44. Before the age of thirty, many women have not established a family life, and abortion is more common in this age group. Among younger age groups, multiple sex partners, lower desire for parenthood, ongoing studies, and recent entry into the labour market may influence the decision to have an abortion.
Abortion rates in Sweden vary widely by region. The highest rates of teenage abortions are recorded in Gotland and in the metropolitan areas of Stockholm and Gothenburg, while the lowest incidences are in the counties of Blekinge, Kronoberg, and Jönköping.
In 2018, 84 percent of induced abortions were performed before the end of the 9th week of pregnancy and 57 percent before the end of the 7th week, compared with 55 and 10 percent, respectively, in 1994. Medical abortions accounted for 93 percent of all abortions.
+StatisticsAbortionsAbortions per 1000 women(aged 15–44)Total live birthsLive births per 1000 women(aged 15–44)Abortions per 100 known pregnanciesYear4 5623.1107 30572.84.019552 7921.9102 21968.42.619606 2094.0122 80679.24.8196516 10010.2110 15069.812.71970 19 25012.1114 48472.114.3 1971 24 17015.2112 27370.617.6 1972 25 99016.3109 66368.919.0 1973 30 63619.2109 86468.821.7 1974 32 52620.3103 63264.623.8 1975 32 351 20.098 345 60.9 24.7 1976 31 462 19.3 96 057 59.0 24.6 1977 31 918 19.4 93 248 56.7 25.4 1978 34 709 20.9 96 175 57.8 26.4 1979 34 887 20.7 97 064 57.6 26.4 198033 29419.694 06555.226.1198132 60219.092 70654.025.9198231 01417.991 68653.025.2198330 75517.793 50853.924.71984 30 838 17.798 463 56.5 23.8 1985 33 124 18.9101 740 58.1 24.5 1986 34 486 19.8104 699 59.6 24.8 1987 37 585 21.4112 080 63.7 25.0 1988 37 920 21.5116 023 65.9 24.6 1989 37 489 21.3123 938 70.5 23.2 1990 35 788 20.4123 737 70.7 22.4 1991 37 849 20.0122 848 70.6 22.0 1992 34 170 19.8117 998 68.2 22.4 1993 32 293 18.7112 257 65.1 22.3 1994 31 441 18.3103 422 60.1 23.3 1995 32 117 18.795 297 55.6 25.1 1996 31 433 18.490 502 53.0 25.7 1997 31 008 18.389 028 52.4 25.8 1998 30 712 18.188 173 52.0 25.8 1999 30 980 18.390 698 53.6 25.4 2000 31 772 18.791 466 53.9 25.7 2001 33 365 19.695 953 56.4 25.7 2002 34 473 20.299 260 58.1 25.7 2003 34 454 20.0101 018 58.8 25.4 2004 34 978 20.2101 496 58.6 25.6 2005 36 045 20.6 106 013 60.6 25.3 2006 37 205 21.0 107 491 60.7 25.7 2007 38 053 21.3 109 373 61.2 25.7 2008 37 524 20.8 111 935 62.2 25.0 200937 69320.9201037 75020.9201137 36620.72012201336 62920.2201438 07120.9201538 17720.8201636 61619.8201735 78219.22018
Debate Sweden has one of the most liberal abortion laws in the world. Abortion is not a highly controversial issue in Swedish society, and a majority of the population supports the country's abortion laws and related policies. A 2024 report by the Pew Research Center found that 95% of Swedish adults believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Political debate has nevertheless occurred over issues such as the time limit for abortion and other aspects of abortion rights. Parties including the Christian Democrats and the Swedish Democrats have previously advocated stricter limits on late abortions, although they no longer do so. The Swedish Association for Sexuality Education has argued that many political claims about late abortions are based on misinformation and a lack of knowledge. Abortion rights Organizations The RFSU supports abortion rights and identifies access to safe and legal abortion as one of its main international priority areas. The organization states that, in an equal and sustainable society, individuals should have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, sexuality, and reproduction. Anti-abortion Organizations (MRO, Human Rights for the Unborn) is a politically and religiously independent organization. It seeks to promote the right to life of unborn fetuses through non-violent protests, the display of fetal images, and support for pregnant women.
(Yes to Life) is a non-profit organization that seeks to influence public debate on human dignity in relation to abortion, prenatal diagnosis, and elderly care. The organization aims to reduce the number of abortions by arguing that fetuses have human value.