Minnesota’s annual abortion report for 2023 was published online by the Minnesota Department of Health in December 2024. The report shows that Minnesota’s abortion total increased from 2022. Minnesota had originally reported 12,175 abortions performed in the state in 2022, but revised its total estimate for 2022 in the state’s 2023 report. However, the state did not update the different categories of data reported by the state.
The data published by Minnesota does not include the total number of abortions obtained by Minnesota residents out of state or the number of self-managed abortions on women outside of the healthcare system. It is also unlikely that the report contains the number of mail-order abortion drugs obtained by Minnesota residents prescribed by licensed abortion providers in other states. In a separate section, Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) will describe data provided by the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study that details the number of women who traveled to Minnesota to obtain abortions and their states of residence. Guttmacher’s abortion estimates include the number of abortions obtained at brick-and-mortar facilities and those provided via telehealth and virtual providers in the United States.
Statistics and Changes in Minnesota Abortions, 2022-2023
Abortion Totals and Trends
In 2023, there were 14,124 abortions reported in Minnesota, an increase of 16% from 2022 when there were 12,193 abortions. Drug-induced abortions made up 65% of the total, increasing by 24% from 7,391 in 2022 to 9,146 in 2023. CLI estimates that Minnesota’s abortion rate increased by 16% from 2022 to 12.8 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 (Fig. 2).1 As of February 2025, 28 states have released 2023 abortion statistics, with 15 states indicating that abortions had increased from the prior year.
State Report Summary
Seventy-nine percent of Minnesota abortions reported in 2023 were carried out on state residents, while 21% were performed on women from other states, an increase from 50% in 2022. The number of women from Nebraska seeking abortions in Minnesota increased by 429% while the number of women from Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota increased by 199%, 115%, and 45%, respectively. The increases in women traveling to Minnesota from out of state may be explained by the apparent unenforceability of any gestational abortion limits in Minnesota and the pro-life laws in the aforementioned states that were allowed to go into effect after the Dobbs decision. It is important to note that while Iowa is currently enforcing its heartbeat law, Iowa limited abortion at 22 weeks for the duration of 2023, minus one week in July.
A majority of Minnesota abortions were performed on women in their twenties, with 29% on women ages 20 to 24 and 27% on women ages 25 to 29. Thirty-one percent were obtained by women in their thirties. Nine percent were performed on girls under the age of 20, including 3% on girls under the age of 18. Four percent were performed on women over the age of 40. The age of women was not reported for 41 abortions.
Forty-eight percent of the abortions reported in 2023 were performed on white women, 24% on black women, and 5% on Asian women. Four percent were obtained by American Indian women, and 11% on women of other races. Race was not reported for 8% of the abortions. CLI estimates that Minnesota’s black abortion rate was 34.1 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, over four times the white rate of 7.8. Seventy-nine percent of the abortions were performed on non-Hispanic women and 13% on Hispanic women, while ethnicity was not reported for 9%.
Unmarried women accounted for a large majority of the abortions reported in Minnesota (80%), compared to just 13% on married women and 7% on women of unknown marital status. Twenty-nine percent of Minnesota abortions were performed on women who completed some college but did not obtain a degree. Twenty-seven percent were obtained by women with a high school diploma as their highest level of education, 15% on women with a college degree, and 9% on women who had not graduated from high school. Nineteen percent were performed on women whose level of education was not reported.
Fifty-five percent of Minnesota abortions were obtained by women with a previous live birth, including 21% on women with one prior live birth and 34% on women with two or more live births. Thirty-eight percent of the abortions reported in 2023 were performed on women who had previously had an abortion. Twenty-two percent were obtained by women with one previous abortion, and 16% by women with more than one prior abortion. Forty-five percent of Minnesota abortions were performed on women with no previous live births and 62% on women with no previous abortions. Twenty percent were obtained by women who had previously suffered a miscarriage.
A majority of the abortions reported in Minnesota, 65%, were drug-induced. Most of the drug-induced abortions were induced using mifepristone (64.6% of all abortions reported in Minnesota), while 0.2% were induced using misoprostol as the principal drug. There were seven “other” drug-induced abortions, a category that includes late-term induction abortions. Thirty percent were performed via suction curettage and 5% were dilation and evaluation procedures. There was one abortion performed via some other type of surgical procedure, one performed via intrauterine instillation, and three performed via an unknown method.
Seventy-one percent of the abortions took place earlier than nine weeks of gestation. Fourteen percent were performed between nine and 10 weeks, and 5% occurred between 11 and 12 weeks. Five percent were performed between 13 and 15 weeks, and 3% between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation. There were 221 abortions (2%) at 21 weeks of gestation or later. Gestational age was not reported for 208 abortions (2%). To see the change in the number and percentage of abortions performed at the different gestational ages from 2022 to 2023, see the following table:
| # of Abortions, 2023 | % of Total Abortions, 2023 | # of Abortions, 2022 | % of Total Abortions, 2022 | |
| 9 weeks or earlier | 9,960 | 71% | 8,055 | 66% |
| 9-10 weeks | 1,945 | 14% | 2,004 | 16% |
| 11-12 weeks | 693 | 5% | 689 | 6% |
| 13-15 weeks | 642 | 5% | 644 | 5% |
| 16-20 weeks | 455 | 3% | 471 | 4% |
| 21-24 weeks | 219 | 2% | 225 | 2% |
| 25-30 weeks | 2 | 0.01% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 31-36 weeks | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 37+ weeks | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Not reported | 208 | 1.5% | 85 | 1% |
| Total | 14,124 | 12,175 |
For the first time, Minnesota’s 2023 abortion report included the total number of abortions by trimester. Ninety-one percent of abortions occurred in the first trimester, 7% in the second trimester, and one abortion in the third trimester. The trimester was unknown for 2% of abortions.
In 2023, there were 94 intraoperative complications, or complications identified at the time of the abortion procedure and reported on the abortion reporting form.2 Multiple complications could be reported for a single abortion. There were 11 cases of cervical lacerations and five cases of heavy bleeding or hemorrhage. There were 78 unspecified complications. There were 14,032 abortions reported with zero complications.
In years past, Minnesota reported postoperative complications. However, the state noted in its 2023 report that it no longer reports postoperative complications as a result of the passage of S.F. 2995 in 2023. In addition to no longer including information on postoperative complications, Minnesota’s public abortion report no longer includes information on the reasons for abortion, how abortions were paid for, and the number of born-alive infants as well as if any subsequent medical action was provided to born-alive infants. S.F.2995 claimed that the state would no longer be required to report the number of abortions by the number of previous abortions and miscarriages, but the state’s 2023 report noted that in the interest of public health that information would still be included in the state’s annual reports. As a result of the decision in Doe v. State (2022), the state no longer collects or reports informed consent data.
Minnesota requires abortion providers to report the methods used to dispose of the bodies of unborn babies killed by abortion. In 2023, 21% were cremated, and 0.2% (34 abortions) were buried. Seventy-eight percent had not reached the stage of development to be legally required to be reported as fetal remains.
A majority of abortions (53%) were performed in Planned Parenthood’s five Minnesota centers. Twelve percent were reported by Whole Woman’s Health, 5% by Robbinsdale Clinic, and 4% by Women’s Health Center. An additional 3% were reported by hospitals, doctors’ offices, and small clinics, a decrease from 22% in 2022. For the first time, Minnesota’s 2023 abortion report included the number of abortions performed by telehealth abortion providers. Telehealth providers Carafem and Just the Pill performed 6% and 9%, respectively, of the abortions that occurred in the state in 2023. Overall, 84% of Minnesota abortions occurred in clinics and 1% occurred in hospitals (105 abortions as outpatient procedures and 26 on an inpatient basis). Twenty abortions were performed in ambulatory surgery centers. Fifty-six abortions were performed in a doctor’s office and 15% were performed in an unknown type of facility.
One hundred and seventy-one doctors performed abortions in Minnesota in 2023, an increase of 80% from 2022 when 95 doctors performed abortions in Minnesota. One hundred and one of the doctors performed 10 or fewer abortions each, including 48 doctors who reported just one abortion each. Overall, 137 doctors performed fewer than 100 abortions each. Twenty-eight doctors performed between 100 and 499 abortions, and two doctors performed between 500 and 999 abortions. Four doctors performed between 1,000 and 1,300 abortions. The individual doctor who performed the most abortions performed 1,281 abortions (9% of the state’s total).
The month with the highest number of abortions performed was March (1,336 abortions) while the month with the lowest number of abortions performed was December (1,064). The average number of abortions performed per month in 2023 was 1,177.
The top five counties of residence in terms of abortions totals included Hennepin County (3,830 abortions, 27% of the state’s total), Ramsey (1,717, 12%), Dakota (841, 6%), Anoka (672, 5%), and Washington (416, 3%).
Guttmacher Data3
In 2023, Guttmacher estimated that 14,430 abortions occurred in Minnesota while the state reported 14,124 occurred in the state. Guttmacher also estimated that of the 14,430 abortions performed in the state, 2,860 were obtained by women who traveled to Minnesota to get an abortion. To see the number of abortions obtained in Minnesota by women from various states, see the following table:
| States of Residence for Women Who Traveled to Minnesota | # of Abortions Obtained by non-Resident Women in Minnesota, 2023 |
| Wisconsin | 1,100 |
| North Dakota | 780 |
| Iowa | 410 |
| South Dakota | 350 |
| Nebraska | 120 |
| Texas | 100 |
| Total | 2,860 |
State Ranking
In 2024, CLI published a paper reevaluating abortion reporting across the country, with Minnesota tied for 9th place. To further improve its reporting, Minnesota could repeal all the changes contained in S.F. 2995. Additionally, Minnesota could report the number of complications caused by each type of abortion procedure and strengthen its protocol for ensuring that all abortions performed in the state are reflected in its data.
- National rates were calculated by the Guttmacher Institute. Minnesota rates were calculated by CLI using the following formula: (total number of abortions performed in Minnesota ÷ number of resident women ages 15-44 [based on most recent population estimates]) x 1,000. Rates may differ slightly from previous CLI articles due to revised population estimates. Population estimates were obtained from the CDC WONDER database. Estimates for 2005-2009 are intercensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2010-2019 are Vintage 2020 postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2020-2022 are Vintage 2022 postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates were produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics. Rates for 2023 were calculated using the Vintage 2022 postcensal estimates because 2023 population estimates have not yet been released by the CDC.
- Statistics on abortion complications reported here represent a minimal number of deaths and complications, as this data is collected in a non-systematic and non-verifiable way. As such, this data cannot be used to calculate either an accurate abortion mortality rate or an accurate abortion complication rate for the state.
- The Guttmacher Institute notes that their monthly abortion totals by states are estimates and that each state’s estimate is within a range of uncertainty. Furthermore, only counts of over 100 are included in Guttmacher’s estimates related to women who travel to other states to get abortions. This is partially why the residence data reported by the state is often slightly different than the totals reported by Guttmacher. Lastly, Guttmacher notes that their estimates do not reflect abortions obtained by women in pro-life states under shield laws in effect in pro-abortion states.
- Minnesota updated its abortion procedure categories in 2017. To allow for comparison with earlier reports, “other” drug-induced abortions, which include labor induction abortions, are excluded from the drug-induced abortion total. There were seven “other” drug-induced abortions in 2023.
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