The Mississippi Department of Health provided 2022 abortion statistics to the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) in February 2024, showing that abortions decreased from 2021.
Statistics and Changes in Mississippi Abortions, 2021-2022
The report does not include information on Planned Parenthood’s Mississippi abortion market share. However, Planned Parenthood operated no abortion centers in Mississippi in 2022.
Abortion Totals and Trends
There were 2,286 abortions reported in Mississippi in 2022, down 40% from 2021. Drug-induced abortions decreased by 43% and composed 83% of the total in 2022, one of the highest percentages in the country (Fig. 1). CLI estimates that Mississippi’s abortion rate decreased by 40% in 2022 (Fig. 2).1
State Report Summary
Seventy-two percent of Mississippi abortions reported in 2022 were performed on state residents. Twenty-one percent were performed on women from states bordering Mississippi (Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee), and 7% were performed on women from other states. The percentage of out-of-state residents who obtained abortions in Mississippi increased markedly from 2021, when 18% of total Mississippi abortions were performed on nonresidents, versus 28% in 2022.
Nine percent of the abortions reported in Mississippi were performed on girls aged 19 or younger. Sixty-three percent were performed on women in their twenties, including 32% on women ages 20 to 24 and 31% on women ages 25 to 29. Twenty-six percent of the abortions were obtained by women in their thirties, and 2% by women ages 40 and older.
Similar to previous years, a large majority of the abortions reported in Mississippi were performed on black women (77%). Twenty-two percent were on white women, and 1% were on women of an unknown race. CLI estimates that the black abortion rate was 7.2 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, five times the white rate of 1.6.
Nine percent of the abortions were performed on women with less than a high school education. Thirty-one percent were performed on women who had graduated from high school as their highest level of education, and 28% were obtained by women who had attended some college but had no degree. Thirty-two percent of the abortions were on women with a college degree, and just four abortions were performed on women whose level of education was not reported.
Most abortions occurring in Mississippi (94%) were on unmarried women, and 6% were performed on married women. Thirty-two percent of the abortions were performed on women with no living children, while 28% were on women with one child and 39% on women with two or more children. Over two-thirds (68%) of the abortions were obtained by women with no previous abortions. Twenty-two percent were performed on women with one prior abortion, and 11% were on women with more than one previous abortion.
Almost all Mississippi abortions occurred in the early second trimester or before. Fifty-six percent were performed at eight weeks of gestation or earlier, and 27% between nine and 10 weeks, a noteworthy increase in percentage from 2021, when 17% of Mississippi abortions occurred between nine and 10 weeks. Eight percent were reported between 11 and 12 weeks, and 10% occurred between 13 and 16 weeks of gestation. Zero abortions were performed between 17 to 20 weeks, while there was one abortion at 21 weeks of gestation or later.
Drug-induced abortions made up 83% of the total in 2022, while 17% of the abortions were performed via suction curettage. One dilation and evacuation abortion was reported.
Abortion Resident Totals in 2022
Both abortions occurring in Mississippi and abortions reported to be performed on Mississippi residents decreased in 2022. In addition to its annual abortion report, Mississippi also reports abortions performed on state residents, both in Mississippi and in other states, in the Mississippi Statistically Automated Health Resource System (MSTAHRS). In 2022, 3,463 abortions were reported to have been performed on Mississippi residents, a decrease of 35% from 2021 when there were 5,316 resident abortions. In 2022, 47% of Mississippi resident abortions occurred in the state and 53% of resident abortions occurred outside of the state. However, not all states share data with Mississippi, so not all abortions performed on Mississippi residents are included in MSTAHRS.
State Ranking
In CLI’s 2016 survey of abortion reporting across the country, Mississippi tied for 25th best. As CLI has previously suggested, to improve Mississippi could provide more detailed reporting of abortion trends in the region by identifying the states to which Mississippi residents travel for abortions. Additionally, Mississippi could ensure that all health care providers are aware of the state’s complication reporting requirement and that all complications are reported.
- National rates were calculated by the Guttmacher Institute. Mississippi rates were calculated by CLI using the following formula: (total number of abortions performed in Mississippi ÷ number of resident women ages 15-44 [using most recent available 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.
- Mississippi’s number of total abortions and drug-induced abortions for 2020 were taken from the 2020 CDC Abortion Surveillance Report, as the Mississippi Department of Health did not provide CLI with those figures but did provide them to CDC .
