National Abortion Survey 2016

We present the results of the Brazilian National Abortion Survey of 2016 (2016 PNA) and compare them to those obtained in the 2010 PNA as per the profile of women and the magnitude of abortion. The PNA is based on a random sample that combines ballot-box questionnaires with face-to-face interviews with women ages 18 to 39 in urban areas of Brazil. The results show that abortion is a common and persistent occurrence among women of all social classes, racial groups, educational levels, and religions: in 2016, almost 1 in every 5 women had undergone at least one abortion by the age of 40. In 2015, approximately 416,000 women had an abortion. There is, however, heterogeneity among the social groups, with abortions being more frequent among women of lower educational levels, women who are Black, Brown and Indigenous, and women living in the North, Northeastern and Mid-western regions of the country. In line with the 2010 PNA, half of all women took medicine to abort and almost half of them were hospitalized to complete the abortion.