This sixth edition of the WHO Global and regional estimates of unsafe abortion and associated mortality is a resource on unsafe abortion. The following areas are covered:

• background
• legal context of abortion
• barriers to accessing safe abortion services
• fertility transition, unplanned pregnancy, contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for family planning
• health consequences of unsafe abortion and impact on health services
• Estimating unsafe abortion incidence and mortality
• regional and global incidence of unsafe abortion
• regional and global mortality due to unsafe abortion