Incidence of induced abortions and the severity of abortion-related complications in Kenya

In Kenya, abortion is largely legally restricted. As a result, many women who face unintended pregnancies are unable to access safe abortion methods and procedures. This fact sheet summarizes findings from a 2023 national abortion study in Kenya that was conducted by the Ministry of Health – Kenya, the African Population and Health Research Center, and the Guttmacher Institute. The study aimed to estimate the incidence of induced abortions, the severity of post-abortion complications, assess health facility capacity to provide post abortion care (PAC), and assess the lived experiences of women who have had abortions. To generate these estimates, we conducted four separate surveys: a nationally representative Health Facility Survey (HFS), a Knowledgeable Informants Survey (KIS), a Respondent Driven Sampling survey (RDS) of women who have had an induced abortion, and a Prospective Morbidity Survey (PMS) of PAC patients and their providers.