Abortion Global Leading Cause of Death in 2025, Claiming Over 73 Million Lives
In 2025, abortions worldwide—over 73 million—surpassed all other causes of death, making it the leading global killer.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Abortion was the leading cause of death globally in 2025, with over 73 million unborn babies killed, according to statistics compiled by Worldometers. The independent site aggregates government and organizational data and bases its figures on a 2024 World Health Organization fact sheet, which estimates roughly 39 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–49 worldwide.
In comparison, an estimated 10 million people died from cancer, 6.2 million from smoking, and 2 million from HIV/AIDS, making abortion far the most prevalent cause of human death. In the United States, nearly one million abortions occur annually, accounting for nearly 20% of all pregnancies and surpassing deaths from any other cause. Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, an estimated 66 million unborn children have been aborted in the U.S.
Pro-life advocates emphasize the human reality of each unborn child, noting that every fetus possesses unique DNA and a beating heart at the time of abortion.
Previously, the UOJ reported on Texas overturning Biden-era abortion-privacy rules.
