In other words, although North Dakota continues to lose population and the number of pregnancies has dropped dramatically, there has not been a corresponding decline in the number of abortions. The causes of abortion decreases and increases are complicated and relate to real and perceived personal and social factors. That trend reversed in 1998. The number of North Dakota residents receiving abortions in the state has seen slight increases and decreases through the years. Overall, however, the numbers had declined until 1998.
Most women receiving abortions in North Dakota live in urban counties with a major college.
The age group most receiving abortions is between 20 and 24 years of age. The number of Minnesota residents receiving abortions in North Dakota has varied between 324 to 371 for the last few years. The number of South Dakota residents, while relatively small, increased from 37 to 81 from 1998 to 1999. The abortion choice percentage is the percentage of pregnancies that end in abortion. This percentage is reached by combining the total number of live births, the number of miscarriages after 20 weeks gestation, and the number of abortions and then determining the percentage of that total that ended in abortion.