CONTEXT: Abortion is highly restricted by law in Senegal. Although women seek care for abortion complications,
no national estimate of abortion incidence exists.
METHODS: Data on postabortion care and abortion in Senegal were collected in 2013 using surveys of a nationally
representative sample of 168 health facilities that provide postabortion care and of 110 professionals knowledgeable
about abortion service provision. Indirect estimation techniques were applied to the data to estimate
the incidence of induced abortion in the country. Abortion rates and ratios were calculated for the nation and
separately for the Dakar region and the rest of the country. The distribution of pregnancies by planning status and
by outcome was estimated.
RESULTS: In 2012, an estimated 51,500 induced abortions were performed in Senegal, and 16,700 (32%) resulted
in complications that were treated at health facilities. The estimated abortion rate was 17 per 1,000 women aged
15–44 and the abortion ratio was 10 per 100 live births. The rate was higher in Dakar (21 per 1,000) than in the rest
of the country (16 per 1,000). Poor women were far more likely to experience abortion complications, and less likely
to receive treatment for complications, than nonpoor women. About 31% of pregnancies were unintended, and
24% of unintended pregnancies (8% of all pregnancies) ended in abortion.
CONCLUSIONS: Unsafe abortion exacts a heavy toll on women in Senegal. Reducing the barriers to effective
contraceptive use and ensuring access to postabortion care without the risk of legal consequences may reduce the
incidence of and complications from unsafe abortion