The figures for 2008 show that 42.4 per cent of pregnancies among women under 20 years old ended in abortion. This compares to 42.6 per cent the previous year and follows successive rises in the abortion rate in this age group dating back to 2002.
The proportion of pregnancies among under-18s that ended in an abortion also fell, from 50 per cent in 2007 to 49.4 per cent in 2008. This is the first fall among this age group since 1995.
The rate among under-16s remained the same at 61.5 per cent in 2008 compared with the previous year.
These latest figures come amid a drop in pregnancy rates across all age groups.
In 2008 there were 7,600 pregnancies among under-16s, compared to 8,200 the previous year. This was a drop of 7.5 per cent. During the same period there was a drop in the number of conceptions among women under 18 of 3.8 per cent.
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