The number of abortions in the Netherlands has gone up for the second year in a row, according to new figures from the health ministry.

Some 39,332 pregnancies were terminated in hospitals and clinics in 2023, an increase of 3,685, or roughly 10%, on 2022. In 2022, the increase was 15%.

As in previous years, most abortions were carried out in the first eight weeks of pregnancy and women between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely to undergo the procedure.

The number of abortions in the Netherlands had remained stable at between 30,000 and 33,000 for years.  Since 2021 the number has risen, in line with European trends, according to data from the Fiom centre, which offers help in dealing with unwanted pregnancies.

It is not easy to point to a single cause for the increase, Fiom director Ellen Giepmans said. Women are not asked why they want a termination and if they are, they may not reveal the true reason, Giepmans told broadcaster NOS.

It may be that bad housing, precarious finances and an uncertain future are some of the reasons, “but those are signals, suppositions,” Giepmans said.

More women have been practising so-called natural contraception, rejecting the pill or IUD in favour of less reliable methods such taking their temperature to predict ovulation, and some experts have suggested this could be behind the rise.

Rutgers, the centre for sexual and reproductive health, is currently carrying out more research into the type of contraception used by women preceding their pregnancy which may provide more insights.

In a reaction to the new figures, the organisation said although more abortions are taking place, women “must still be able to decide if they want to become pregnant and how many children they wish to have”.

MP Ardjan Boersma, of orthodox fringe party SGP whose leader Chris Stoffer joined a pro-life vigilante group at an abortion clinic last year, linked the increase in the number of abortions to a change in the law which scrapped the obligation for women to wait a minimum of eight days before making a final decision.