The abortion rate has taken a steep dive in the last few years, according to a new study reported on Thursday.

The abortion rate has fallen 25 percent between 2008 and 2012, the American Journal of Public Health said in its report published Thursday. There were 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in 2008, and that number fell to 14.6 per 1,000 in 2012.

In 2008, the researchers estimated that 30 percent of women aged 15 to 44 years would have an abortion by age 45, but they found that the abortion rate has declined substantially since that time — falling 14 percent between 2011 and 2014 alone.

The report compiled its information by using data from the Abortion Patient Survey, the American Community Survey, and the National Survey of Family Growth to estimate abortion rates, according to the study’s abstract.

The abortion rate declined 56 percent among those aged 15 to 17 years and 41 percent among women aged 17 to 19 years. Women aged 20 to 24 years accounted for the largest share of abortions and also had the highest abortion rate — 28 per every 1,000 women.

White women accounted for the largest share of abortions at 38.7 percent, but had the lowest abortion rate at 10 per every 1,000 women. Black women had the highest abortion rate at 27.1 per every 1,000. The abortion rate for black women declined 32 percent, however, compared with 14 percent for white women.

“For the first time in 2 decades, the abortion rate declined among women with incomes less than 100% the federal poverty level,” the study also reports.

Changes in contraceptive use, including increased reliance on long-acting reversible contraception is most likely responsible for the greatest drops in abortion rates, the study says.

Despite the fact that the abortion rate has fallen significantly, 25 percent of women will have an abortion by the time they reach 45, the Washington Post noted.

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