Over 42 million abortions took place globally in 2019 according to new figures that found abortion to be the single largest cause of death.

The statistics, compiled by tracking service Worldometers, counted approximately 42.4 million abortions took place last year.

In comparison, the organisation which does not include abortion in its mortality rates found the number of deaths attributed to all other causes is approximately 58.6 million, making abortions, in our calculations, account for 42% of all deaths worldwide in 2019.

In comparison, Worldometers found the number of death attributed to all other causes – excluding abortions – was approximately 58.6 million. If abortion rates were included in these figures, it would make terminations, by our calculation, account for 42% of all deaths worldwide in 2019.

The number of deaths caused by abortion far outweighs every other cause, with death due to disease accounting for 12.9% of the total (13 million) and cancer 8.1% (8.2 million).

Additionally, Worldometers found that just under a quarter of all pregnancies (22 percent) were ended by abortion in 2019 and for every 33 live births, ten unborn babies were aborted.

The independent site performs extensive research and collects data from Governments and reputable organizations "with the goal of making world statistics available in a thought-provoking and time relevant format to a wide audience around the world."

Its data has been published in over 2,000 scientific journals, has been used by the BBC and the UN, and has been verified by independent fact-checking website Snopes which, rather than dispute the figures last year, argued that abortion should not be considered a "cause of death."

As of 6 January, Worldometers has already estimated more than 646,000 worldwide abortions so far in 2020.

The most recent abortion statistics for England and Wales revealed that abortion numbers hit a ten-year high in 2018, with 205,295 abortions. This equates to almost 1 in 4 (23.8%) of all pregnancies ending in abortion.

A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson said:

"It is heart-breaking that a mother's womb, which should be one of the safest places for any person, is one of the most dangerous places to be.

"In 2019, and beyond, we will be calling on the Government to urgently bring forward increased support for women with unplanned pregnancies to reduce the tragic number of abortions that happen each year.

"Our analysis of the make-up of the new parliament indicates that, with your support, this is possible, as the number of pro-life MPs has increased while the pro-abortion lobby has lost a large number of MPs. While this is positive, the threat of the introduction of an extreme abortion law has not gone away. The Domestic Abuse Bill will be back and the abortion lobby will be back in force, ready to amend it with the aim of introducing an extreme abortion law to England and Wales.