In 2016, 18,032 applications were submitted by women to pregnancy termination committees, 99.3% of which were approved by the committees, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The rate of applications in 2016 was 9.0 per 1,000 women aged 15-49. In 2015, 18,510 women applied and the rate was 9.4. The rate of referrals has been declining since 1988, when the rate was 18.6.