A new report from the Guttmacher Institute finds that fewer patients will be traveling for abortion care in 2025, and more patients will be using telemedicine services.
The March 2026 report used data from Guttmacher’s Monthly Abortion Provisions Survey, which provides estimates of clinician-performed abortions in each state since January 2023. The study tracks surgical and medication-induced abortions at brick-and-mortar facilities, as well as medication-induced abortions from telehealth providers.
The results of the monthly survey represent an “underestimation” of the total number of abortions nationwide because the data excludes abortion exceptions in states with advanced regulations regarding medication abortion and outright bans.
As of the end of 2025, 13 states have outright bans on abortion with limited exceptions, and six others have enacted six- or 12-week bans.
An estimated 142,000 people traveled out of state for abortion care last year, down from 154,000 in 2024, according to the report. Researchers said the decline was due to a “nearly universal” decline in patient travel in states with blanket bans, with 62,000 people traveling to seek treatment in 2025, but 74,000 traveling in 2024.
Meanwhile, state telemedicine provisions with outright bans increased from 72,000 to 91,000 between 2024 and 2025. Prohibited telehealth protection laws in certain states protect health care providers and patients with certain types of “legally protected sexual and reproductive” care.
Isaac Maddow-Zimmet, a data scientist and principal investigator at the Guttmacher Institute, said in a statement that the findings demonstrate a “major shift” in the way patients seek care in states with blanket abortion bans.
“Yet, interstate travel for an abortion remains an important option for many people, especially those seeking care late in pregnancy,” Maddow-Zimmet said. “Although travel from states with total bans decreased in 2025 compared to 2024, the number of people traveling from these states is still more than double what it was before Dobbs.”
Despite observed changes and increasingly stringent legal requirements, the number of abortions remained flat nationally. An estimated 1,126,000 abortions will be provided in 2025, “virtually unchanged” from the estimated 1,124,000 abortions in 2024.
“While this is the highest number of abortions provided in the United States since 2009, it is still far below the historic peak of just over 1.6 million in 1990,” the report said.
