Across the European Union, abortion rights have taken a significant step forward since 2021. According to the European Abortion Policies Atlas, 15 countries have expanded access, with reforms ranging from France enshrining abortion as a constitutional right to Denmark extending time limits to 18 weeks, and Lithuania legalizing medical abortion.
Yet only five EU countries—Denmark, Estonia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden—have fully decriminalized abortion, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, negative trends in Italy, Malta, and Slovakia reveal growing obstacles. Access also remains uneven between rural and urban areas.
The Atlas scores countries based on five factors: strong legal protections through full decriminalization, wide service availability, national health coverage, government-led online information, and efforts to counter misinformation.
Click on to explore how each country measures up.