Welcome to IDEAS, the International Data for Evaluation of Abortion Services system!
This new resource has been developed to facilitate quick access to data related to providing high-quality abortion and postabortion-care service delivery. This compilation is based on certain key indicators that Ipas uses to evaluate impact in the countries where we work. Now, instead of searching for these core data all over the Web, and digging through various printed resources you can find them all in one place—here.

IDEAS data are divided into five categories: General statistics; Abortion and reproductive-health statistics; Health workforce data; Service delivery point data; and Policy and regulatory data. In the glossary, each datum is defined, and the data type and unit of measurement are specified. Data are presented for all countries in which Ipas has a country office as well as for others where Ipas has a significant presence.

Creating a standardized abortion database is challenging. Availability of abortion data varies: For many countries there are no accurate estimates of abortion rates, unsafe abortion, abortion-related morbidity and/or abortion-related mortality. Abortion providers' levels of training and titles vary by country; standardizing a schema for presenting this data requires taking into account the amount of training a provider, has, and making some generalizations. Availability of health statistics also varies. Some countries have excellent official data sources on the Internet, whereas others do not. Many standardized sources present outdated data. Ipas is, ideally positioned to address these challenges through its global network of staff and partnerswho have broad knowledge about the abortion situation in the countries where Ipas works.

About the data. IDEAS data are deemed to be the most recent data available from credible original sources. Where possible we use sources that are consistently available across countries, such as the Demographic and Health Surveys. Abortion and many other reproductive-health statistics are notoriously challenging to measure accurately. Sometimes different sources present different statistics for the same indicator in the same time period. Recognizing this, we present statistics from up to two sources per indicator. Both sources are deemed credible.Data will be updated annually. Each datum provides the date it was last updated on this system. We also cite the source and, where possible, have provide a hyperlink to that source, to facilitate access to the most current data available.

IDEAS indicators are divided into the following 5 categories:

* Clicking on a topic will direct you to the glossary of indicators for that category

General Profile. General demographic data.

Reproductive Health & Abortion Statistics. National-level statistics on abortion, fertility, maternal mortality and morbidity, and contraceptive use.

Health Workforce Data. Numbers of maternal health-care providers and institutions that train health-care providers.

Service Delivery Point Data. Data on the distribution of service delivery points by sector, level, and key obstetric and abortion-care services.

Policy and Regulatory Data. Synopses of abortion-related laws and policies.

Questions? Comments? We'd like to hear from you! For suggestions, questions, or concerns, please contact: IDEASHelpbox@ipas.org.