Exact statistics on the number of abortions performed annually are hard to come by as not all abortions are registered and Family Planning statistics are usually considered state secrets. However in 2008, there were an estimated 13 million abortions performed, and approximately 10 million abortion pills sold. Induced abortions are more common in urban areas, where couples may only have one child. In rural areas, it is permissible to have a second child if the first born is a girl and a "second-birth permit" is granted, costing approximately 4,000 yuan (US $600). By the 70s, abortion was officially termed a "remedial measure" for realizing China's goals of controlling the population.

The exception to the otherwise general permissibility of abortion in China is that the practice of pre-natal sex determination and sex-selective abortions for non-medical reasons are illegal. It is argued that sex-selective abortion continues to be one of the key factors in the notably imbalanced sex-ratio in China, as the imbalance cannot be explained solely by the underreporting of female births or by excess female infant mortality. In 2001, 117 boys were born to every 100 girls. These trends are explained by the persistence of a preference for sons in Chinese families.