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Institute for Women’s Policy Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2026
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New economic analysis from IWPR shows how post-Dobbs restrictions continue to harm women’s health and livelihoods, with billions in lost earnings on top of an already-slowing labor market and weakened labor force participation among women.
WASHINGTON — The annual economic cost of abortion restrictions in 2025 exceeded $140 billion nationwide, according to economic analysis released today by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). States with the most restrictive policies accounted for nearly $68 billion in lost earnings, nearly $4 billion more than IWPR’s estimate for the previous year
Removing barriers to abortion access could mean nearly 325,000 more women participating in the labor force every year and as much as a 0.5 percent rise in national gross domestic product (GDP), with economic gains largest in some of the most restrictive states.
“This is fundamentally about human rights and economic justice,” said IWPR President and CEO Dr. Jamila K. Taylor. “We know that legal access to abortion care increases women’s autonomy to be able to participate in the labor force, which supports the stability of our entire economy. When states deny people their bodily autonomy, they’re also limiting their ability to pursue the education and career options that are right for them and to build financial stability for their family and community. Abortion restrictions don’t just harm those who may become pregnant—they harm everyone.”
The economic losses come at a time when the US labor market is stagnating and facing a multi-year inflation high that is exacerbating the affordability crisis, and women’s labor force participation remains below pre-pandemic levels, having still not returned to its April 2000 peak of 60.3 percent.
In addition, Black and Latina women are more likely to feel the consequences of reproductive health restrictions, with higher earnings and labor force losses. Recent IWPR analysis found that in 2025, Black women in particular faced job losses at far higher rates than other groups.
Other key findings from IWPR’s analysis, “More than $140 Billion in Lost Earnings: Abortion Restrictions Continue to Harm Women and Are a Persistent Drag on the Economy,” include:
- The losses increased in 2025 from the previous year: IWPR’s estimate for total economic losses ($140 billion) was nearly $7 billion more than in 2024; the estimate for losses from just the most restrictive states ($68 billion) was $4 billion more than in 2024.
- Mississippi would see the largest potential percentage increase in women’s labor force participation if restrictions were lifted, at 1.5 percent. In Alabama, Kentucky, and Louisiana, participation would potentially be more than 1.3 percent higher without restrictions.
- Economic gains from lifted restrictions would be largest in states that rank low in both abortion protections and per capita GDP. States like Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, and West Virginia would potentially see their respective GDP grow by nearly 1 percent annually.
- Black women between 15 and 44 face earnings losses of an estimated 9.9 percent, compared with 8.7 percent for White women of the same age.
This analysis is the latest in IWPR’s series of annual findings on the cost of reproductive rights restrictions and reflects both the persistent and cumulative harm of such restrictions as well as the need for federal protections for access to abortion care.
Explore the full economic analysis here.
Read the policy analysis here.
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The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is the nation’s leading think tank working to win economic equity for all women. Through evidence-based research, policy solutions, and advocacy, IWPR is advancing the power and well-being of women across the US. Learn more at IWPR.org.