The first volume of a three volume study "Abortion Policies: a Global Review", prepared by the Population Division of the UN has been published with financial support from the United Nations Population Fund. The study comprised an analysis of abortion laws and policies in every country of the world, both developed and developing. It includes information on the social and political settings, the ways in which these laws and policies have been formulated, and how they have evolved. Information on the incidence of abortion and the setting in which abortion occurs is included wherever possible in order to complement the policy picture.