PIP: Statistics from the epidemiological center of the Swedish social agency indicated that abortions decreased by 5.2% in 1992 compared to 1991 and by 8% compared to 1989. The drop was 12% among teenagers: abortions went down from 23.9/1000 teenagers in the first half of 1991 to 21/1000 in the first half of 1992, from a total of 3201 to 2745. Malmo municipality had the highest figures with 27.4/1000 women aged 15-44 in the first half of 1992, a decrease from 28.2/1000 during the same period of 1991. Gateborg municipality, which was in 2nd place in 1991 with 28.1/1000, slipped to 3rd place in 1992 with 25.7/1000, after Stockholm which had 25.8/1000. The national rate was 19.9/1000 women. Jonkoping and Kalmar had the lowest figures with 13.4/1000, closely followed by Blekinge, Kristianstad, and Halland with a little over 14/1000 each. Regarding teenage abortions (up to and including 19 years of age), Goteborg municipality was in 1st place with 30.0/1000, which was a drop from 37/1000 in 1991. Malmo and Stockholm followed closely. Jonkoping country had the lowest figures again with 13.2/1000, declining from 14.5/1000 in 1991. Since these figures for the first half of 1992 are preliminary, no definitive conclusions can be drawn. Nevertheless, Agenta Nilsson of the Public Health Institute explained the obvious declining trend by the fact that country councils and large cities have intensified their abortion prevention efforts since 1988, when the first alarming reports surfaced about the increasing number of abortions.