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PHOENIX — Arizona women terminated fewer pregnancies by abortion last year than they did a decade ago.

But a top statistician for the state said the decline in abortions may reflect the arrival of the morning-after pill more than an actual reduction in the number of pregnancies terminated.

New statistics from the state Department of Health Services also say the percentage of births in Arizona to unwed mothers has increased sharply in the last decade.

The figures come in the agency's Health Status and Vital Statistics Report published every year.

Some of the numbers are not surprising.

For example, the number of children born in Arizona hit a record last year. That is expected, given that the U.S. Census Bureau reports Arizona is growing faster than any other state.

The number of children born in Arizona actually topped 100,000 for the first time. However, as the Census Bureau noted, natural growth by births is continually eclipsed by people moving here from somewhere else.

But other details buried in the report paint a much more complex picture of the state.

In 1996, 10,868 pregnancies ended in abortion. Last year, despite the population change, and a 30 percent increase in the number of births since then, the number of abortions slipped to 10,506.

"There are different options that were not available in 1996," said Christopher Mrela, the state's assistant registrar of vital statistics.

The morning-after pill can prevent pregnancy either by preventing ovulation in the first place or preventing an egg from implanting in the uterine wall. Some groups have pushed for it to be called an "abortifacient," a drug or device used to cause abortion.

State law, however, does not classify it that way; to do so would assume there were a way to determine ifunprotected sex actually resulted in pregnancy.

The report also shows a sharp increase in births to unwed mothers. The number has tripled in the last two decades, far faster than the state's population growth.

Looking at one particular group, the health department found that in 1986 unmarried women age 20 through 24 accounted for fewer than 30 percent of all births in that age group. By 1996 that figure rose to nearly 49 percent. And last year more than 80 percent of mothers ages 20 to 24 were not married.

Mrela said part of the reason may be economic.

He said a woman who is married must count both her income and that of her mate in determining qualifications for government services.

"If both have income it's very hard to be eligible," he said.

By remaining single — even if living with a boyfriend — it is easier for a woman to get free health care, food stamps and other benefits. In fact, Mrela noted more than half of all births in the last year were paid for by either the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System or Indian Health Service; for those younger than 20 the figure exceeded 80 percent.

The health department also found the number of divorces has dropped in the last decade. But that may be because fewer people are getting married in the first place.