The tiny state of San Marino, a landlocked enclave surrounded by Italy, has voted in favour of abortion by 77pc to 23pc.

Voters were asked at the weekend to decriminalise abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks and after that if the mother’s health was at risk, or if foetal abnormalities could cause physical or psychological harm.

The vast majority of Britain’s 200,000 or so abortions annually take place on the ‘health’ ground, usually mental health.

San Marino has 33,000 inhabitants and is 61 square kilometres in size.

In June, Gibraltar voted to legalise abortion where a woman’s ‘mental or physical health is at risk’ or when a foetus has a fatal physical defect, by a margin of 62pc to 36pc.

Gibraltar has a population, like San Marino, of about 33,000 people.