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Here’s a summary table of worldwide Caesarean (C-section) vs vaginal birth rates based on the most recent international data available (primarily **World Health Organization / global estimates covering 154 countries and regional averages). (World Health Organization)
🌍 Worldwide C-Section & Vaginal Birth Rates (Latest Estimated Data)
| Region / Country Group | Approx. % C-Sections (of all births) | Approx. % Vaginal Births (incl. assisted) | Notes / Data Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World (global average) | ~21.1 % | ~78.9 % | Based on most recent WHO global estimate (2018) covering ~94.5% of births) (World Health Organization) |
| Africa (overall) | ~9.2 % | ~90.8 % | Weighted average across 44 African nations (World Health Organization) |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | ~5.0 % | ~95.0 % | ~lowest regional CS rate worldwide (World Health Organization) |
| Northern Africa | ~32.0 % | ~68.0 % | Sub-regional average (World Health Organization) |
| Asia (overall) | ~23.1 % | ~76.9 % | Covering 40 Asian countries (World Health Organization) |
| Eastern Asia | ~33.7 % | ~66.3 % | Includes China, others (World Health Organization) |
| Western Asia | ~31.7 % | ~68.3 % | (World Health Organization) |
| Europe (overall) | ~25.7 % | ~74.3 % | Weighted European average (World Health Organization) |
| Americas (overall) | ~39.3 % | ~60.7 % | Strong regional rates, largely due to Latin America & Caribbean (World Health Organization) |
| Latin America & Caribbean | ~42.8 % | ~57.2 % | Highest regional average worldwide (World Health Organization) |
| Northern America (e.g., US, Canada) | ~31.6 % | ~68.4 % | APOC* average (World Health Organization) |
| Oceania | ~21.4 % | ~78.6 % | Includes Australia & NZ coordination (World Health Organization) |
| Developed Countries (average) | ~27.2 % | ~72.8 % | CS rates tend to be higher on average (MDPI) |
| Least Developed Countries | ~8.2 % | ~91.8 % | Fewer surgical births due to access limits (MDPI) |
| Top individual country examples: | |||
| Dominican Republic | ~58 % | ~42 % | One of the very highest global CS rates (gh.bmj.com) |
| Brazil | ~55.7 % | ~44.3 % | Also extremely high rate (gh.bmj.com) |
| Cyprus | ~55.3 % | ~44.7 % | (gh.bmj.com) |
| Egypt | ~51.8 % | ~48.2 % | (gh.bmj.com) |
| Turkey | ~50.8 % | ~49.2 % | (gh.bmj.com) |
| Some sub-Saharan countries (e.g., Chad, Niger) | <2-5 % | ~95+ % | Among lowest globally (MDPI) |
📌 C-section % figures refer to the proportion of all live births delivered by surgical Caesarean section. Vaginal births comprise the remainder (including unassisted and assisted deliveries).
📌 Key Patterns
Global increase: Around one in five births worldwide is by C-section according to recent global health estimates. (World Health Organization)
Regional differences are large: Latin America & Caribbean have rates roughly double the global average, whereas many parts of sub-Saharan Africa have very low CS use (due largely to access barriers). (World Health Organization)
Developed vs less developed: More developed regions (Europe, Northern America, Eastern Asia) tend to have higher CS rates than less developed ones. (MDPI)
Countries at extremes: Several nations now report >50 % C-section rates, meaning surgical births outnumber vaginal births. (gh.bmj.com)
Notes on Vaginal vs Caesarean Interpretation
The exact proportion of vaginal births includes both unassisted and assisted vaginal deliveries; most global datasets do not break out assisted births in the same way different NHS reporting does.
Higher CS country rates often reflect both medical, systemic, cultural, and economic factors — not solely clinical necessity.
If you want, I can plot this data on a bar chart or show time-trends since 2000 to visualise how global C-section rates have risen over time.
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