C-Section Rates by Country 2024

A C-section (short for Caesarian section) is a medical procedure, used during childbirth, in which the baby is delivered through an incision made in the mother's lower abdomen (and uterus). Reasons why a doctor may choose to perform a c-section include breech birth (when the baby has not rotated to head-downward position), complications with the placenta or umbilical cord, twins, and high blood pressure in the mother. In some countries, more than 30% of the total number of babies both each day are born via c-section.

Which Country Has the Most C-Sections Each Year?

The country with the highest rate of C-sections each year is the country of Turkey, according to the most recent statistics. Those statistics are from 2019. In 2019, there were 544 Caesarian sections per 1,000 live births in the nation of Turkey. This is significantly higher than the C-section rate for the country that is second on this list. The country that had the second-most Caesarian sections in 2019 was South Korea.

A total of 475 Caesarian sections per 1,000 live births happened in South Korea in 2019. Poland came in third in terms of C-sections per 1,000 live births per year in 2019. There were 389.7 C-sections per 1,000 live births in Poland in 2019.

Hungary Is Third in C Section Rates by Country

Hungary is another Eastern European country that is high on this list. In 2019, 382.9 C-sections were performed per every 1,000 live births in Hungary. After Hungary, Italy is the next country on the list. Italy had the fifth-most Caesarian sections per 1,000 live births in 2019 with 326.6. The nation of Switzerland follows Italy on the list with 316.6 C-sections per 1,000 live births in 2019.

What Are Some Countries with Lower C-Section Rates?

There are a good number of countries with higher C-section rates. However, there are also some countries with relatively low C-section rates, too. The country of Iceland is one such nation, with only 159.7 C-sections per 1,000 live births in 2019.

Norway is another country with a fairly low C-section rate. In 2019, 159.1 C-sections per 1,000 births were performed in Norway. The country with the lowest rate of C-sections per 1,000 live births in 2019 was Israel. Only 150.5 C-sections per 1,000 live births happened in Israel during 2019.

Are C-Sections Elective or Medically Necessary?

The United States of America has one of the highest C section rates by country among countries that are a part of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. This organization is also known as the OECD. One possible reason for this is the fact that many C-sections in the US are elective but not actually medically necessary.

According to the medical data, it is not advisable to have a C-section unless medically necessary. This is because of the fact that the risks of C-sections often outweigh the benefits when the C-section is elective. For this reason, natural birth is the best way to go whenever medically possible.