Healthcare Access
Epidural Rates by Country 2025
Country | Epidural Rates↓ | Multiparous | Nulliparous | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Canada | 57.8% | 2016 | ||
 | China | 16.7% | 2019 | ||
 | United States | 64% | 79% | 2013 | |
 | United Kingdom | 11% | 19% | 2013 | |
 | Netherlands | 10% | 30% | 2013 | |
 | Belgium | 63% | 82% | 2013 | |
 | Sweden | 19% | 45% | 2013 | |
 | Denmark | 17% | 40% | 2013 | |
 | Finland | 59% | 83% | 2013 | |
 | Norway | 23% | 51% | 2013 | |
 | Ireland | 38% | 64% | 2013 | |
 | Malta | 15% | 40% | 2013 | |
 | Iceland | 32% | 59% | 2013 |
- Nulliparous women is a medical term that describes a female who has never given birth to a live baby.
- Multiparous women is a medical term that describes a female who has given birth one or more times before in the past.
- United Kingdom data is only from England
An epidural is a medical technique in which medication, most often an anaesthetic, is injected into the patient’s lower back near the spinal cord. Epidurals are used frequently in some countries to help pregnant women endure the pain of childbirth, as well as in several additional medical circumstances. Epidurals are used in a significant percentage of the total number of births in the world each day.
Sources
- The trends and associated adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes of labour neuraxial analgesia among vaginal deliveries in China between 2012 and 2019: a real-world observational evidence - National Library of Medicine
- Chapter 4 Infographic: Labour and birth in Canada - Government of Canada
- Variations in use of childbirth interventions in 13 high-income countries: A multinational cross-sectional study - PLOS
