Table 1 Caesarean section (CS) rates by region and countrya
Region/subregion/country | CS rate (%) | 95% CI | Range (min–max, %) |
|---|---|---|---|
Africa (n = 44) | 9.2 | 5.2–13.2 | 1.4–51.8 |
 Northern Africa (n = 5) | 32.0 | 5.9–58.2 | 9.1–51.8 |
 Sub-Saharan Africa (n = 39) | 5.0 | 3.5–6.6 | 1.4–50.7 |
Asia (n = 40) | 23.1 | 19.9–26.3 | 3.5–55.3 |
 Central Asia (n = 5) | 12.5 | 6.5–18.4 | 5.3–18 |
 Eastern Asia (n = 5) | 33.7 | 27.3–40.1 | 12.9–39.1 |
 South-eastern Asia (n = 8) | 15.9 | 9.6–22.3 | 3.5–32.7 |
 Southern Asia (n = 7) | 19.0 | 13.7–24.3 | 6.6–40 |
 Western Asia (n = 15) | 31.7 | 22.7–40.6 | 4.8–55.3 |
Europe (n = 38) | 25.7 | 23.4–28.0 | 14.9–46.9 |
 Eastern Europe (n = 10) | 25.0 | 18.7–31.3 | 17.9–46.9 |
 Northern Europe (n = 10) | 25.3 | 21.5–29.1 | 15.9–32.6 |
  Denmark | 19.5 |  |  |
  Finland | 16.4 |  |  |
  Iceland | 18.3 |  |  |
  Norway | 16.1 |  |  |
  Sweden | 17.4 | Between 13–21% in the regionsb | |
 Southern Europe (n = 11) | 30.1 | 27.5–32.7 | 21.2–34.1 |
 Western Europe (n = 7) | 24.2 | 18.3–30.2 | 14.9–32.7 |
Americas (n = 25) | 39.3 | 34.6 – 44.0 | 5.4–58.1 |
 Latin America and the Caribbean (n = 23) | 42.8 | 37.6–48.0 | 5.4–58.1 |
 Northern America (n = 2) | 31.6 | 20.5–42.8 | 28.8–31.9 |
Oceania (n = 7) | 21.4 | 6.6–36.2 | 3.0–34.6 |
 Australia and New Zealand (n = 2) | 33.5 | 1.9 – 65.1 | 27.9–34.6 |
 Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia (n = 5) | 3.6 | 0.7–6.6 | 3.0–17.4 |
World total (n = 154) | 21.1 | 18.8–23.3 | 1.4–58.1 |
 More developed countries (n = 45) | 27.2 | 25.2–29.2 | 14.9–55.3 |
 Less developed countries (n = 70) | 24.2 | 20.9–27.5 | 2.4–58.1 |
 Least developed countries (n = 39) | 8.2 | 5.2–11.2 | 1.4–32.7 |