Born a Girl
1. compare viewFemale Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Africa (2014)
2. compare viewMarried Too Soon (2016)
3. compare viewWhere Women Can Read (2015)
Becoming a Mother
1. compare viewA Mother Too Soon (2015)
2. compare viewAbortion Around the World (2015)
3. compare viewThe Unequal World of Family Planning (2015)
4. compare viewA mother before 15 years old (2017)
5. compare viewA mother before 16 years old (2017)
6. compare viewA mother at 16 or 17 years old (2017)
7. compare viewA mother at 18 or 19 years old (2017)
Risking Death to Give Life
1. compare viewWhat Are the Risks of Dying in Childbirth Around the World? (2015)
2. compare viewWhat Are the Risks of Dying in Childbirth Around the World? (2017)
3. compare viewMaternal Mortality Ratio (1990)
4. compare viewMaternal Mortality Ratio (2010)
5. compare viewMaternal Mortality Ratio (2015)
6. compare viewMaternal Mortality Ratio (2017)
7. compare viewStillbirths (2015)
8. compare viewNewborn Mortality Rate (1990)
9. compare viewNewborn Mortality Rate (2010)
10. compare viewNewborn Mortality Rate (2015)
11. compare viewNewborn Mortality Rate (2018)
12. compare viewInfant Mortality Rate (2018)
Maternal Health Services: Saving Mothers' Lives
1. compare viewWho Gives Birth Without Skilled Professional Care? (2015)
2. viewBirths by Caesarean Section (2014)
Investing in Women's Lives
1. compare viewPay Out of Your Own Pocket: or Pay With Your Own Life (2014)
2. compare viewKeeping International Commitments on Health Spending in Africa (2014)
3. compare viewHow Much Do Governments Spend on the Health of Their People? (PPP$) (2014)
4. compare viewHow Much Do Governments Spend on the Health of Their People? (US$) (2014)
Making Maternal Deaths History: Yes We Can
1. compare viewMaking Women's Voices Heard (2015)
2. compare viewCounting Maternal Deaths: Making Maternal Deaths Count (2014)

Bangladesh
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewNeonatal Mortality
4. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
5. viewTotal Fertility Rate
6. viewUnmet Need
CDR
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewNeonatal Mortality
4. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
5. viewTotal Fertility Rate
6. viewUnmet Need
Ethiopia
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewNeonatal Mortality
4. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
5. viewTotal Fertility Rate
6. viewUnmet Need
Namibia
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewNeonatal Mortality
4. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
5. viewTotal Fertility Rate
6. viewUnmet Need
Rwanda
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewNeonatal Mortality
4. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
5. viewTotal Fertility Rate
6. viewUnmet Need
Tanzania
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
4. viewTotal Fertility Rate
5. viewUnmet Need
Ghana
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewNeonatal Mortality
4. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
5. viewTotal Fertility Rate
6. viewUnmet Need
Zambia
1. viewInfant mortality
2. viewLiteracy
3. viewNeonatal Mortality
4. viewSkilled Birth Attendants
5. viewTotal Fertility Rate
6. viewUnmet Need

1	less than 2%
2	2% to 4.9%
3	5% to 9.9%
4	10% to 14.9%

5	15% to 24.9%
6	25% to 34.9%
7	35% or over
8	No Data

1	0 to 5
2	5 to 10
3	10 to 20
4	20 to 30

5	30 to 40
6	40+
7	No Data

Births by Caesarean Section

What does it mean ?

This indicator shows the number of births by caesarean section relative to all births. Birth by caesarean section requires specialist health worker skills, an operating theatre and availability of specific drugs and medical products.

Why does it matter ?

All pregnancies are associated with risk and when medically justified, a caesarean section can prevent maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. However, because any surgery carries risk of complications, caesarean sections should not be performed unless it is medically required. According to the World Health Organisation, about 10-15 % of all births require delivery by caesarean section. As such, caesarean section rates lower than 10% indicates under-use and caesarean section rates over 15 % indicate over-use. Because birth by caesarean section requires specialist medical skills and health services, this indicators is sometimes used as a proxy indicator to measure the availability of quality of maternal health services in countries where data from health information systems and health facility surveys are limited.

How is it collected ?

Data on the percent of birth by caesarean section is usually derived from large scale, nationally representative surveys such as Demographic and Health (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), other national surveys. DHS/ MICS are household surveys where women are asked if they have given birth (usually in the last three or five years) and the circumstances surrounding the birth including if they had a caesarean section.

"The Increasing Trend in Caesarean Section Rates: Global, Regional and National Estimates: 1990-2014" Betrán, A., et al. PLoS One. 2016; 11(2): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4743929/

Stillbirths in 2015

World Health Organization. 2020. Stillbirths https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/epidemiology/stillbirth/en/ [Accessed 9 March 2020]

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