The proportion of births by caesarean section in Germany has risen to a new high. In 2023, around 218,000 women gave birth by caesarean section, which corresponded to 32.6 percent of all births, according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden on Monday. The previous high was 32.2 percent in 2011.
Over the past 30 years, the proportion of these surgical interventions for childbirth has almost doubled, according to the statistics. In 1993, only 16.9 percent of children were born by caesarean section. In 2023, around 6.5 percent of deliveries were assisted by a suction cup, while forceps were used in 0.2 percent of cases. 60.6 percent of women gave birth naturally in hospital.
At 36.4 percent, the proportion of deliveries by caesarean section was highest in Saarland, followed by Hamburg with 36.2 percent. Saxony had the lowest proportion with 25.6 percent, followed by Brandenburg with 29.3 percent.
In an international comparison of the 29 OECD countries, Germany was in the upper midfield in 2022 according to the latest available figures. Turkey was ahead with 60 caesarean sections per 100 live births, followed by Romania with 48 and Bulgaria with 47. The lowest figures were in Israel and Iceland, each with 15 caesarean sections per 100 births.
According to the statistics, the proportion of hospitals offering obstetric care fell to 31.4 percent by 2023. In 1993, this figure was still 49.4 percent. Around 680,000 children were born in hospital in 2023. This was 46,000 or 6.4 percent fewer than in the previous year.
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