Determinants of caesarean section rates in developed countries: supply, demand and opportunities for control

Overview

Caesarean section rates are  high and continue to  rise in  developed countries.  However, the impact  of  guidelines and  recommendations  in  curbing  their  growth has been limited: in 1985, representatives of a study  group convened by  the World Health Organization wrote, “there is no justification for any  region  to have caesarean  section  rates higher than 10–15%.  Although levels of 10–15%  were considered high  but acceptable at the time, average caesarean rates in most developed regions (with the exception of eastern Europe) now exceed 20%; the recommendation thus appears to have been largely  overtaken by  events.

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.