Overview

A newborn baby's health can be a key determinant of their health and wellbeing throughout life. Factors such as physical health, social wellbeing and exposure to harmful behaviours can influence health outcomes for both mothers and babies.

More reports and statistics on mothers & babies can be found under Children & youth and Men & women.

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Latest findings

1 in 3 (36%) mothers had a caesarean section in 2019

The birth rate has declined from 64.6 per 1,000 women in 2009 to 57.6 in 2019

In 2019, there were 17 maternal deaths, or 6 deaths per 100,000 women giving birth

2 in 7 mothers aged 35 or over were giving birth for the first-time

One in 8 (13%) babies of mothers aged 40 and over were pre-term, compared with 8.2% of babies born to mothers aged 20–34

More than half (56%) of mothers aged 35–39 had a vaginal birth

Highlights