More than half of women giving birth in Britain now require medical intervention, according to a new audit of NHS maternity care. Of the 592,594 births in 2023, 50.6% involved either a caesarean section or the use of instruments such as forceps or a ventouse suction cup.
The rise is largely driven by an increase in caesarean births, which accounted for 38.9% of deliveries in 2023, up from 25% in 2015-16. The proportion of induced births also rose from 29.3% to 33.9% over the same period, while instrumental births fell slightly from 12.3% to 11.1%.
Experts attribute the trend to more complex pregnancies linked to older maternal age, obesity, and pre-existing conditions. Dr Shuby Puthussery of the University of Bedfordshire called it a 'worrying' shift, noting rising rates of diabetes and other factors among ethnic minority groups and those in poverty.
Professor Asma Khalil of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said the increase in caesareans is 'not necessarily a cause for concern' if services are properly staffed and equipped. The audit stressed that there is no 'ideal' caesarean rate and that both vaginal and surgical births carry risks and benefits.
The report also confirmed a sharp decline in fertility rates, with 2023 seeing the lowest number of births in England and Wales since 1977. The fertility rate now stands at 1.44 children per woman in England and Wales, and a record low of 1.3 in Scotland.
