Mode of delivery, including vaginal births and Cesarean births, can highlight important clinical practice patterns in perinatal health. PeriStats provides multiple indicators that can be used to assess trends in vaginal and Cesarean delivery methods. It also provides trends in vaginal deliveries to women who had a Cesarean birth (VBAC) in a prior pregnancy, and in primary Cesarean births, which are Cesarean births for sections performed on women who have never had a Cesarean birth.
Last updated:
January 2022
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In the United States in 2021, 32.1% of live births were cesarean deliveries.
In the United States in 2021, the rate of primary cesarean deliveries was 22.3 per 100 live births to women who have not had a previous cesarean delivery, or of all live births.
In the United States in 2021, the rate of vaginal births after a previous cesarean (VBAC) was 14.2 per 100 live births to women who have had a previous cesarean delivery, or of all live births.
Sources: National Center for Health Statistics, final natality data. Retrieved June 3, 2023, from www.marchofdimes.org/peristats.
In the United States in 2021, 32.1% of live births were cesarean deliveries.
Between 2011 and 2021, the percent of live births delivered by cesarean section declined more than 2% in the United States.