--- description: C-section use globally nearly doubled between 2000 and 2015, accounting for 21% of all live births in 2015, a new study says. title: C-Sections Have Nearly Doubled Since 2000, Study Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt276ab5e1aa4f0be5/6988cc0a8fd2ee7b35356ea0/time-health-stock-pregnancy-4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # C-Sections Have Nearly Doubled Since 2000\. That Isn't Necessarily A Good Thing  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Oct 11, 2018 10:30 PM CUT  Beautiful female laying in bedroom Beautiful female laying in bedroomGetty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Oct 11, 2018 10:30 PM CUT Nearly twice as many babies were born via caesarean sections (C-sections) in 2015 as in 2000, a new report says. Almost 30 million C-sections were performed globally in 2015, accounting for 21% of all live births, according to World Health Organization and UNICEF data [published Thursday in _the Lancet_](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2818%2931928-7/fulltext "undefined"). In 2000, 16 million babies were delivered by C-section, accounting for 12% of live births. The uptick in C-sections — and the persistent disparities in where they’re performed — points to two connected trends, the authors write. On one hand, the growth signifies that more women are giving birth under medical supervision in health centers, and that access to C-sections is increasing in historically underserved areas. Africa, for example, still lags far behind other continents in C-section use, but experienced measurable increases during the study period. In West and Central Africa, the percentage of babies delivered by C-section rose from 3% to 4.1% between 2000 and 2015; in Eastern and Southern Africa, it jumped from 4.6% to 6.2%. Since C-sections can be life-saving for women who experience childbirth complications such as excessive bleeding, fetal distress and blood pressure issues — and their babies — increased access can make a big difference for maternal and child health. At the same time, however, research shows that C-sections are [only medically necessary](http://time.com/3817774/c-sections-medically-necessary/ "undefined") in about 10 to 15% of births, so the fact that they were used in a fifth of all deliveries in 2015 suggests overuse in some parts of the world. In 2015, 44.3% of live births in Latin America and the Caribbean were completed by C-section, up from 32.3% in 2000, followed by 32% in North America, up from 24.3%. This trend seems to be driven, at least in part, by higher-income women and those in urban areas, who may elect for C-sections because they fear labor pain, sexual dysfunction or incontinence related to vaginal birth, the authors write. Many women also think that C-sections are universally safer than traditional deliveries, the paper says. While [research](http://time.com/4261161/repeat-c-sections-dont-put-babies-health-at-risk-study/ "undefined") and [opinions](http://time.com/4263189/c-section-safety/ "undefined") conflict in this area, that may not always be the case, the authors say. Compared to vaginal births, C-sections can actually come with a higher chance of complications, a more difficult recovery process and more risks during subsequent pregnancies, according to the report. [Some research also suggests](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110651/ "undefined") that babies born via C-section may not be exposed to the same maternal hormones and bacteria as babies born vaginally, which can affect their health and development over time. There’s a balance to be struck in terms of promoting C-sections in certain areas and curtailing their use in others, the report concludes. “More research is needed to understand the high frequency of C-section use and its determinants in some countries, and the very low use of C-section in other countries, to provide a more solid basis for interventions towards an optimal frequency of C-section use for mothers and children,” the authors write. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5421982/c-section-birth/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5421982/c-section-birth/"},"headline":"C-Sections Have Nearly Doubled Since 2000. 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