Women in Saxony gave birth by caesarean section less often in 2023 than anywhere else in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the C-section rate in Saxony was 25.6 percent - the lowest in the country. This puts Saxony well below the national average of 32.6 percent.
Great regional differences
The proportion was highest in Saarland at 36.4 percent, followed by Hamburg (36.2 percent) and Hesse (35.1 percent). In total, around 680,000 children were born in Germany last year, around 46,000 fewer than in 2022. Around 218,000 women gave birth by caesarean section - the highest figure ever recorded in Germany. In 1993, the rate was 16.9 percent.
60.6 percent of births took place naturally. Other methods such as the suction cup (6.5 percent) or forceps (0.2 percent) were used comparatively rarely.
Obstetrics on the decline
At the same time, the number of hospitals offering obstetric care continues to decline. In 2023, only 31.4 percent of the 1,874 clinics in Germany had a corresponding department - in 1993 it was still almost half.
In an international comparison, Germany was in the upper midfield of 29 countries with 31 caesarean sections per 100 live births in 2022, according to the OECD. The highest rate was recorded in Turkey with 60 caesarean sections per 100 births.
Copyright 2025, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
