U.S. hospitals NTSV c-section rates 2015-2022

According to a U.S. hospital survey, the average Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) cesarean sections (c-sections) rate was 25.2 percent in 2022*. This is the c-section rate for low-risk first-time mothers and it did not meet the national target of 23.6 percent. Even higher is the rate of c-section among all live births in the U.S., standing at 32.1 percent in 2021 (which includes mothers of higher risks such as giving birth to multiples or having hypertension or diabetes).

Average cesarean section rates among first-time low-risk mothers among reporting U.S. hospitals from 2015 to 2022*

Characteristic	Percentage of hospitals
2022	25.2%
2021	24.7%
2020	24.5%
2019	25.6%
2018	26.1%
2017	26.3%
2016	25.8%
2015	26.4%

Loading statistic...

Download

Source

Show detailed source information?

Already a member?

Source

Use Ask Statista Research Service

Release date

May 2023

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

2015-2022

Special properties

Over 2,300 hospitals that have the "2022 Leapfrom Hospital Survey" publicly reported, representing 74% of U.S. hospital beds.

Supplementary notes

*Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) Cesarean Birth rate: referring to C-sections for mothers with first-time pregnancies (nulliparous) that have reached at least 37 weeks of gestation (term) and have a single baby (singleton) in the head-down position (vertex). This measure exclusively examines the population of women least likely to need a C-section, offering a standardized way to compare rates at different hospitals.
National Healthy People 2030 target: NTSV cesarean birth rate: 23.6%.

Citation formats