Number of Births by Cesarean Section in Austria Has Risen Sharply

The significant increase in births by cesarean section over the past 30 years is partly due to women having children later in life, explained Thomas Burg, the chief statistical director of Statistics Austria, on Tuesday. However, there are significant regional differences: In Styria, 38.2 percent of children were born by cesarean section, while this proportion was 27.8 percent in Salzburg.

More Births by Cesarean Section Due to Late Motherhood

Women who were 35 years or older at the time of delivery had a cesarean section 1.6 times more often last year than those under 25 (cesarean rate 40 percent compared to 25.2 percent). In 1994, the average age of the mother at the time of birth was 27.8 years, in 2024 it was 3.8 years more (31.6 years). During the same period, the average age of women becoming mothers for the first time increased from 25.9 years to the current 30.4 years (plus 4.5 years).

The proportion of mothers who were younger than 25 at the birth of their child has decreased significantly (1994: 30.3 percent; 2024: 10.8 percent), while the proportion of women who became mothers at 35 or later has tripled (1994: 8.4 percent; 2024: 25.4 percent). Births from mothers under 20 years old accounted for only 1.1 percent of all births in 2024, while those from women over 40 accounted for five percent.

A significant indication for a cesarean section is the position of the child in the womb. In cases of abnormal head position, more than half of the cases (55.6 percent) resulted in a cesarean, and in breech or transverse positions, almost always (94.3 and 99 percent, respectively). Cesarean sections were also predominantly performed in multiple births (79.9 percent). Generally, half of the procedures were planned before the onset of labor (50.5 percent).

Regional Differences in Births by Cesarean Section

The most cesarean sections occurred in Styria with a share of 38.2 percent, followed by Carinthia with 33.7 percent, Tyrol with 33.5 percent, Lower Austria with 33.1 percent, Burgenland with 33, and Vienna with 32.8 percent. Salzburg had the lowest rate at 27.8 percent, followed by Vorarlberg with 28.6 and Upper Austria with 29.1 percent.

Newborn girls weighed an average of 3,263 grams and were 50.5 centimeters tall. Boys were slightly heavier at birth with 3,393 grams and also taller at 51.1 centimeters. The majority of children (98.5 percent) were born in a hospital in 2024. For 184 live births, the mother chose a birthing center or midwife practice. 895 babies were born in the mother's home, and 28 were born on the way to the hospital.

5,231 babies or 6.8 percent were considered premature births, as they were born before the 37th week of pregnancy. Thus, the proportion of premature births remained unchanged from the previous year. The highest value to date was in 2008 with 8.9 percent. "Underweight" with less than 2,500 grams were 5.8 percent of the newborns. A high birth weight of 4,500 grams or more was found in 1.1 percent of boys and 0.4 percent of girls. 2.8 percent of live births were twins or triplets.

(APA/Red)

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