Between 2018 and 2022, the rate of normal vaginal birth among Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers who gave birth in NSW fell from 60.9% to 56.9%. The caesarean section rate rose from 31.7% to 35.5%. The rate of instrumental delivery was stable at about 7.1%, as was the rate of vaginal breech births (0.4%). Similar trends of a decrease in normal vaginal births (53.3% to 50.0%), an increase in caesarean section (34.6% to 38.4%) and stable rates for instrumental delivery (about 11.2%) and vaginal breech births (about 0.3%) were seen in non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers who gave birth in NSW from 2018 to 2022 respectively.
Type of birth, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal mothers, NSW 2018–2022
Source: NSW Perinatal Data Collection (SAPHaRI). Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health.
Due to under-reporting of Aboriginal mothers to the Perinatal Data Collection, it is likely that the true numbers of mothers and babies are higher than shown. For more information refer to Estimated level of reporting. Table excludes 3,629 mothers where the mother’s Aboriginality was not stated.
