Caesarean sections becoming more common in Finland and Sweden

In 2020, the proportion of caesarean sections of all deliveries was highest in Denmark (19.6%) and lowest in Norway (15.8%). 18.4% of deliveries in Finland, 17.9% in Sweden and 16.1% in Iceland were performed as caesarean sections.

Caesarean sections have become more common in the Nordic countries since the 1970s, especially in Denmark and Norway. At the beginning of the 2000s, the proportions in the Nordic countries were similar, but the differences between the countries have increased since then. The growth in Finland and Sweden is explained by the increase in planned caesarean sections. 

“According to WHO, the proportion of caesarean section of all deliveries should be no more than 10–15%,” reminds Mika Gissler, Research Professor at THL. All Nordic countries are at a higher level than this.

In all Nordic countries, the proportion of caesarean sections is higher for primiparas than for parturients with prior deliveries. In 2020, the proportion for primiparas was highest in Finland (23.2%) and lowest in Iceland (16.5%).

However, the number of caesarean sections in the Nordic countries is relatively low compared to other OECD countries.  “The number of caesarean sections is highest in countries where a significant proportion of deliveries are performed in private hospitals. The procedure fees paid to physicians also increase the number of caesarean sections,” says Gissler.

Finland's birth rate lowest in the Nordic countries – Finland's birth rate still increased in 2021

In 2020, the birth rate increased slightly in Finland, remained relatively stable in Denmark and Iceland and decreased slightly in Norway and Sweden. 

“In 2021, the number of deliveries increased in all the countries, but, according to Finland's preliminary data, it would seem that the increase has halted in 2022,” says Gissler.

However, the birth rate in Finland was still the lowest in the Nordic countries in 2021. Iceland’s and Sweden’s birth rate was still among the highest in Europe.

In the Nordic countries, women give birth at a higher age than in the past. The mean age of parturients has increased in all Nordic countries in 2020, excluding Iceland. The proportion of parturients aged 35 and over has increased considerably in all Nordic countries since the 1980s. In 2020, the proportion was highest in Finland (24.8%) and lowest in Iceland (19.6%). 

Proportion of caesarean sections of all deliveries 1975–2020, %

Read more about Nordic perinatal statistics

Further information

Mika Gissler
Research Professor
tel. +358 29 524 7279
[email protected]

Anna Heino
Senior Specialist
tel. +358 29 524 7177
[email protected]