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UNICEF · Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff
Births attended by skilled staff by country
What share of births are attended by a doctor, nurse or midwife?
11 countries shared first place of the 86 countries compared in 2019, all at 100.0%, and Somalia last, at 31.9%. In the middle country the figure was 98.8%. Among the 22 countries measured in every edition since 1995, the middle one moved from 99.3% to 99.6%.
Births attended by skilled staff · 2019
Context statistic
11 countries share the highest value, 100.0% — no single country is named first.
012019 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 86 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
Highest in 2019 · shared
11 countries share the highest reading, 100.0%
No single country is named first: picking one from a shared value would be a choice the data does not make.
Lowest in 2019
- 86
Somalia31.9% - 85
Central African Republic40.3% - 84
Chad47.2%
Positions out of 86. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
Births attended by skilled staff on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 31.9–94.1%
- 94.4–98.3%
- 98.4–99.6%
- 99.7–99.9%
- 100.0%
- No reading in 2019 (118 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
99.7%
the middle country, of 23 measured · 49 members
2 share 100.0%
Romania91.5%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
99.6%
the middle country, of 21 measured · 52 members
3 share 100.0%
Bangladesh59.0%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
98.8%
the middle country, of 23 measured · 48 members
5 share 100.0%
Bolivia81.1%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
98.3%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 21 members
Palau100.0%
Kiribati91.9%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Africa
83.2%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 55 members
Mauritius99.8%Somalia31.9%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Caribbean
100.0%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 24 members
4 share 100.0%
Barbados98.0%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Europe
99.9%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 17 members
North Macedonia100.0%
Malta99.7%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
99.7%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 10 members
Belarus99.9%Romania91.5%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- South-eastern Asia
99.6%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 11 members
3 share 99.6%
Indonesia94.7%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Asia
99.6%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 19 members
Qatar100.0%
Saudi Arabia94.8%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Europe
99.5%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 13 members
Lithuania100.0%
Iceland98.3%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- South America
97.8%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 12 members
Uruguay100.0%Bolivia81.1%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Eastern Africa
86.0%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 19 members
Mauritius99.8%Somalia31.9%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia98.8%
New Zealand96.5%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Central America
4 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama.
Costa Rica99.0%
Honduras94.1%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Central Asia
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
2 share 100.0%
2 share 100.0%
Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Asia
1 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: Japan.
Japan99.9%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Micronesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati, Palau.
Palau100.0%Kiribati91.9%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Middle Africa
3 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Central African Republic, Chad, São Tomé and Príncipe.
São Tomé and Príncipe96.8%Central African Republic40.3%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Northern Africa
1 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Algeria.
Algeria98.8%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
United States99.0%
Canada98.0%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Polynesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Tonga.
Tonga98.3%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Southern Asia
4 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan.
Bhutan96.3%Bangladesh59.0%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Africa
3 of 16 measured — too few for a middle: Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone86.9%
Guinea-Bissau53.8%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Western Europe
3 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Austria, France, Germany.
Austria98.4%
Germany96.2%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
03The whole field at once
The spread
86 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 98.8%; a quarter are above 99.8%, and a quarter below 95.0%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 204 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UNICEF ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Many high-income countries sit at or near 100% and stop being distinguishable — 11 countries report that every birth is attended and share position 1. The spread that matters is at the bottom.
Showing 25 of 204 countries
Values for 2019. The change column compares 2019 with 2018 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051995–2019 · 23 reference years
Over time
Each point is one reference year from 1995. Coverage thins sharply after 2019, so the series ends earlier than the data appears to.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 22 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 86 | 98.8% | 95.0% – 99.8% | 99.6% |
| 2018 | 97 | 99.0% | 94.8% – 99.8% | 99.6% |
| 2017 | 95 | 99.4% | 94.9% – 99.9% | 99.6% |
| 2016 | 101 | 99.0% | 94.3% – 99.8% | 99.7% |
| 2015 | 101 | 99.1% | 94.3% – 99.9% | 99.7% |
| 2014 | 118 | 98.9% | 93.2% – 99.8% | 99.7% |
| 2013 | 108 | 98.8% | 96.0% – 99.8% | 99.5% |
| 2012 | 112 | 99.0% | 94.2% – 99.8% | 99.6% |
| 2011 | 107 | 98.8% | 91.4% – 99.8% | 99.4% |
| 2010 | 117 | 98.5% | 87.4% – 99.7% | 99.5% |
| 2009 | 106 | 99.3% | 96.8% – 99.8% | 99.7% |
| 2008 | 108 | 98.8% | 92.9% – 99.8% | 99.5% |
| 2007 | 110 | 98.6% | 90.9% – 99.7% | 99.4% |
| 2006 | 128 | 97.6% | 78.4% – 99.5% | 99.5% |
| 2005 | 113 | 98.7% | 91.1% – 99.7% | 99.4% |
| 2004 | 109 | 98.6% | 91.2% – 99.8% | 99.4% |
| 2003 | 106 | 98.9% | 90.0% – 99.6% | 99.4% |
| 2002 | 101 | 98.9% | 95.9% – 99.7% | 99.4% |
| 2001 | 90 | 98.6% | 88.5% – 99.6% | 99.4% |
| 2000 | 145 | 96.6% | 65.2% – 99.3% | 99.3% |
| 1999 | 84 | 98.7% | 89.6% – 99.5% | 99.3% |
| 1998 | 85 | 98.5% | 90.4% – 99.7% | 99.2% |
| 1995 | 80 | 98.8% | 89.1% – 99.9% | 99.3% |
062018 → 2019
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Burundi86.2% → 98.6% · 81st → 47th+12.4- Bolivia71.5% → 81.1% · 88th → 76th+9.6
- Bangladesh52.7% → 59.0% · 95th → 81st+6.3
Pakistan69.3% → 73.7% · 89th → 80th+4.4
Panama92.9% → 95.0% · 78th → 64th+2.1
Declined most
before → after
Paraguay97.7% → 92.2% · 64th → 71st−5.5- Saudi Arabia99.4% → 94.8% · 40th → 66th−4.6
Türkiye99.2% → 97.0% · 44th → 58th−2.2- Romania93.1% → 91.5% · 76th → 73rd−1.6
- Barbados99.0% → 98.0% · 48th → 54th−1.0
67 countries were measured in both 2018 and 2019. The field changed from 97 to 86 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Births attended by skilled staff in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
Reached 241 times by 45 countries — shared, so no holder is named
100.0%
Births attended by skilled health staff (%)
Lowest reading on record
5.6%
Births attended by skilled health staff (%)
Biggest improvement between editions
+34.5
54.0% → 88.5%
Biggest decline between editions
−28.2
99.1% → 70.9%
Most improved since first measured
+73.4
25.2% → 98.6%
08The measure
About births attended by skilled staff
This is the share of births attended by a doctor, nurse or midwife — close to a single measure of whether a health system reaches women at the moment they most need it. It pairs directly with under-five mortality, and the two rise and fall together.
What the number is: Births attended by skilled health staff (%).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Health & Wellbeing and Gender & Equality, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Health & WellbeingGender & EqualityWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where births attended by skilled staff is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Access to ElectricityWorld Bank Group · 86 countries in commonρ 0.69
- Median Age of the PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 86 countries in commonρ 0.59
- CO₂ Emissions per CapitaKeyGlobal Carbon Project · 86 countries in commonρ 0.52
Moves against
Where births attended by skilled staff is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Crude Birth RateUN DESA Population Division · 86 countries in commonρ −0.65
- Total Fertility RateUN DESA Population Division · 86 countries in commonρ −0.63
- Population Under Age 15UN DESA Population Division · 86 countries in commonρ −0.60
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 84 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
11Questions
Births attended by skilled staff: questions and answers
Which country has the highest births attended by skilled staff?
11 countries share the highest reading, 100.0%, among the 86 compared in 2019, so no single country is named.
Which country has the lowest births attended by skilled staff?
Somalia, at 31.9%, among the 86 countries compared in 2019.
How many countries does the Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff cover?
86 in 2019, and 204 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 80 to 145 between editions.
What is the world average births attended by skilled staff?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 86 compared in 2019, the figure was 98.8%.
Is this UNICEF’s own ranking?
No. UNICEF publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff published?
This site holds 23 reference years, 1995–2019, all recalculated in UNICEF’s 2026 report on one method — not 23 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UNICEF, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children via the World Bank’s indicator API (SH.STA.BRTC.ZS). Survey-driven, so the country set changes from year to year: a country missing from an edition was not surveyed, and its care did not lapse. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff — UNICEF
From UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children via the World Bank’s indicator API (SH.STA.BRTC.ZS). Survey-driven, so the country set changes from year to year: a country missing from an edition was not surveyed, and its care did not lapse.
Newest edition
Report year 2019Data year 2019
Cite the source as: United Nations Children’s Fund. The State of the World’s Children. New York: UNICEF.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-07.
How this page reads the numbers
- UNICEF ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Births attended by skilled staff by country: Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff, data from UNICEF. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/skilled-birth-attendance