In the 19th century fewer than 10% of births took place in a hospital. By 1938, however, over half of all babies in the U.S. were born in a hospital and by 1955 the number skyrocketed to 90%. Although the "modern" C-section procedure really emerged around 1940, the percentage of C-section deliveries remained under 5%.
Are C-sections becoming more common?
The rate of cesarean sections around the world is increasing at an "alarming" rate, reported an international team of doctors and scientists on Thursday. Since 1990, C-sections have more than tripled from about 6 percent of all births to 21 percent, three studies report in The Lancet.
When did C-sections become common in UK?
Caesarean section rates
In the 1950s, 3% of births in England were by CS. By the early 1980s this had risen to 10% and in the 1990s rates started to climb rapidly, from 12% in 1990 to 21% in 2001 (see graph opposite) 1.
