The Global Health Observatory
Explore a world of health data
The Global Health Observatory
Explore a world of health data
Numerator: number of births delivered in a health facility. Denominator: the total number of live births in the same period.
Births delivered in a health facility = (number of delivered births in a health facility)/(total number of live births in the same period) x 100.
In household surveys, such as DHS and MICS the respondent is asked about the most recent birth and where the who helped during delivery for a period up to five years before the interview.
Preferred data sources: National-level household surveys are the main data sources used to collect data for births delivered in health facility. These surveys include DHS, MICS and Reproductive Health Surveys (RHS) and other national surveys based on similar methodologies. In these surveys the respondent is asked about the last live birth and place of birth the for a period up to five years before the interview. Surveys are undertaken every three to five years. Population-based surveys are the preferred data source in countries with a low utilization of childbirth services, where private sector data are excluded from routine data collection, and/or with weak health information systems. Routine service/facility records are a more common data source in countries where a high proportion of births occur in health facilities and are therefore recorded. These data can be used to track the indicator on an annual basis.