The number of babies born through caesarean section (C-section) nearly doubled from 12 percent to 21 percent of all births between 2000 and 2015, worldwide, according to research published in The Lancet, that shed light on a huge gap in childbirth care between rich and poor mothers.
While C-section is a life-saving intervention for women and newborns, it is not without risk for mother and child, and is also associated with complications in future births.
It is estimated that 10-15 percent of births medically require surgery due to complications such as bleeding, foetal distress, hypertensive disease.
However, the researchers estimate that more than one in four countries in 2015 had lower levels (28 per cent), while most countries used C-section above the recommended level (63 percent).