
Last year, 32.5 percent of the 76,534 babies born to mothers residing in Austria arrived by Caesarean section, Statistics Austria reports. In 1995—when C-sections were first recorded statistically—the rate was just 12.4 percent. “The sharp rise over nearly 30 years is due in large part to women having children later in life,” said Thomas Burg, Director General for Statistical Affairs, on Tuesday.
Rates vary by region: Styria leads with 38.2 percent of births via C-section, while Salzburg has the lowest rate at 27.8 percent.
Older Mothers, More C-Sections
Women aged 35 or older at delivery underwent C-sections 1.6 times more often than mothers under 25 (40 percent vs. 25.2 percent). The average maternal age at childbirth climbed from 27.8 years in 1994 to 31.6 years in 2024. First-time mothers went from an average of 25.9 years to 30.4 years over the same period.
Mothers under 25 fell from 30.3 percent of births in 1994 to 10.8 percent in 2024, while births to mothers aged 35+ tripled from 8.4 percent to 25.4 percent. Teen births (under 20) now account for just 1.1 percent, and births to women over 40 for 5 percent.
Medical and Multiple-Birth Indicators
C-sections occurred in 55.6 percent of cases with abnormal head presentation, almost always for breech or transverse lies (94.3 percent and 99 percent, respectively). Multiple births were delivered by C-section in 79.9 percent of cases. Half of all C-sections (50.5 percent) were scheduled before labor began.
In 2024, 98.5 percent of babies were born in hospitals. A further 184 births took place in maternity homes or midwife clinics, 895 at home, and 28 en route to hospital. Female newborns averaged 3,263 g and 50.5 cm; males 3,393 g and 51.1 cm.
Preterm births (before 37 weeks) held steady at 6.8 percent (5,231 infants), down from a high of 8.9 percent in 2008. Low birth weight (< 2,500 g) affected 5.8 percent. High birth weight (≥ 4,500 g) occurred in 1.1 percent of boys and 0.4 percent of girls. Twins or triplets made up 2.8 percent of live births.