Share of births attended by skilled health staff in China
China: Share of births attended by skilled health staff was 99.9% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in China, 1990–2016
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
China recorded 99.9% for share of births attended by skilled health staff in 2016. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births attended by skilled health staff in China peaked at 99.9% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 83.6%, in 1993.
China ranks 16th of 169 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in China, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 94.0% | — |
| 1991 | 93.7% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 84.1% | -10.2% |
| 1993 | 83.6% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 90.4% | +8.1% |
| 1995 | 89.3% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 93.1% | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 93.8% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 96.8% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 96.6% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 97.3% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 96.7% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 95.9% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 97.3% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 97.5% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 97.8% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 98.4% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 99.1% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 99.3% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 99.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 99.7% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 99.8% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 99.9% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 91.0% | 83.6% | 96.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 97.6% | 95.9% | 99.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.8% | 99.6% | 99.9% | 7 |
Countries ranked near China
- 16 Azerbaijan 99.9% compare
- 16 Belarus 99.9% compare
- 16 Bosnia and Herzegovina 99.9% compare
- 16 Croatia 99.9% compare
- 16 El Salvador 99.9% compare
- 16 Greece 99.9% compare
- 16 Kazakhstan 99.9% compare
- 16 Kuwait 99.9% compare
- 16 Latvia 99.9% compare
- 16 Libya 99.9% compare
- 16 Oman 99.9% compare
- 16 Serbia 99.9% compare
- 16 Ukraine 99.9% compare
More health data for China
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- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births attended by skilled health staff in China?
- Share of births attended by skilled health staff in China was 99.9% in 2016, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.6% in 1993.
- How does China rank for share of births attended by skilled health staff?
- China ranks 16th out of 169 countries with data for 2016.
- Is share of births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births attended by skilled health staff. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Skilled health staff refers to professionals trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.