Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel was 97.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel in Southern Africa, 2000–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Southern Africa recorded 97.6% for proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel in Southern Africa peaked at 97.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 84.2%, in 2000.
That places Southern Africa 11th out of 35 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel in Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 84.2% | — |
| 2001 | 85.2% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 86.2% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 87.3% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 88.7% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 89.4% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 90.2% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 91.1% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 92.0% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 92.4% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 93.0% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 93.5% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 93.9% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 94.3% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 94.6% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 94.8% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 95.3% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 95.9% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 96.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 96.5% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 96.8% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 97.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 97.3% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 97.4% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 88.7% | 84.2% | 92.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.6% | 93.0% | 96.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.1% | 96.5% | 97.6% | 6 |
More health data for Southern Africa
- Tuberculosis incidence 386 (2024)
- Total official development assistance to medical research and basic 59.71 (2024)
- Maternal mortality ratio 136.6 (2023)
- Malaria incidence per 1,000 population at risk 1.72 (2024)
- Total official development assistance to medical research and basic 58.64 (2024)
- Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 22.2% (2024)
- International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity, by type of IHR 51.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel in Southern Africa?
- Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel in Southern Africa was 97.6% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel recorded in Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 97.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.2% in 2000.
- How does Southern Africa rank for proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel?
- Southern Africa ranks 11th out of 35 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Southern Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).