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Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health
Life expectancy at birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Stillbirth rate
Neonatal mortality rate
Infant mortality rate
Under 5 mortality rate
Antenatal care coverage: 4+ visits
Antenatal care coverage: 8+ visits
Births attended by skilled health personnel
Postpartum care coverage for mothers
Postnatal care coverage for newborns
Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months
Coverage of first dose of measles vaccination
Stunting - short height for age under age 5
Wasting – low weight for height under age 5
Overweight - heavy for height under 5
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Child marriage before age 15
Child marriage before age 18
Female genital mutilation
Sexual violence by age 18 - female
Sexual violence by age 18 - male
Very early child bearing under age 16
Adolescent birth rate ages 15 to 19
Contraceptive prevalance rate, modern methods, all women
Demand satisfied for modern contraception
Communicable Diseases
New HIV infections
Antiretroviral treatment coverage
Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Condom use
New TB infections
New malaria infections
Non-Communicable Diseases
Mortality from non-communicable diseases
Suicide mortality rate
Current tobacco use among females aged 15 and over
Current tobacco use among males aged 15 and over
Harmful alcohol use aged 15 and over
Health Financing
External health expenditure as % current health expenditure
Government health expenditure as % current health expenditure
Government health expenditure as % GDP
Government health expenditure as % general govt expenditure
Government health expenditure per capita
Out-of-pocket health expenditure as % of current health expenditure
Percentage of national health budget allocated for reproductive health
Health systems and policies
Density of health workers - physicians
Density of health workers - nurses and midwives
Density of health workers - pharmaceutical staff
Qualified obstetricians
Birth registration
At least basic drinking water
At least basic sanitation services
Open defecation
Implementation of AMRH Initiative

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What does it mean ?
Full Name: Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
Full Unit: Percentage, %
Year-range of Data: 2006 - 2017
Source: UNICEF & WHO joint database on skilled birth attendance
Link to Source: https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/delivery-care/
Date Source Published: 21st May 2018
Date Source Accessed: 21st January 2019
Target Source: WHO, 2018
Link to Target: www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/intrapartum-care-guidelines

The following countries had no data:
SADR

Alternative Data Sources
The target is taken from the target source as shown in the table on the left. This is the internationally agreed target for this indicator and country. Most targets are the same for all countries, but some may have different values for each country. Some indicators have no internationally agreed targets.

The threshold is taken from the same source where available. The threshold is an easier value than the target but shows good progress in achieving the target. For more details, go to ‘Find out more about indicator and sources’ via the Indicators page.

Births attended by skilled health personnel

What does it mean ?

This indicator shows the percentage of births that take place in the presence of a skilled healthcare worker who is qualified to attend to births. The definition of a skilled birth attendant is an accredited health professional such as a midwife, nurse or doctor who has the necessary skills needed to manage normal pregnancy, childbirth and the period after the birth, and who is able to identify, manage and refer women and newborns if complications occur. Traditional birth attendants are not included.

Why does it matter ?

All women should have skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth because the provision of skilled care at every birth significantly reduces the risk of maternal and newborn mortality. This indicator can also give us information on the use of maternity services in a country, and can measure a health system’s ability to provide good care during childbirth. Skilled attendance is a crucial factor in reducing maternal and newborn death. The proportion of skilled birth attendance is an indicator for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal 3 Health and Wellbeing; Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births. This indicator is also part of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030) under Thrive: Ensure health and wellbeing.

How is it collected ?

The main data sources to calculate the percentage of births attended by a skilled healthcare worker are household surveys. For household surveys, the respondent is asked about each live birth and who had helped them during delivery leading up to five years before the interview. Other possible sources of data are facility reporting systems and administrative data for middle and high income countries. Service/facility records can be used where a high proportion of births happen in health facilities and are recorded.

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More about indicator, sources and calculations

More about indicator and sources

For more information on this indicator, visit the links below:

UNICEF Data webpage, Monitoring the situation of children and women: https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/delivery-care/

SDG indicator metadata: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-03-01-02.pdf

Global Strategy metadata: http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.gswcah

The WHO 2018 'Recommendations: intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience' is for all women to deliver their baby in attendance by a skilled provider. The target set for this indicator on African Health stats platform comes from these guidelines. You can read more about these standards here: https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/intrapartum-care-guidelines/en/

More information on calculations

The main data source to calculate the percentage of births attended by a skilled healthcare worker are household surveys, which include US Agency for International Development–supported Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Reproductive Health Surveys (RHS) and national surveys based on similar methodologies. Before data can be included in the global databases, UNICEF and WHO undertake a process of data verification that includes liaising with field offices to clarify any questions. In some cases, survey data may show a total percentage of births attended by a type of providers that falls outside of the Sustainable Development Goal definition, for example, the total includes a provider that is not considered skilled, such as a community health worker. In that case, the proportion delivered by a physician, nurse, or a midwife are summed together and entered into the global database.

For more information, visit: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-03-01-02.pdf

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