Outside the usual rangeMarch 2021Maternal and child
West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries in March 2021 was 39.3%, above the 3-year median of 32.3% for the same month (+7.1 points).
What happened
- March 2021
- 39.3%
- 3-year median
- 32.3%
- Change
- +7.1%
- Change, percentage points
- +7.1 pts
Why it matters
The value is judged against the median of the same period in up to five earlier years, using a robust measure of spread. A breach means this period sits well outside what those years would lead you to expect.
For C-section share of institutional deliveries, neither a rise nor a fall is better in itself, so the observatory marks this movement as unusual rather than good or bad.
Historical context
Same-period values: 2020 32.3%, 2019 39.2%, 2018 32.2%. This comparison involves the COVID-19 disruption period (March 2020 – June 2021), when service use and reporting fell sharply.
Full history of C-section share of institutional deliveries in West Bengal
The underlying data
| Period | Value | Release | Where in the document |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2021 | 39.3% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, March 2021 (FY 2020-21, provisional) | 2020-2021(Data is Provisional)/A.MonthWise/L-Mar.xlsx: ('3.1' Total C -Section deliveries performed) / ('2.2' Number of Institutional Deliveries conducted (Including C-Sections)) × 100; column "West Bengal", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
| March 2020 | 32.3% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, March 2020 (FY 2019-20, provisional) | 2019-2020.zip › 2019-2020/A.MonthWise/L - March.xls: ('3.1' Total C -Section deliveries performed) / ('2.2' Number of Institutional Deliveries conducted (Including C-Sections)) × 100; column "West Bengal", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
| March 2019 | 39.2% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, March 2019 (FY 2018-19, provisional) | 2018-2019.zip › 2018-2019/A.MonthWise/L - March.xls: ('3.1' Total C -Section deliveries performed) / ('2.2' Number of Institutional Deliveries conducted (Including C-Sections)) × 100; column "West Bengal", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
| March 2018 | 32.2% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, March 2018 (FY 2017-18, provisional) | 2017-2018.zip › 2017-2018/A.MonthWise/L - March.xls: ('3.1' Total C -Section deliveries performed) / ('2.2' Number of Institutional Deliveries conducted (Including C-Sections)) × 100; column "West Bengal", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
Source and method
More signals for C-section share of institutional deliveries in West Bengal
- West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries of 39.7% in May 2021 is the highest in the series, which begins April 2017.
- West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries of 39.3% in March 2021 is the highest in the series, which begins April 2017.
- West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries of 31.3% in October 2020 is the lowest since September 2017.
- West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries of 39.1% in June 2020 is the highest since March 2019.
- West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries of 32.3% in March 2020 is the lowest since March 2018.
- West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries of 34.6% in December 2019 is the lowest since November 2018.
Cite this
According to the India Health Observatory, West Bengal: C-section share of institutional deliveries in March 2021 was 39.3%, above the 3-year median of 32.3% for the same month (+7.1 points). Source: Health Management Information System, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, March 2021 (FY 2020-21, provisional). https://indiahealthobservatory.com/signals/c-section-rate-institutional--west-bengal--2021-03--baseline_breach
See also West Bengal and 39.3% in context.