Cesarean-associated share of recorded live births in Southern Saudi Arabia: an exploratory denominator-aware analysis of the 2024 Ministry of Health yearbook

Abstract

Background: A live-birth table can classify infant records by delivery mode without identifying maternal delivery episodes. The proportion associated with cesarean delivery must therefore be interpreted using the source's birth-record denominator. We examined this quantity in the Southern analytical grouping while retaining all thirteen Saudi administrative regions as comparators.

Methods: We reconstructed Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2024 Table 4-35 and reconciled component counts with the published total. Official reporting units were mapped to the thirteen administrative regions before aggregation into five separately attributed analytical groups. The primary measure was cesarean-associated live-birth records divided by all recorded live births. A secondary descriptive calculation excluded records with undefined delivery classification. Maternal episode linkage, parity, previous cesarean delivery, gestational age, indications, clinical outcomes and cross-tabulated case-mix variables were unavailable. Source inspection preceded protocol drafting; the analysis is exploratory and contains no sampling confidence intervals or clinical-appropriateness inference.

Results: Southern, comprising Asir, Jazan, Najran and Al Baha, recorded 77,569 live-birth records: 46,476 in the source's normal-delivery category, 31,092 cesarean-associated and one with undefined delivery classification. The cesarean-associated share was 40.08%, unchanged at displayed precision when the undefined record was excluded. Constituent administrative-region shares were 43.76% in Asir, 37.42% in Jazan, 34.07% in Najran and 42.32% in Al Baha. The corresponding five-group shares were 41.41% in Central, 43.07% in Western, 36.03% in Eastern and 40.41% in Northern. The reconstructed national totals were 514,968 live-birth records, including 210,167 cesarean-associated records and five undefined delivery classifications, and matched the source.

Conclusions: The Southern grouping's birth-record share conceals variation among its constituent administrative regions. The source supports a completed descriptive comparison of recorded live births, but it cannot establish maternal cesarean-delivery rates, indications, avoidable procedures or clinical outcomes.

Keywords

• Cesarean Section
• Live Birth
• Delivery Obstetric
• Vital Statistics
• Saudi Arabia