Key Points

Socio-demographic Characteristics

• The birth rate is declining in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, reaching 7.8 births per 1,000 residents in 2024 (10.3 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012) and remains lower than the rate for France as a whole (9.6 per 1,000 inhabitants).
• The proportion of women aged 35 or older at childbirth has increased, reaching 25.5% in 2024, compared to 19.7% in 2012. Conversely, pregnancies among young women under 20 have declined (1.7% in 2024 compared to 2.7% in 2012).
• The number of women receiving State Medical Aid (AME) or the Solidarity-Based Supplementary Health Insurance (C2S) increased, accounting for 14.5% of women who gave birth in 2024 (compared to 12.5% in 2014) in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Pregnancy and Childbirth

• More than one-third of women were overweight before pregnancy (34.9% in 2021 compared to 25.8% in 2010) and the prevalence of pre-existing diabetes doubled between 2012 and 2024, reaching 0.72% in 2024 (0.36% in 2012); this unfavorable trend is observed both in the region and throughout France and requires increased vigilance.
• The proportion of women who smoked one year before becoming pregnant (32.9% in 2021) is higher than that observed in France as a whole (26.8%); nevertheless, the proportion of women who smoked during the third trimester of pregnancy decreased by one-third between 2016 and 2021 in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, falling from 19.9% to 13.5%.
• The proportion of episiotomies performed during unassisted vaginal deliveries (VBNI) decreased sharply between 2012 (18.1%) and 2024 (3.0%), reflecting a shift toward more physiological practices. However, as at the national level, a smaller increase in severe perineal tears has been observed (1.3% in 2024 versus 0.7% in 2012).

Mental Health

• In 2021, more than one in 10 women (11.6%) in Nouvelle-Aquitaine reported a negative psychological experience of pregnancy (compared to 6.9% in 2010); two months postpartum, nearly one-quarter of women exhibited symptoms of anxiety (24.4%), and 14.0% exhibited symptoms of depression. It should be noted that these data, collected in 2021, reflect the context of pregnancies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mortality

• The maternal mortality rate stood at 9.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024, a figure close to that observed in France (11.1 deaths per 100,000 births).
• While the regional infant mortality rate (3.4 deaths before age one per 1,000 live births) remained lower than the national rate (4.1 per 1,000), this indicator remained particularly high in France in 2024, with a national upward trend and a ranking of 21st out of 27 European countries (from lowest to highest).

Prevention

• Less than one-third of women reported having taken folic acid supplements before pregnancy in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (27.8%) as well as nationally (27.2%). Although an increase has been observed in the region compared to 2016 (23.9%), this rate remains insufficient.
• The implementation of early prenatal counseling (69.1% of women in 2024 compared to 62.1% nationally) and the recently implemented early postnatal consultation (31.4% of women in 2024 compared to 24.9% nationally) are showing positive progress in the region.