Key Points

A Declining Birth Rate

• Nearly 50,000 births were recorded in 2024, which is about 10,000 fewer than in 2012.

Increasing Pre-Pregnancy Risk Factors

• One in five pregnant women was 35 years of age or older. The prevalence of women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy (34% in 2021) and those with pre-existing diabetes (1% in 2024) is on the rise in the region, as it is in the rest of France. In contrast, the proportion of women who smoke during the third trimester of pregnancy is declining: 12% in 2021 (vs. 17% in 2010).

Increasing Incidence of Pregnancy-Related Conditions

• Gestational diabetes has doubled, reaching 14% in 2024 (vs. 7% in 2012), while pregnancy-induced hypertension remained relatively stable (4% in 2024) and remains below the national average.

Prematurity on the Decline

• Despite an increase in several risk factors for preterm birth (obesity, diabetes, advanced maternal age), the preterm birth rate declined to 6% in the region in 2024 (vs. 7% in 2012).

Infant mortality is rising

• As observed throughout France, infant mortality (deaths between 0 and 364 days) in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region is increasing, driven primarily by a rise in neonatal mortality (deaths between 0 and 27 days).

Prevention and Prenatal/Postnatal Care: Encouraging Progress

• In 2021, 67% of pregnant women received an early prenatal consultation, an increase of 14 percentage points since 2014. Furthermore, in 2024, 26% of women who gave birth received an early postnatal consultation (compared to 20% in 2023). However, as is the case nationwide in France, rates of folic acid intake before pregnancy, the proportion of women who received counseling on preventing cytomegalovirus infection, and vaccination rates against the flu and whooping cough remained insufficient.

Perinatal Mental Health: A Priority for Mother and Child

• In 2021, 19% of women who gave birth in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region exhibited symptoms of postpartum depression, and 30% suffered from anxiety. Since 2013, suicide has been among the top two causes of maternal mortality in France.

A Mixed Picture Across the Region

• Although the overall perinatal situation in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region is more favorable than at the national level, disparities between departments persist, with particularly unfavorable indicators of maternal vulnerability and morbidity in the Bouches-du-Rhône department.