Key Points

• The proportion of women aged 35 or older at childbirth increased, reaching 28.6% in 2024. Conversely, “teenage” pregnancies (< 20 years old) have declined (3.2% in Guadeloupe and 5.2% in Saint Martin).
• Recipients of State Medical Aid (AME) or the Complementary Solidarity Health Insurance (C2S) remained high in 2024, with 36.8% of women who gave birth in Guadeloupe and 38.6% of women who gave birth in Saint Martin receiving these benefits, suggesting that financial insecurity remains high.
• The prevalence of women who were overweight or obese before pregnancy remains very high in Guadeloupe (50.7% in 2021) as well as in Saint Martin (43.9% in 2021).
• The proportion of women who smoked one year before pregnancy (18.9%) and during the third trimester of pregnancy (13.9%) was lower in Guadeloupe than the rates observed for France as a whole in 2021.
• In 2021, 92.7% of women attempted to breastfeed their babies; 88.7% were able to establish mixed or exclusive breastfeeding in the maternity ward; and at 2 months of age, 71.2% of children in Guadeloupe were being fed through mixed or exclusive breastfeeding. These breastfeeding rates are among the highest in France.
• Only 54.3% of infants are consistently placed on their backs two months after birth, and 28.4% are primarily placed in their parents’ bed (a risky practice).
• The maternal mortality rate reached 39.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024, the highest regional rate observed in France (11.1 deaths per 100,000).