Key Points

• The proportion of women aged 35 or older at childbirth has increased since 2012, reaching 29.2% in 2024. Conversely, “teenage” pregnancies (< 20 years old) have declined sharply, falling from 7.8% in 2012 to 3.4% in 2024.
• The proportion of women receiving the Complémentaire santé solidaire (C2S) remained high, accounting for 31.3% of women who gave birth in Martinique in 2024, reflecting a high level of economic vulnerability in the territory.The prevalence of women who were overweight before pregnancy (52.5% in 2021) remains very high in Martinique.
• The proportions of women who smoked one year before pregnancy (21.1%) and during the third trimester of pregnancy (5.4%) were significantly lower than those observed in France as a whole.
• In 2021, 95.5% of women attempted to breastfeed their babies; 92.3% were able to establish mixed or exclusive breastfeeding in the maternity ward; and at 2 months of age, 76.1% of infants were receiving mixed or exclusive breastfeeding. These rates are among the highest in France.
• In 2021, 8.5% of newborns were hospitalized or transferred at birth, a rate lower than that of France as a whole (11.5%).
• Only 41.3% of infants are consistently placed on their backs two months after birth, and 31.7% are primarily placed in their parents’ bed (a risky practice).
• The maternal mortality rate reached 38.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024, which, along with Guadeloupe, is the highest regional rate observed in France (11.1 deaths per 100,000).