Midwives — Health and social employment in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Midwives — Health and social employment was 55.8 Per 1 000 live births in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
55.8 Per 1 000 live births
Change on year
up 6.6%
World rank
16th
of 23 countries
All-time high
55.8 Per 1 000 live births
in 2020
All-time low
41.35 Per 1 000 live births
in 2015
Years of data
6
2015–2020

Midwives — Health and social employment in United Kingdom, 2015–2020

02040602015201720202015: 41.4 Per 1 000 live births2016: 43.4 Per 1 000 live births2017: 46.7 Per 1 000 live births2018: 49.8 Per 1 000 live births2019: 52.3 Per 1 000 live births2020: 55.8 Per 1 000 live births

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Per 1 000 live births.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 55.8 Per 1 000 live births for midwives — health and social employment in 2020. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.6% on the previous year and up 34.9% over ten years.

United Kingdom ranks 16th of 23 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Midwives — Health and social employment in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Midwives — Health and social employment in United Kingdom, 2015 to 2020.
Year Per 1 000 live births Change
2015 41.35 Per 1 000 live births
2016 43.43 Per 1 000 live births +5.0%
2017 46.66 Per 1 000 live births +7.4%
2018 49.81 Per 1 000 live births +6.8%
2019 52.33 Per 1 000 live births +5.1%
2020 55.8 Per 1 000 live births +6.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 46.72 Per 1 000 live births 41.35 Per 1 000 live births 52.33 Per 1 000 live births 5
2020s 55.8 Per 1 000 live births 55.8 Per 1 000 live births 55.8 Per 1 000 live births 1

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 13 New Zealand 57.47 Per 1 000 live births compare
  2. 14 Luxembourg 56.75 Per 1 000 live births
  3. 15 Italy 56.55 Per 1 000 live births compare
  4. 17 Austria 40.05 Per 1 000 live births compare
  5. 18 Cyprus 37.78 Per 1 000 live births compare
  6. 19 Spain 33.06 Per 1 000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 30 places →

More work & labour data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is midwives — health and social employment in United Kingdom?
Midwives — health and social employment in United Kingdom was 55.8 Per 1 000 live births in 2020, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest midwives — health and social employment recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 55.8 Per 1 000 live births in 2020.
What is the lowest midwives — health and social employment recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 41.35 Per 1 000 live births in 2015.
How does United Kingdom rank for midwives — health and social employment?
United Kingdom ranks 16th out of 23 countries with data for 2020.
Is midwives — health and social employment rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Midwives — Health and social employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Midwives — Health and social employment in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/midwives-health-and-social-employment/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Midwives — Health and social employment
Unit
Per 1 000 live births
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
30 places, 591 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on the number of midwives by status (ie. practising midwives, professionally active midwives, and midwives licenced to practice). Practising midwives provide services directly to patients. Professionally active midwives include practising and other (non-practising) midwives for whom their education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job. Midwives licensed to practice have acquired the requisite education and qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practice midwifery. They include both practising and other (non-practising) midwives. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.