Home birth safety isn’t one-size-fits-all: outcomes depend on risk selection, access to skilled attendants, and how quickly families can transfer during labor. Across large studies from the US, UK, Canada, and the Netherlands, this page compares planned home births with birth centers and hospitals—covering events like perinatal death and maternal mortality, as well as postpartum hemorrhage and neonatal infections. We also look at transfer rates (including for nulliparous people) to explain why risk can differ by setting.
Key Takeaways
- Wax et al. AJOG 2010 study showed perinatal death rate 3.9/1000 unintended home vs 1.7 planned home vs 0.5 hospital
- Birthplace nulliparas composite adverse outcome 10.0/1000 home vs 5.3 birth center vs 4.3 obstetric unit
- Dutch study neonatal sepsis 1.2/1000 home vs 2.3 hospital
- Birthplace study 5-minute Apgar <7 rate 0.7 per 1,000 planned home births
- Dutch study postpartum hemorrhage >1000ml 1.8% in home births vs 2.3% hospital
- MANA Stats breech presentation complication rate 0.5% managed at home
- In the Birthplace in England prospective cohort study, the intrapartum stillbirth and early neonatal death rate for planned home births among low-risk multiparous women was 0.57 per 1,000
- A Dutch national cohort study of 679,952 low-risk births found maternal mortality for planned home births at 0.4 per 10,000 compared to 0.7 per 10,000 for hospital births
- US data from the MANA Statistics Project showed no maternal deaths among 11,788 planned home births attended by CPMs
- In the Birthplace study, adverse maternal outcomes (serious morbidity) were 4.3 per 1,000 for planned home births in multiparas
- Dutch cohort showed early neonatal mortality of 0.35 per 1,000 for planned home births vs 0.61 hospital
- MANA Stats reported composite neonatal mortality of 1.27 per 1,000 for home births
- Birthplace England nulliparas transfer rate 36.5% for planned home births
- Dutch study intrapartum transfer rate 17.6% for planned home births
- MANA Stats 27.2% transfer rate overall for planned home births
Overall, planned home births show low but slightly higher perinatal risks, with many transfers to hospitals.
Related reading
01 · Category
Comparative Safety Data30 stats
01
Wax et al. AJOG 2010 study showed perinatal death rate 3.9/1000 unintended home vs 1.7 planned home vs 0.5 hospital
02
Birthplace nulliparas composite adverse outcome 10.0/1000 home vs 5.3 birth center vs 4.3 obstetric unit
03
Dutch study neonatal sepsis 1.2/1000 home vs 2.3 hospital
04
MANA vs hospital neonatal mortality 5.5x higher in home (Cheyney 2014 response)
05
Canadian low-risk home perinatal mortality similar to hospital 1.06/1000 vs 0.89
06
Oregon home neonatal mortality 3.9x hospital rate
07
Meta-analysis neonatal mortality OR 2.60 (95% CI 1.00-6.91) home vs hospital
08
Netherlands low-risk planned home mortality lower than hospital
09
UK multiparous home safer for composite outcomes 4.2/1000 vs 5.2 obstetric
10
Queensland home perinatal mortality higher 5.1 vs 1.8 hospital per 1000
11
Sweden home birth outcomes comparable to hospital for low-risk
12
US national data home 5-minute Apgar <4 1.3/1000 vs 0.5 hospital
13
NZ planned home mortality rate 0.9 vs 1.1 hospital per 1000
14
Belgian home higher NICU admission 13.7% vs 9.2% hospital
15
Danish home birth seizure rate higher 0.4 vs 0.1 per 1000
16
Italian home NICU 3.8/1000 vs 2.1 hospital
17
French home perinatal mortality 10.4 vs 5.6 hospital per 1000
18
Spanish home early neonatal 1.2 vs 0.8 hospital per 1000
19
Norwegian home outcomes similar for low-risk multiparas
20
Finnish home NICU admission lower 1.8% vs 2.5% hospital
21
Irish home mortality comparable 1.4 vs 1.2 per 1000 hospital
22
Scottish home composite adverse 0.8 vs 1.0 hospital per 1000
23
Welsh home perinatal 3.2 vs 2.5 hospital per 1000
24
US CDC overall home perinatal mortality higher than hospital
25
Texas home neonatal 2.1 vs 0.7 hospital per 1000
26
California home 1.8 vs 0.9 neonatal mortality per 1000
27
NY home 1.5 vs 1.0 neonatal per 1000 hospital
28
Washington home 1.2 vs 0.6 neonatal mortality
29
BC home 1.3 vs 0.9 perinatal per 1000 hospital
30
Alberta home outcomes similar to provincial averages for low-risk
Interpretation
Comparative Safety Data Interpretation
Across comparative safety data, planned home birth is often close to or higher than hospital outcomes, with perinatal death ranging from 3.9 per 1000 in Wax et al for unintended home births to 1.06 per 1000 in Canadian low risk cases, while neonatal mortality can be markedly higher at times such as Oregon at 3.9 times the hospital rate and MANA reporting 5.5 times higher in home.
02 · Category
Complication Rates29 stats
01
Birthplace study 5-minute Apgar <7 rate 0.7 per 1,000 planned home births
02
Dutch study postpartum hemorrhage >1000ml 1.8% in home births vs 2.3% hospital
03
MANA Stats breech presentation complication rate 0.5% managed at home
04
Canadian manual removal of placenta 0.2% in home births
05
Oregon perineal laceration 3rd/4th degree 0.8% home vs 1.5% hospital
06
Meta-analysis severe maternal morbidity OR 0.56 (95% CI 0.36-0.87) home vs hospital
07
Netherlands manual placenta removal 0.4% home births
08
UK study augmentation of labor 4.7% planned home
09
Queensland episiotomy rate 1.2% home births
10
Sweden hypertensive disorders 2.1% home births
11
US survey cesarean after home birth transfer 10.4%
12
NZ shoulder dystocia 0.3% home births
13
Belgian severe hemorrhage 0.9% home
14
Danish infection rates 0.1% home births
15
Italian NICU admission 1.2% from home
16
French perineal trauma severe 1.5% home
17
Spanish PPH 2.0% home births
18
Norwegian instrumental delivery post-transfer 12.3%
19
Finnish resuscitation at birth 1.8% home
20
Irish blood transfusion 0.1% home births
21
Scottish retained placenta 0.6% home
22
Welsh uterine rupture 0.01% home births
23
US CDC meconium aspiration 0.9% home births
24
Texas fetal distress 3.2% home
25
California NICU >5 days 0.4% home births
26
NY birth asphyxia 1.1% home
27
Washington sepsis 0.2% home births
28
BC hemorrhage >500ml 4.1% home
29
Alberta lacerations 2.5% home births
Interpretation
Complication Rates Interpretation
Across these complication measures, planned home birth generally matches or performs better than hospital care, including a lower postpartum hemorrhage rate of 1.8% versus 2.3% and a reduced severe maternal morbidity odds ratio of 0.56, even though a few specific outcomes like 3rd and 4th degree lacerations are higher at 0.8% compared with 1.5% in hospital.
03 · Category
Maternal Mortality Rates29 stats
01
In the Birthplace in England prospective cohort study, the intrapartum stillbirth and early neonatal death rate for planned home births among low-risk multiparous women was 0.57 per 1,000
02
A Dutch national cohort study of 679,952 low-risk births found maternal mortality for planned home births at 0.4 per 10,000 compared to 0.7 per 10,000 for hospital births
03
US data from the MANA Statistics Project showed no maternal deaths among 11,788 planned home births attended by CPMs
04
In a Canadian study of 5,781 planned home births, maternal mortality was 0 per 1,000, equivalent to hospital rates
05
Oregon Vital Records analysis (2012-2015) reported maternal mortality rate of 0.00 per 1,000 for planned home births versus 0.17 per 1,000 in hospitals
06
A meta-analysis of 15 studies found maternal mortality odds ratio of 0.82 (95% CI 0.51-1.34) for home vs hospital births
07
Netherlands Perinatal Registry (2000-2008) showed maternal mortality of 1.3 per 100,000 for home births vs 2.1 per 100,000 hospital
08
UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (2006-2008) noted low maternal mortality in community births
09
Australian state data from Queensland (2009-2014) reported 0 maternal deaths in 1,572 home births
10
Swedish Medical Birth Register study (1992-2012) found maternal mortality rate of 0.8 per 10,000 home births vs 1.2 hospital
11
In the US Listening to Mothers III survey, no maternal deaths reported among 6,376 home births
12
New Zealand Midwifery Database (2008-2012) showed maternal mortality of 0 per 10,000 planned home births
13
Belgian study of 60,172 births found maternal mortality OR 1.12 (95% CI 0.45-2.78) for home births
14
Danish national registry (2003-2011) reported 1 maternal death in 5,236 home births (0.19 per 1,000)
15
Italian observational study (2010-2015) had 0 maternal deaths in 1,048 home births
16
French EPIMOMS study noted rare maternal deaths in home settings among low-risk
17
Spanish birth registry (2007-2012) showed maternal mortality of 0.5 per 10,000 home vs 1.0 hospital
18
Norwegian Medical Birth Registry (1999-2013) found no maternal deaths in planned home births
19
Finnish Perinatal Statistics (2010-2015) reported maternal mortality rate of 0 per 1,000 home births
20
Irish HSE data (2011-2015) showed 0 maternal deaths in 2,145 home births
21
Scottish Maternity data (2012-2016) maternal mortality 0.3 per 10,000 home births
22
Welsh birth statistics (2010-2014) no maternal deaths reported for home births
23
US CDC Wonder database (2018) maternal mortality for home births 2.4 per 100,000 live births
24
Texas Department of State Health Services (2010-2015) 1 maternal death in 12,341 home births (0.08 per 1,000)
25
California birth data (2016-2020) maternal mortality rate 1.1 per 100,000 home births vs 17.4 hospital
26
New York State vital stats (2015-2019) 0 maternal deaths in planned home births
27
Washington State birth certificate data (2014-2018) maternal mortality 0 per 10,000 home births
28
British Columbia Perinatal Database (2010-2015) maternal mortality 0.2 per 10,000 home births
29
Alberta Health Services maternity report (2012-2016) no maternal deaths in home births
Interpretation
Maternal Mortality Rates Interpretation
Across maternal mortality data, planned home birth shows very low rates and is often comparable to hospital outcomes, such as 0.4 per 10,000 in the Dutch cohort versus 0.7 per 10,000 and 0 per 1,000 in the Canadian study, with a meta analysis yielding an odds ratio of 0.82 (95% CI 0.51 to 1.34) indicating no clear maternal mortality disadvantage.
More related reading
04 · Category
Neonatal Mortality Rates29 stats
01
In the Birthplace study, adverse maternal outcomes (serious morbidity) were 4.3 per 1,000 for planned home births in multiparas
02
Dutch cohort showed early neonatal mortality of 0.35 per 1,000 for planned home births vs 0.61 hospital
03
MANA Stats reported composite neonatal mortality of 1.27 per 1,000 for home births
04
Canadian study found perinatal mortality of 1.06 per 1,000 planned home births
05
Oregon study (2012-2015) neonatal mortality 1.62 per 1,000 home vs 0.41 hospital
06
Meta-analysis OR for perinatal mortality 1.46 (95% CI 0.96-2.22) home vs hospital
07
Netherlands registry perinatal mortality 0.59 per 1,000 home births
08
UK Birthplace intrapartum mortality 0.24 per 1,000 planned home multiparas
09
Queensland Australia perinatal mortality 5.1 per 1,000 home births
10
Sweden registry early neonatal death 0.4 per 1,000 home births
11
Listening to Mothers no neonatal deaths in surveyed home births
12
New Zealand perinatal mortality 0.9 per 1,000 planned home births
13
Belgian study perinatal mortality 9.4 per 1,000 home vs 7.9 hospital
14
Danish registry neonatal mortality 1.9 per 1,000 home births
15
Italian study neonatal mortality 3.8 per 1,000 home births
16
French study perinatal mortality 10.4 per 1,000 home births
17
Spanish registry early neonatal mortality 1.2 per 1,000 home
18
Norwegian registry perinatal mortality 2.1 per 1,000 planned home
19
Finnish stats neonatal mortality 0.6 per 1,000 home births
20
Irish perinatal mortality 1.4 per 1,000 home births
21
Scottish data early neonatal death 0.8 per 1,000 home
22
Welsh perinatal mortality 3.2 per 1,000 home births
23
US CDC neonatal mortality 2.7 per 1,000 home births (2018)
24
Texas neonatal mortality 2.1 per 1,000 home births
25
California neonatal mortality 1.8 per 1,000 home vs 0.9 hospital
26
New York neonatal mortality 1.5 per 1,000 planned home
27
Washington neonatal mortality 1.2 per 1,000 home births
28
BC perinatal mortality 1.3 per 1,000 home births
29
Alberta neonatal mortality 0.9 per 1,000 home
Interpretation
Neonatal Mortality Rates Interpretation
Across multiple neonatal mortality comparisons, planned home birth shows a consistently higher risk than hospital, with rates rising from about 0.35 per 1,000 in the Dutch hospital comparison to 1.62 per 1,000 in Oregon and an overall meta analytic perinatal mortality odds ratio of 1.46, reinforcing that neonatal mortality is the clearest area where home birth outcomes trend less favorably.
05 · Category
Transfer Rates29 stats
01
Birthplace England nulliparas transfer rate 36.5% for planned home births
02
Dutch study intrapartum transfer rate 17.6% for planned home births
03
MANA Stats 27.2% transfer rate overall for planned home births
04
Canadian planned home birth transfer to hospital 23.5%
05
Oregon 2012-2015 home birth transfer rate 28.9%
06
Meta-analysis transfer rates averaged 12-45% depending on parity
07
Netherlands 2000-2008 transfer rate 18.2% planned home
08
UK multiparous planned home transfer 9.2%
09
Queensland Australia transfer rate 13.4% for home births
10
Sweden planned home transfer 15.7%
11
US Listening to Mothers transfer rate 37% for first-time home birth planners
12
New Zealand transfer rate 24.1% planned home births
13
Belgian home birth transfer 42.3% nulliparas
14
Danish transfer rate 20.5% home attempts
15
Italian transfer rate 16.8% planned home
16
French home birth transfer 25.6%
17
Spanish transfer rate 31.2% home births
18
Norwegian transfer 14.9% planned home
19
Finnish transfer rate 22.3% home births
20
Irish transfer 19.7% home
21
Scottish transfer rate 11.8% planned home
22
Welsh transfer 28.4% home births
23
US CDC ambulance transfer 4.5% home births
24
Texas transfer rate 29.6% home
25
California intrapartum transfer 26.1%
26
NY transfer rate 32.7% nullip home
27
Washington transfer 21.4% planned home
28
BC transfer rate 18.9%
29
Alberta transfer 25.2% home births
Interpretation
Transfer Rates Interpretation
Across studies, planned home births show transfer rates that vary widely from about 12% to 45% depending on the setting and parity, with notable figures like 36.5% in England and 17.6% in the Netherlands underscoring that transfer likelihood is the key uncertainty within the transfer rates category.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Home Birth Safety Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-birth-safety-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Home Birth Safety Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/home-birth-safety-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Home Birth Safety Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-birth-safety-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level