Overall, 61 per cent of births in developing countries are attended by skilled health personnel.  Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, which bear the greatest burden of maternal mortality, also have the lowest levels of skilled birth attendance with less than half of births being delivered by a doctor, nurse or midwife. In contrast, 94 per cent of deliveries in CEE/CIS countries are attended by skilled personnel.

It is important to note that in many countries, particularly in middle- and high-income countries, a large number of births also occur in health facilities, and thus are attended by skilled health personnel. For example, most deliveries in CEE/CIS (89 per cent) and in Latin America and the Caribbean (86 per cent) occur in health facilities. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, however, less than half of deliveries occur in health facilities (40 per cent and 35 per cent of deliveries, respectively).