Key Points

• The proportion of women aged 35 or older at childbirth increased, reaching 21.1% in 2024. Conversely, “teenage” pregnancies (< 20 years old) declined (2.6% in 2024).
• The number of women receiving State Medical Aid (AME) increased slightly and, in 2024, accounted for 1.1% of women who gave birth in the Hauts-de-France region. Meanwhile, the number of recipients of the Complémentaire Santé Solidaire (C2S) remained generally stable, accounting for 20.3% of women who gave birth in the region in 2024.
• The prevalence of women who were overweight before pregnancy (41.3% in 2021) and those with pre-existing diabetes (0.9% in 2024) is on the rise in the region, as it is throughout France.
• The proportion of women who smoked one year before pregnancy (32.9%), in the third trimester of pregnancy (17.1%), and two months postpartum (18.8%) are higher in Hauts-de-France than those observed across France as a whole in 2021.
• In 2021, 66.2% of women attempted to breastfeed their babies, 57.3% were able to establish mixed or exclusive breastfeeding in the maternity ward, and at 2 months, 38.2% of infants in the region were being breastfed either exclusively or in combination with formula, which is lower than the rates observed nationwide.
• Only 82.7% of infants are consistently placed on their backs two months after birth, and 11.7% are primarily placed in their parents’ bed (a risky practice).
• The maternal mortality rate reached 10.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024, a regional rate close to that observed in France (11.1 deaths per 100,000).