A quarter of all births in the Netherlands took place at home in 2010. The remainder of the 184,000 Dutch babies born last year first saw the light of day in hospital.

Data published by the Statistics Netherlands show that the number of home deliveries has been decreasing for years: 25 percent in 2010 compared to 38 percent 20 years ago. However, the Netherlands still has one of the highest home birth rates in Europe.

At one percent, the Netherlands also has a high perinatal death rate compared to other European countries. The cause of the high number of perinatal deaths is the subject of extensive research. Some scientists believe it may be linked to home deliveries.
(gsh/dd)

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