The mortality rate for home birth is 7 times higher than for hospital birth.

In many developed countries, home births account for less than 2% of all births, as childbirth is considered to be risky and, in an emergency, the child or mother could die.

However, some countries like the Netherlands and Canada are exceptions, in which the home birth rate in the Netherlands is up to 16%.

However, in Canada, home births are highly regulated. All midwives who deliver at home are among the best trained midwives in the world, exceeding the standards set by the International Confederation of Midwives, which include a university degree in midwifery and hospital training in the diagnosis and management of birth complications.

During labor, statistics show that 25% of women who give birth at home in Canada will be transferred to the hospital if they have a life-threatening complication.

In the United States, the period from 2004 to 2009 saw a boom in natural home births, sometimes reaching 24% compared to previous years. However, the majority of mothers were monitored by midwives (in 28 states) rather than doctors or specialized midwives, leading to many unfortunate deaths due to complications.

In 2014, approximately 60,000 babies were born at home in the United States (1.5%). The gradual shift from home births to hospital births has reduced neonatal mortality by more than 90% and maternal mortality by nearly 99%.

The New York Times once cited statistics from Oregon (USA) in 2012, showing that the mortality rate when giving birth at home is 7 times higher than giving birth in the hospital. The reason pointed out that the reason is partly due to the midwives' lack of skills, not meeting international standards, and not being properly trained in cases of complications.

Since 2016, home births in the US have been decreasing as health authorities have tightened monitoring of pregnant women from the time of conception. In particular, the American Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has continuously issued guidelines on safe childbirth, and if the midwife is not qualified, she cannot deliver at home. At the same time, it has focused on promoting communication to mothers about the risks that may be encountered when giving birth at home.

Even in cases where a licensed midwife is available, many doctors in the United States still urge pregnant women to go to the hospital to give birth.

On the Washington Post, obstetrics expert Amos Grunebaum at Weill Cornell Medical College also warned that the risk of brain damage in the first 10 years of life of children born at home is higher than those born in the hospital.