Objective: To identify the socio-economic determinants of home-based and institutional delivery in Pakistan.
Methods: This study has used Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) data collected by the National
Institute of Population Studies (NIPS), Islamabad, Pakistan, and Macro International Inc. (now ICF International)
Calverton, Maryland, United States. It used three episodes of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey Data from
1990-91, 2006-07 and 2012-13. Data was analysed using descriptive analysis and odds of delivering at hospital were
calculated using logistic regression analysis.
Results: Home-based delivery was over 4 times higher in 1990-91 compared with institutional delivery 5,465(85.3%) vs.
852(13.3%), and around 2 times higher in 2006-07 5,900(64.7%) vs. 3,128(34.3%). However, in 2012-13, the share of women
delivering at home or health facility was roughly the same, i.e. 6,180(51.6%) at home and 5,773(48.2%) at health facility.
Conclusion: There were wide gaps in the rates of institutional delivery among different subgroups, and they were
accentuated by the socio-economic and financial disparities, and high illiteracy rates in the lowest wealth quintiles.