Black women in England suffer more serious birth complications, analysis finds

They are six times more like to have pre-eclampsia compared with their white counterparts, as health inequalities persist

• ‘I had no idea my baby was at risk’: The fight to raise awareness of pre-eclampsia

Black women are up to six times more likely to experience some of the most serious birth complications during hospital delivery across England than their white counterparts, with the figures being described as “stark” and disheartening”, according to analysis.

Black women made up 26% of women who experienced the birth complication pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension during delivery, despite making up just 5% of all deliveries across England, according to a Guardian analysis of NHS figures for 2022-23.