Objective To determine the prevalence of cesarean deliveries in Burkina Faso, analyze the indications for them and the outcomes, and identify factors associated with non‐absolute maternal indications for the procedure, as opposed to major obstetric interventions performed to save a woman's life. Methods In a cross‐sectional study, we selected and analyzed cesarean deliveries among those most recently performed between May 2009 and April 2010 in all facilities in Burkina Faso. To identify the factors associated with non‐absolute maternal indications, we used generalized estimating equations to take into account the clustering of data at the hospital level. Results The proportion of births by cesarean delivery was 1.5%, with regional variations ranging from 0.8% to 4.5%. They were performed mainly for absolute maternal indications (54.8%). Cesarean deliveries for non …