Authors publish findings of a nationwide survey of pain relief in childbirth in Hungary carried out during the year of 1993. Informations were provided on 104,137 deliveries in 98 units. At 71,744 vaginal deliveries (81%) not any types of pain relief were used. The frequency ot different types of pain reliefs at vaginal deliveries were as follows: systemic opioids at 7387 cases (8.3%), epidural analgesia at 4611 cases (5.2%) and inhalational analgesia (nitrous oxide) at 4470 cases (5.0%). The availability of epidural analgesia at 62 units was absent. The rate of spinal--epidural analgesia at Cesarean sections was 37% (n = 13,240). At gynaecological laparotomies (n = 18,219) the rate of general anaesthesia was 98%, this rate at vaginal hysterectomies was 56.8% (n = 1568). Authors conclude that the rate of pain relief in labour in Hungary is unreasonably low. The reason of it is the lack of anaesthetists and also the traditional view, which does not recognize the importance of the pain relief in labour.