INTRODUCTION: Chronic postsurgical pain is recognised increasingly as a complication of caesarean delivery, with implications for a large cohort of patients. As interest in this area has grown, there has been more primary research into both the incidence and severity of pain. We aimed to synthesise all available evidence to evaluate the rate, features and severity of chronic postsurgical pain following caesarean delivery and whether it has changed over time. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain at 3, 6 and 12 months after caesarean delivery and its characteristics, such as intensity and neuropathic pain. We also performed subgroup analyses based on study design quality, year of publication, country income and use of intrathecal morphine. RESULTS: A total of 48 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled incidence of chronic postsurgical pain was 15.2% (95%CI 12.2-18.6%, I DISCUSSION: The incidence of chronic postsurgical pain after caesarean delivery falls between 3 and 12 months, appears to be stable over time and appears to be lower in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Future studies should consider using a consensus definition of chronic pain and assessment methods to reduce heterogeneity between studies.