ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess institutional delivery and its associated factors in Benishangul-Gumez region, North-West of Ethiopia. The data were obtained at community level in a single survey within 1 month and there is no continuation of this study or previously published part elsewhere.ResultsAmong the 428 eligible respondents recruited for this study, 427 of them responded completely to the interview, giving a response rate of 99.8%. Of the total (427) respondents, 51.1% women delivered the recent child at health facility in the 12 months preceding the survey. Among the common reasons for home delivery were, labour was urgent (25.8%), home birth was usual habit for them (23.9%) and distance to health center was too far. Age (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.46, 7.97), husband occupation (AOR = 5.16, 95% CI 1.74, 15.31), frequency of antenatal care visit (AOR = 3.34, 95% CI 1.88, 5.94) and maternal knowledge on danger signs of pregnancy and delivery (AOR = 7.18, 95% CI 3.77, 13.66) were significantly associated factors with institutional delivery. Although, the prevalence of institutional delivery has improved when compared to previous reports, strategic modification is important to increase health facility delivery.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3295-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.