Samoa vs South Africa: Maternal mortality ratio
Samoa
101.49 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 2023
South Africa
117.57 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 2023
Samoa rank
65th
South Africa rank
62nd
Maternal mortality ratio over time
- Samoa
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 117.57 Deaths per 100 000 live births against 101.49 Deaths per 100 000 live births in Samoa, a difference of 16.08 Deaths per 100 000 live births.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Samoa's.
Across all 39 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Samoa ranks 65th and South Africa ranks 62nd of 195 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Samoa | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 147.93 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 192.19 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 44.26 Deaths per 100 000 live births | South Africa |
| 1990s | 111.63 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 149.37 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 37.74 Deaths per 100 000 live births | South Africa |
| 2000s | 88.58 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 244.29 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 155.72 Deaths per 100 000 live births | South Africa |
| 2010s | 103.94 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 163.6 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 59.66 Deaths per 100 000 live births | South Africa |
| 2020s | 110.14 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 139.06 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 28.92 Deaths per 100 000 live births | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher maternal mortality ratio, Samoa or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 117.57 Deaths per 100 000 live births against 101.49 Deaths per 100 000 live births in Samoa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in maternal mortality ratio between Samoa and South Africa?
- 16.08 Deaths per 100 000 live births, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Samoa and South Africa?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.
- How do Samoa and South Africa rank globally for maternal mortality ratio?
- Samoa ranks 65th and South Africa ranks 62nd of 195 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of women who die from maternal conditions per 100,000 live births.