South Africa vs Yemen: Maternal mortality ratio
South Africa
117.57 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 2023
Yemen
118.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 2023
South Africa rank
62nd
Yemen rank
60th
Maternal mortality ratio over time
- South Africa
- Yemen
How they compare
Yemen currently reports 118.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births against 117.57 Deaths per 100 000 live births in South Africa, a difference of 0.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Yemen ahead.
South Africa ranks 62nd and Yemen ranks 60th of 195 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and Yemen in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Yemen | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 192.19 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 403.99 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 211.8 Deaths per 100 000 live births | Yemen |
| 1990s | 149.37 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 301.77 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 152.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births | Yemen |
| 2000s | 244.29 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 190.56 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 53.74 Deaths per 100 000 live births | South Africa |
| 2010s | 163.6 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 136.6 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 27.01 Deaths per 100 000 live births | South Africa |
| 2020s | 139.06 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 133.57 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 5.5 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, South Africa or Yemen?
- Yemen, at 118.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births against 117.57 Deaths per 100 000 live births in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in maternal mortality ratio between South Africa and Yemen?
- 0.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births, with Yemen ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Yemen?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and Yemen rank globally for maternal mortality ratio?
- South Africa ranks 62nd and Yemen ranks 60th 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.