Australia vs Iceland: Maternal mortality ratio
Australia
2.94 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Iceland
2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Australia rank
182nd
Iceland rank
185th
Maternal mortality ratio over time
- Australia
- Iceland
How they compare
Australia currently reports 2.94 deaths per 100,000 live births against 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births in Iceland, a difference of 0.29 deaths per 100,000 live births.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.1 times Iceland's.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1951 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 182nd and Iceland ranks 185th of 189 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 6 and Iceland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 68.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | 65.71 deaths per 100,000 live births | 2.43 deaths per 100,000 live births | Australia |
| 1960s | 31.94 deaths per 100,000 live births | 33.79 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1.85 deaths per 100,000 live births | Iceland |
| 1970s | 11.54 deaths per 100,000 live births | 30.5 deaths per 100,000 live births | 18.96 deaths per 100,000 live births | Iceland |
| 1980s | 8.34 deaths per 100,000 live births | 6.45 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | Australia |
| 1990s | 8.25 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5.99 deaths per 100,000 live births | 2.26 deaths per 100,000 live births | Australia |
| 2000s | 5.34 deaths per 100,000 live births | 4.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1.28 deaths per 100,000 live births | Australia |
| 2010s | 5.33 deaths per 100,000 live births | 3.07 deaths per 100,000 live births | 2.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | Australia |
| 2020s | 2.94 deaths per 100,000 live births | 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | 0.2871 deaths per 100,000 live births | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher maternal mortality ratio, Australia or Iceland?
- Australia, at 2.94 deaths per 100,000 live births against 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births in Iceland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in maternal mortality ratio between Australia and Iceland?
- 0.29 deaths per 100,000 live births, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Iceland?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1951 to 2020.
- How do Australia and Iceland rank globally for maternal mortality ratio?
- Australia ranks 182nd and Iceland ranks 185th of 189 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major 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
The estimated number of women who die from maternal conditions per 100,000 live births, based on data from death certificates, large-scale surveys, and statistical modeling.