Bangladesh vs South Africa: Maternal mortality ratio

Bangladesh
123.03 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
South Africa
126.83 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Bangladesh rank
63rd
South Africa rank
60th

Maternal mortality ratio over time

  • Bangladesh
  • South Africa
2004006008001.0k198520022020

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 126.83 deaths per 100,000 live births against 123.03 deaths per 100,000 live births in Bangladesh, a difference of 3.8 deaths per 100,000 live births.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 36 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Bangladesh ahead.

Bangladesh ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 60th of 189 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Bangladesh averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bangladesh South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 908.79 deaths per 100,000 live births 161.03 deaths per 100,000 live births 747.76 deaths per 100,000 live births Bangladesh
1990s 732.04 deaths per 100,000 live births 147.9 deaths per 100,000 live births 584.14 deaths per 100,000 live births Bangladesh
2000s 387.82 deaths per 100,000 live births 205.95 deaths per 100,000 live births 181.88 deaths per 100,000 live births Bangladesh
2010s 219.7 deaths per 100,000 live births 151.46 deaths per 100,000 live births 68.24 deaths per 100,000 live births Bangladesh
2020s 123.03 deaths per 100,000 live births 126.83 deaths per 100,000 live births 3.8 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, Bangladesh or South Africa?
South Africa, at 126.83 deaths per 100,000 live births against 123.03 deaths per 100,000 live births in Bangladesh as of 2020.
What is the difference in maternal mortality ratio between Bangladesh and South Africa?
3.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bangladesh and South Africa?
36 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Bangladesh and South Africa rank globally for maternal mortality ratio?
Bangladesh ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 60th 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.

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Bangladesh vs South Africa: Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/maternal-mortality/bangladesh/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Maternal mortality ratio
Unit
deaths per 100,000 live births
Source
UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
189 places, 8,868 data points, 1751–2020
Last refreshed

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.