Malawi vs South Africa: Number of maternal deaths
Malawi
1,490 Deaths
in 2023
South Africa
1,395 Deaths
in 2023
Malawi rank
33rd
South Africa rank
35th
Number of maternal deaths over time
- Malawi
- South Africa
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 1,490 Deaths against 1,395 Deaths in South Africa, a difference of 95 Deaths.
That makes Malawi's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Malawi ahead.
Malawi ranks 33rd and South Africa ranks 35th of 195 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,637 Deaths | 2,343 Deaths | 2,294 Deaths | Malawi |
| 1990s | 4,137 Deaths | 1,675 Deaths | 2,462 Deaths | Malawi |
| 2000s | 2,131 Deaths | 2,714 Deaths | 582.99 Deaths | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2,250 Deaths | 1,927 Deaths | 323.38 Deaths | Malawi |
| 2020s | 1,629 Deaths | 1,652 Deaths | 22.77 Deaths | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of maternal deaths, Malawi or South Africa?
- Malawi, at 1,490 Deaths against 1,395 Deaths in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of maternal deaths between Malawi and South Africa?
- 95 Deaths, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.
- How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for number of maternal deaths?
- Malawi ranks 33rd and South Africa ranks 35th of 195 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of maternal deaths. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated annual number of women who die from maternal conditions.