Ethiopia vs Nigeria: Number of maternal deaths by region

Ethiopia
10,246 deaths
in 2020
Nigeria
81,747 deaths
in 2020
Ethiopia rank
4th
Nigeria rank
1st

Number of maternal deaths by region over time

  • Ethiopia
  • Nigeria
20.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k198520022020

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 81,747 deaths against 10,246 deaths in Ethiopia, a difference of 71,501 deaths.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 8.0 times Ethiopia's.

Across all 36 years both countries report, Nigeria has been ahead every year.

Ethiopia ranks 4th and Nigeria ranks 1st of 185 countries.

Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ethiopia Nigeria Difference Ahead
1980s 26,841 deaths 49,641 deaths 22,800 deaths Nigeria
1990s 28,642 deaths 55,750 deaths 27,108 deaths Nigeria
2000s 26,839 deaths 65,732 deaths 38,894 deaths Nigeria
2010s 15,095 deaths 80,791 deaths 65,697 deaths Nigeria
2020s 10,246 deaths 81,747 deaths 71,501 deaths Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of maternal deaths by region, Ethiopia or Nigeria?
Nigeria, at 81,747 deaths against 10,246 deaths in Ethiopia as of 2020.
What is the difference in number of maternal deaths by region between Ethiopia and Nigeria?
71,501 deaths, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Nigeria?
36 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Ethiopia and Nigeria rank globally for number of maternal deaths by region?
Ethiopia ranks 4th and Nigeria ranks 1st of 185 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of maternal deaths by region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ethiopia vs Nigeria: Number of maternal deaths by region. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-maternal-deaths-by-region/ethiopia/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of maternal deaths by region
Unit
deaths
Source
UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 6,660 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated number of maternal deaths in a given year.