Ethiopia vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Number of maternal deaths

Ethiopia
8,000
in 2023
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
177,000
in 2023
Ethiopia rank
5th
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
6th

Number of maternal deaths over time

  • Ethiopia
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k198520042023

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) currently reports 177,000 against 8,000 in Ethiopia, a difference of 169,000.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s figure about 22.1 times Ethiopia's.

Across all 39 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has been ahead every year.

Ethiopia ranks 5th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 6th of 194 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ethiopia Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) Difference Ahead
1980s 28,400 229,000 200,600 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
1990s 29,800 225,500 195,700 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
2000s 24,700 211,200 186,500 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
2010s 14,900 213,200 198,300 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
2020s 9,025 183,750 174,725 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of maternal deaths, Ethiopia or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), at 177,000 against 8,000 in Ethiopia as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of maternal deaths between Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
169,000, with Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.
How do Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for number of maternal deaths?
Ethiopia ranks 5th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 6th of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), published as Number of maternal deaths. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ethiopia vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Number of maternal deaths. Statizoid, drawing on Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-maternal-deaths/ethiopia/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-high-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of maternal deaths
Source
Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 9,399 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed

A maternal death refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.