India vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Number of maternal deaths

India
19,000
in 2023
Sub-Saharan Africa
187,000
in 2023
India rank
2nd
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
5th

Number of maternal deaths over time

  • India
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k198520042023

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 187,000 against 19,000 in India, a difference of 168,000.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 9.8 times India's.

Across all 39 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

India ranks 2nd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th of 194 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade India Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 165,800 234,400 68,600 Sub-Saharan Africa
1990s 127,000 229,100 102,100 Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s 81,000 214,200 133,200 Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s 35,200 219,000 183,800 Sub-Saharan Africa
2020s 25,000 192,750 167,750 Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of maternal deaths, India or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Sub-Saharan Africa, at 187,000 against 19,000 in India as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of maternal deaths between India and Sub-Saharan Africa?
168,000, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and Sub-Saharan Africa?
39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.
How do India and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for number of maternal deaths?
India ranks 2nd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 5th 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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India vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Number of maternal deaths. Statizoid, drawing on Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-maternal-deaths/india/sub-saharan-africa/

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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.