Which has higher number of maternal deaths, Malawi or South Africa?

Malawi, at 1,500 against 1,400 in South Africa as of 2023.

How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?

39 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2023.

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.

Malawi vs South Africa: Number of maternal deaths

Malawi

1,500

in 2023

South Africa

1,400

in 2023

Malawi rank

32nd

South Africa rank

34th

Number of maternal deaths over time

Malawi
South Africa

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 1,500 against 1,400 in South Africa, a difference of 100.

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 32nd and South Africa ranks 34th of 194 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	4,620	2,340	2,280	Malawi
1990s	4,140	1,670	2,470	Malawi
2000s	2,150	2,710	560	South Africa
2010s	2,230	1,930	300	Malawi
2020s	1,625	1,650	25	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 1,500 against 1,400 in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of maternal deaths between Malawi and South Africa?: 100, 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 32nd and South Africa ranks 34th 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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Malawi vs South Africa: Number of maternal deaths. Statizoid, drawing on Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-maternal-deaths/malawi/south-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: 03 September 2026

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.