What is the difference in the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020 between Ethiopia and Sudan?

3.67 deaths per 100,000 live births, with Sudan ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Sudan?

36 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Ethiopia vs Sudan: The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020

Ethiopia

266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births

in 2020

Sudan

270.36 deaths per 100,000 live births

in 2020

Ethiopia rank

31st

Sudan rank

30th

The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020 over time

Ethiopia
Sudan

How they compare

Sudan currently reports 270.36 deaths per 100,000 live births against 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births in Ethiopia, a difference of 3.67 deaths per 100,000 live births.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Ethiopia ahead.

Ethiopia ranks 31st and Sudan ranks 30th of 185 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 4 and Sudan in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Ethiopia	Sudan	Difference	Ahead
1980s	1,236 deaths per 100,000 live births	1,212 deaths per 100,000 live births	24.69 deaths per 100,000 live births	Ethiopia
1990s	1,069 deaths per 100,000 live births	919.79 deaths per 100,000 live births	149.06 deaths per 100,000 live births	Ethiopia
2000s	855.77 deaths per 100,000 live births	537.55 deaths per 100,000 live births	318.23 deaths per 100,000 live births	Ethiopia
2010s	443.6 deaths per 100,000 live births	317.09 deaths per 100,000 live births	126.51 deaths per 100,000 live births	Ethiopia
2020s	266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births	270.36 deaths per 100,000 live births	3.67 deaths per 100,000 live births	Sudan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020, Ethiopia or Sudan?: Sudan, at 270.36 deaths per 100,000 live births against 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births in Ethiopia as of 2020.
What is the difference in the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020 between Ethiopia and Sudan?: 3.67 deaths per 100,000 live births, with Sudan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Sudan?: 36 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Ethiopia and Sudan rank globally for the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020?: Ethiopia ranks 31st and Sudan ranks 30th of 185 countries.
Where does this data come from?: UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ethiopia vs Sudan: The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/the-maternal-mortality-ratio-in-1985-and-2020/ethiopia/sudan/

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About this data

Indicator: The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020
Unit: deaths per 100,000 live births
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: 28 August 2026

The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.