What is the difference in the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020 between Kenya and Lesotho?

36.25 deaths per 100,000 live births, with Lesotho ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and Lesotho?

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.

Kenya vs Lesotho: The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020

Kenya

529.96 deaths per 100,000 live births

in 2020

Lesotho

566.21 deaths per 100,000 live births

in 2020

Kenya rank

12th

Lesotho rank

9th

The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020 over time

Kenya
Lesotho

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 566.21 deaths per 100,000 live births against 529.96 deaths per 100,000 live births in Kenya, a difference of 36.25 deaths per 100,000 live births.

That makes Lesotho's figure about 1.1 times Kenya's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Kenya ahead.

Kenya ranks 12th and Lesotho ranks 9th of 185 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 2 and Lesotho in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Kenya	Lesotho	Difference	Ahead
1980s	603.37 deaths per 100,000 live births	555.11 deaths per 100,000 live births	48.27 deaths per 100,000 live births	Kenya
1990s	558.91 deaths per 100,000 live births	510.14 deaths per 100,000 live births	48.77 deaths per 100,000 live births	Kenya
2000s	513.53 deaths per 100,000 live births	674.14 deaths per 100,000 live births	160.61 deaths per 100,000 live births	Lesotho
2010s	494.04 deaths per 100,000 live births	792.29 deaths per 100,000 live births	298.25 deaths per 100,000 live births	Lesotho
2020s	529.96 deaths per 100,000 live births	566.21 deaths per 100,000 live births	36.24 deaths per 100,000 live births	Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020, Kenya or Lesotho?: Lesotho, at 566.21 deaths per 100,000 live births against 529.96 deaths per 100,000 live births in Kenya as of 2020.
What is the difference in the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020 between Kenya and Lesotho?: 36.25 deaths per 100,000 live births, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and Lesotho?: 36 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Kenya and Lesotho rank globally for the maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020?: Kenya ranks 12th and Lesotho ranks 9th 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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Kenya vs Lesotho: The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/the-maternal-mortality-ratio-in-1985-and-2020/kenya/lesotho/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/the-maternal-mortality-ratio-in-1985-and-2020/kenya/lesotho/">Kenya vs Lesotho: The maternal mortality ratio in 1985 and 2020</a> — Statizoid

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.