Death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa

South Africa: Death rate from maternal disorders was 0.8735 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.8735
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
15th
of 110 countries
All-time high
3.5
in 2008
All-time low
0.8735
in 2020
Years of data
25
1996–2020

Death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa, 1996–2020

1231996200820201996: 1.51997: 1.41998: 1.41999: 1.52000: 1.62001: 1.82002: 1.62003: 1.82004: 2.32005: 2.42006: 2.62007: 3.32008: 3.52009: 3.42010: 2.92011: 2.22012: 1.82013: 1.62014: 1.72015: 1.62016: 1.42017: 1.12018: 0.8772019: 0.912020: 0.873

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa stood at 0.8735. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 70.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa peaked at 3.5 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.8735, in 2020.

That places South Africa 15th out of 110 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa, 1996 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1996 1.46
1997 1.43 -1.7%
1998 1.43 -0.6%
1999 1.54 +7.6%
2000 1.57 +2.5%
2001 1.81 +14.8%
2002 1.63 -9.8%
2003 1.8 +10.5%
2004 2.28 +26.5%
2005 2.39 +5.1%
2006 2.62 +9.4%
2007 3.28 +25.1%
2008 3.5 +6.7%
2009 3.39 -3.2%
2010 2.92 -13.8%
2011 2.17 -25.6%
2012 1.79 -17.5%
2013 1.58 -11.7%
2014 1.7 +7.5%
2015 1.55 -8.7%
2016 1.36 -12.5%
2017 1.09 -19.8%
2018 0.8769 -19.5%
2019 0.9099 +3.8%
2020 0.8735 -4.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.46 1.43 1.54 4
2000s 2.43 1.57 3.5 10
2010s 1.6 0.8769 2.92 10
2020s 0.8735 0.8735 0.8735 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 12 Guatemala 1.15 compare
  2. 13 Panama 0.9995 compare
  3. 14 Fiji 0.931 compare
  4. 16 Ecuador 0.8365 compare
  5. 17 Mexico 0.6474 compare
  6. 18 Peru 0.5662 compare

See the full ranking of 111 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa?
Death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa was 0.8735 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest death rate from maternal disorders recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3.5 in 2008.
What is the lowest death rate from maternal disorders recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8735 in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for death rate from maternal disorders?
South Africa ranks 15th out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
Is death rate from maternal disorders rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 70.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Death rate from maternal disorders. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Death rate from maternal disorders in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/death-rate-from-maternal-disorders/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Death rate from maternal disorders
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 4,885 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed