Lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland
Iceland: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in 1 in: rate varies by country.
Analysis
In 2023, lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland stood at 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of up 73.3% on the previous year and up 59.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland peaked at 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3,228 1 in: rate varies by country, in 1989.
Iceland ranks 13th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland, year by year
| Year | 1 in: rate varies by country | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4,228 1 in: rate varies by country | — |
| 1986 | 3,275 1 in: rate varies by country | -22.5% |
| 1987 | 3,510 1 in: rate varies by country | +7.2% |
| 1988 | 3,994 1 in: rate varies by country | +13.8% |
| 1989 | 3,228 1 in: rate varies by country | -19.2% |
| 1990 | 3,249 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 4,242 1 in: rate varies by country | +30.6% |
| 1992 | 3,827 1 in: rate varies by country | -9.8% |
| 1993 | 4,342 1 in: rate varies by country | +13.5% |
| 1994 | 5,201 1 in: rate varies by country | +19.8% |
| 1995 | 3,944 1 in: rate varies by country | -24.2% |
| 1996 | 6,842 1 in: rate varies by country | +73.5% |
| 1997 | 6,983 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 6,859 1 in: rate varies by country | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 7,872 1 in: rate varies by country | +14.8% |
| 2000 | 8,191 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 8,851 1 in: rate varies by country | +8.1% |
| 2002 | 8,005 1 in: rate varies by country | -9.6% |
| 2003 | 10,150 1 in: rate varies by country | +26.8% |
| 2004 | 9,517 1 in: rate varies by country | -6.2% |
| 2005 | 10,996 1 in: rate varies by country | +15.5% |
| 2006 | 11,674 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 12,012 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 11,760 1 in: rate varies by country | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 10,634 1 in: rate varies by country | -9.6% |
| 2010 | 11,170 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 14,653 1 in: rate varies by country | +31.2% |
| 2012 | 14,425 1 in: rate varies by country | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 14,101 1 in: rate varies by country | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 13,938 1 in: rate varies by country | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 15,552 1 in: rate varies by country | +11.6% |
| 2016 | 19,148 1 in: rate varies by country | +23.1% |
| 2017 | 21,033 1 in: rate varies by country | +9.8% |
| 2018 | 16,189 1 in: rate varies by country | -23.0% |
| 2019 | 15,381 1 in: rate varies by country | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 5,250 1 in: rate varies by country | -65.9% |
| 2021 | 10,904 1 in: rate varies by country | +107.7% |
| 2022 | 12,942 1 in: rate varies by country | +18.7% |
| 2023 | 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country | +73.3% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country is above the median for high income countries, which is 10,964 1 in: rate varies by country, 2.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11,578 1 in: rate varies by country, 1.9× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +107.7% | 5,250 1 in: rate varies by country | 10,904 1 in: rate varies by country |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,647 1 in: rate varies by country | 3,228 1 in: rate varies by country | 4,228 1 in: rate varies by country | 5 |
| 1990s | 5,336 1 in: rate varies by country | 3,249 1 in: rate varies by country | 7,872 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,179 1 in: rate varies by country | 8,005 1 in: rate varies by country | 12,012 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,559 1 in: rate varies by country | 11,170 1 in: rate varies by country | 21,033 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,882 1 in: rate varies by country | 5,250 1 in: rate varies by country | 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 10 Australia 28,182 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 11 Croatia 27,841 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 12 Slovenia 23,989 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 14 Germany 21,635 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 15 Belgium 21,405 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 16 Greece 20,207 1 in: rate varies by country compare
More health data for Iceland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2085)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4982 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,358 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 0 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.1533 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0283 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1097 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in Iceland was 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 22,431 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,228 1 in: rate varies by country in 1989.
- How does Iceland rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- Iceland ranks 13th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Life time risk of maternal death is the probability that a 15-year-old female will die eventually from a maternal cause assuming that current levels of fertility and mortality (including maternal mortality) do not change in the future, taking into account competing causes of death.