Lifetime risk of maternal death in OECD members
OECD members: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 3,800 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3,800 1 in: rate varies by country
Change on year
up 22.6%
Rank
9th
of 47 groups
All-time high
3,800 1 in: rate varies by country
in 2023
All-time low
1,200 1 in: rate varies by country
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Lifetime risk of maternal death in OECD members, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in 1 in: rate varies by country.
Analysis
OECD members recorded 3,800 1 in: rate varies by country for lifetime risk of maternal death in 2023. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.6% on the previous year and up 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in OECD members peaked at 3,800 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,200 1 in: rate varies by country, in 1985.
That places OECD members 9th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Lifetime risk of maternal death in OECD members, year by year
| Year | 1 in: rate varies by country | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,200 1 in: rate varies by country | — |
| 1986 | 1,200 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1,300 1 in: rate varies by country | +8.3% |
| 1988 | 1,400 1 in: rate varies by country | +7.7% |
| 1989 | 1,500 1 in: rate varies by country | +7.1% |
| 1990 | 1,500 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1,600 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 1,700 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.2% |
| 1993 | 1,700 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1,800 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 1,900 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 2,000 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 2,100 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 2,100 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2,200 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 2,200 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2,300 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 2,400 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 2,400 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2,500 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 2,600 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 2,700 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 2,700 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2,700 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2,700 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2,800 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 2,900 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 2,900 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3,000 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 3,100 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 3,100 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3,100 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3,200 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 3,300 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 3,300 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2,600 1 in: rate varies by country | -21.2% |
| 2021 | 1,800 1 in: rate varies by country | -30.8% |
| 2022 | 3,100 1 in: rate varies by country | +72.2% |
| 2023 | 3,800 1 in: rate varies by country | +22.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,320 1 in: rate varies by country | 1,200 1 in: rate varies by country | 1,500 1 in: rate varies by country | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,860 1 in: rate varies by country | 1,500 1 in: rate varies by country | 2,200 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,520 1 in: rate varies by country | 2,200 1 in: rate varies by country | 2,700 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,070 1 in: rate varies by country | 2,800 1 in: rate varies by country | 3,300 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,825 1 in: rate varies by country | 1,800 1 in: rate varies by country | 3,800 1 in: rate varies by country | 4 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 6 Japan 35,149 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 7 Czechia 31,604 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 8 North Macedonia 29,386 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 9 United Arab Emirates 29,127 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 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
More health data for OECD members
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0334 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 0.5518 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0336 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate -0.0796 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate -0.2511 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifetime risk of maternal death in OECD members?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in OECD members was 3,800 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 3,800 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,200 1 in: rate varies by country in 1985.
- How does OECD members rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- OECD members ranks 9th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members 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.