Lifetime risk of maternal death in South Africa
South Africa: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 409 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023. ▲ Rising
Lifetime risk of maternal death in South Africa, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in 1 in: rate varies by country.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lifetime risk of maternal death in South Africa is 409 1 in: rate varies by country, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 11.4% on the previous year and up 68.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in South Africa peaked at 409 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023 and was at its lowest, 106 1 in: rate varies by country, in 1985.
That places South Africa 126th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Lifetime risk of maternal death in South Africa, year by year
| Year | 1 in: rate varies by country | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 106 1 in: rate varies by country | — |
| 1986 | 113 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.6% |
| 1987 | 119 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 130 1 in: rate varies by country | +9.2% |
| 1989 | 141 1 in: rate varies by country | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 158 1 in: rate varies by country | +12.1% |
| 1991 | 169 1 in: rate varies by country | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 189 1 in: rate varies by country | +11.8% |
| 1993 | 200 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 238 1 in: rate varies by country | +19.0% |
| 1995 | 255 1 in: rate varies by country | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 227 1 in: rate varies by country | -11.0% |
| 1997 | 241 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 253 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 266 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 250 1 in: rate varies by country | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 238 1 in: rate varies by country | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 213 1 in: rate varies by country | -10.5% |
| 2003 | 196 1 in: rate varies by country | -8.0% |
| 2004 | 182 1 in: rate varies by country | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 165 1 in: rate varies by country | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 159 1 in: rate varies by country | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 165 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 155 1 in: rate varies by country | -6.1% |
| 2009 | 184 1 in: rate varies by country | +18.7% |
| 2010 | 199 1 in: rate varies by country | +8.2% |
| 2011 | 220 1 in: rate varies by country | +10.6% |
| 2012 | 226 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 243 1 in: rate varies by country | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 267 1 in: rate varies by country | +9.9% |
| 2015 | 295 1 in: rate varies by country | +10.5% |
| 2016 | 323 1 in: rate varies by country | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 343 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 361 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 386 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 393 1 in: rate varies by country | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 247 1 in: rate varies by country | -37.2% |
| 2022 | 367 1 in: rate varies by country | +48.6% |
| 2023 | 409 1 in: rate varies by country | +11.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 409 1 in: rate varies by country is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,343 1 in: rate varies by country, 30% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 409 1 in: rate varies by country is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 92.5 1 in: rate varies by country, 4.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lifetime risk of maternal death in South Africa 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 | -37.2% | 393 1 in: rate varies by country | 247 1 in: rate varies by country |
| 2022 | +48.6% | 247 1 in: rate varies by country | 367 1 in: rate varies by country |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 121.8 1 in: rate varies by country | 106 1 in: rate varies by country | 141 1 in: rate varies by country | 5 |
| 1990s | 219.6 1 in: rate varies by country | 158 1 in: rate varies by country | 266 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2000s | 190.7 1 in: rate varies by country | 155 1 in: rate varies by country | 250 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2010s | 286.3 1 in: rate varies by country | 199 1 in: rate varies by country | 386 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2020s | 354 1 in: rate varies by country | 247 1 in: rate varies by country | 409 1 in: rate varies by country | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 123 Tonga 527 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 124 Iraq 465 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 125 Guatemala 436 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 127 Kiribati 403 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 128 Bangladesh 381 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 129 Indonesia 377 1 in: rate varies by country compare
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 South Africa?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in South Africa was 409 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 409 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 106 1 in: rate varies by country in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- South Africa ranks 126th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.