Lifetime risk of maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 55 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
55 1 in: rate varies by country
Change on year
up 1.9%
Rank
42nd
of 47 groups
All-time high
55 1 in: rate varies by country
in 2023
All-time low
15 1 in: rate varies by country
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in 1 in: rate varies by country.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 55 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.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 57.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 55 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023 and was at its lowest, 15 1 in: rate varies by country, in 1985.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 42nd out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | 1 in: rate varies by country | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 15 1 in: rate varies by country | — |
| 1986 | 16 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 16 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 17 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.2% |
| 1989 | 18 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.9% |
| 1990 | 18 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 19 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 19 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 20 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 21 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 22 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.8% |
| 1996 | 22 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 23 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 24 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 25 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 26 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 27 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 28 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 29 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 30 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 30 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 30 1 in: rate varies by country | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 31 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 30 1 in: rate varies by country | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 31 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 32 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 33 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 34 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 35 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 36 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 37 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 39 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 41 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 44 1 in: rate varies by country | +7.3% |
| 2019 | 46 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 49 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 48 1 in: rate varies by country | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 54 1 in: rate varies by country | +12.5% |
| 2023 | 55 1 in: rate varies by country | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.4 1 in: rate varies by country | 15 1 in: rate varies by country | 18 1 in: rate varies by country | 5 |
| 1990s | 21.3 1 in: rate varies by country | 18 1 in: rate varies by country | 25 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.2 1 in: rate varies by country | 26 1 in: rate varies by country | 31 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.7 1 in: rate varies by country | 32 1 in: rate varies by country | 46 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.5 1 in: rate varies by country | 48 1 in: rate varies by country | 55 1 in: rate varies by country | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 39 Monaco 10,688 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 40 France 9,984 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 41 Kuwait 9,387 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 42 New Zealand 9,363 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 43 Chile 9,268 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 44 Russian Federation 9,237 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 45 Ukraine 9,109 1 in: rate varies by country compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.4038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.2837 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per capita 0.2801 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa was 55 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 55 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 15 1 in: rate varies by country in 1985.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 42nd out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.