Lifetime risk of maternal death in World
World: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 272 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
272 1 in: rate varies by country
Change on year
up 3.0%
Rank
28th
of 47 groups
All-time high
272 1 in: rate varies by country
in 2023
All-time low
71 1 in: rate varies by country
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Lifetime risk of maternal death in World, 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 World stood at 272 1 in: rate varies by country. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 39.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in World peaked at 272 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023 and was at its lowest, 71 1 in: rate varies by country, in 1985.
That places World 28th out of 47 groups 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 World, year by year
| Year | 1 in: rate varies by country | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 71 1 in: rate varies by country | — |
| 1986 | 74 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 77 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 82 1 in: rate varies by country | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 84 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 87 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 92 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 96 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 99 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 104 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 107 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 111 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 115 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 119 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 125 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 130 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 135 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 141 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 148 1 in: rate varies by country | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 154 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 160 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 164 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 168 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 171 1 in: rate varies by country | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 175 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 180 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 186 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 190 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 195 1 in: rate varies by country | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 202 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 208 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 216 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 226 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 235 1 in: rate varies by country | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 243 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 246 1 in: rate varies by country | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 215 1 in: rate varies by country | -12.6% |
| 2022 | 264 1 in: rate varies by country | +22.8% |
| 2023 | 272 1 in: rate varies by country | +3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 77.6 1 in: rate varies by country | 71 1 in: rate varies by country | 84 1 in: rate varies by country | 5 |
| 1990s | 105.5 1 in: rate varies by country | 87 1 in: rate varies by country | 125 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2000s | 154.6 1 in: rate varies by country | 130 1 in: rate varies by country | 175 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2010s | 208.1 1 in: rate varies by country | 180 1 in: rate varies by country | 243 1 in: rate varies by country | 10 |
| 2020s | 249.25 1 in: rate varies by country | 215 1 in: rate varies by country | 272 1 in: rate varies by country | 4 |
Countries ranked near World
- 25 Israel 15,889 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 26 San Marino 15,473 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 27 Bosnia and Herzegovina 14,753 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 28 Qatar 14,171 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 29 Switzerland 14,045 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 30 Austria 13,905 1 in: rate varies by country compare
- 31 Bulgaria 13,799 1 in: rate varies by country compare
More health data for World
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,458 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.47 % 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 0.0381 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0401 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate -0.915 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifetime risk of maternal death in World?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in World was 272 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 272 1 in: rate varies by country in 2023.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 71 1 in: rate varies by country in 1985.
- How does World rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- World ranks 28th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.