Lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 0.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 0.1%. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.4% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 0.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2023.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 29th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.7% | — |
| 1986 | 0.6% | -7.2% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | -7.0% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | -5.2% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | -6.8% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | -6.4% |
| 1991 | 0.5% | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -6.3% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -6.1% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -5.9% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -6.8% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -7.5% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -7.6% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | +45.5% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -34.7% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -18.4% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean 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 | +45.5% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2022 | -34.7% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0359 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0369 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 0.903 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0377 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 0.2931 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in Latin America & Caribbean was 0.1% in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1985.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2023.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 29th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Lifetime risk of maternal death (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.