Lifetime risk of maternal death in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 1.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Least developed countries, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in %.
Analysis
Least developed countries recorded 1.2% for lifetime risk of maternal death in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 41.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Least developed countries peaked at 6.8% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2023.
That places Least developed countries 10th out of 45 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 6.8% | — |
| 1986 | 6.5% | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 6.6% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | -5.9% |
| 1989 | 6.0% | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 5.9% | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 5.6% | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 5.6% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 5.4% | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 4.7% | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 4.3% | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | -12.1% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -7.5% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -14.5% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.4% | 6.0% | 6.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 3.8% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.5% compare
- 8 South Sudan 2.4% compare
- 9 Benin 2.3% compare
- 10 Niger 2.1% compare
- 11 Guinea 2.1% compare
- 12 Mali 2.0% compare
- 13 Guinea-Bissau 1.9% compare
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1949 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1892 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0031 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Least developed countries?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in Least developed countries was 1.2% in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 1985.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2023.
- How does Least developed countries rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- Least developed countries ranks 10th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.