Lifetime risk of maternal death in Malawi
Malawi: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 0.9% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Malawi, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lifetime risk of maternal death in Malawi is 0.9%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.6% on the previous year and down 57.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Malawi peaked at 7.2% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2023.
That places Malawi 31st out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 7.2% | — |
| 1986 | 7.2% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 7.0% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 7.1% | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 6.9% | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 6.8% | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 6.5% | -3.4% |
| 1992 | 6.2% | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 6.0% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 5.5% | -9.0% |
| 1995 | 4.5% | -17.5% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | -10.2% |
| 1997 | 3.8% | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 3.7% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | -12.8% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | -12.8% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -11.9% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -9.4% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -13.6% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -11.2% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | +15.5% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +27.5% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +17.0% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -8.0% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -10.5% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -14.8% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -10.9% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -17.9% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -7.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.1% | 6.9% | 7.2% | 5 |
| 1990s | 5.0% | 3.2% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.1% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1,158 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Malawi?
- Lifetime risk of maternal death in Malawi was 0.9% in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 1985.
- What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2023.
- How does Malawi rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
- Malawi ranks 31st out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi 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.
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.