Lifetime risk of maternal death in Zambia

Zambia: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 0.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.4%
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
56th
of 194 countries
All-time high
4.0%
in 1987
All-time low
0.4%
in 2023
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Lifetime risk of maternal death in Zambia, 1985–2023

012341985200420231985: 3.9 %1986: 4 %1987: 4 %1988: 4 %1989: 4 %1990: 3.8 %1991: 3.7 %1992: 3.4 %1993: 3.1 %1994: 3 %1995: 2.7 %1996: 2.5 %1997: 2.3 %1998: 2.2 %1999: 2.1 %2000: 1.9 %2001: 1.6 %2002: 1.5 %2003: 1.3 %2004: 1.4 %2005: 1.4 %2006: 1.4 %2007: 1.7 %2008: 2.1 %2009: 2.2 %2010: 1.8 %2011: 1.5 %2012: 1.3 %2013: 1.1 %2014: 0.858 %2015: 0.748 %2016: 0.749 %2017: 0.657 %2018: 0.537 %2019: 0.464 %2020: 0.438 %2021: 0.607 %2022: 0.385 %2023: 0.362 %

Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in %.

Analysis

Zambia recorded 0.4% for lifetime risk of maternal death in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 66.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Zambia peaked at 4.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2023.

That places Zambia 56th out of 194 countries 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 Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Lifetime risk of maternal death (%) in Zambia, 1985 to 2023.
Year % Change
1985 3.9%
1986 4.0% +2.6%
1987 4.0% +0.4%
1988 4.0% -0.7%
1989 4.0% -1.2%
1990 3.8% -3.1%
1991 3.7% -3.7%
1992 3.4% -6.6%
1993 3.1% -9.1%
1994 3.0% -5.5%
1995 2.7% -8.9%
1996 2.5% -8.3%
1997 2.3% -8.0%
1998 2.2% -3.8%
1999 2.1% -4.6%
2000 1.9% -10.8%
2001 1.6% -11.4%
2002 1.5% -11.0%
2003 1.3% -9.0%
2004 1.4% +3.8%
2005 1.4% +1.9%
2006 1.4% -0.1%
2007 1.7% +23.0%
2008 2.1% +21.2%
2009 2.2% +2.5%
2010 1.8% -18.9%
2011 1.5% -13.2%
2012 1.3% -13.4%
2013 1.1% -18.3%
2014 0.9% -20.2%
2015 0.7% -12.8%
2016 0.7% +0.1%
2017 0.7% -12.3%
2018 0.5% -18.3%
2019 0.5% -13.5%
2020 0.4% -5.7%
2021 0.6% +38.6%
2022 0.4% -36.7%
2023 0.4% -6.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4.0% 3.9% 4.0% 5
1990s 2.9% 2.1% 3.8% 10
2000s 1.7% 1.3% 2.2% 10
2010s 1.0% 0.5% 1.8% 10
2020s 0.4% 0.4% 0.6% 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 53 Djibouti 0.4% compare
  2. 54 Vanuatu 0.4% compare
  3. 55 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.4% compare
  4. 57 Samoa 0.4% compare
  5. 58 Myanmar 0.4% compare
  6. 59 Micronesia, Federated States of 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More health data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Zambia?
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Zambia was 0.4% in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1987.
What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2023.
How does Zambia rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
Zambia ranks 56th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 66.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia 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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Lifetime risk of maternal death in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/lifetime-risk-of-maternal-death-percent/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Lifetime risk of maternal death (%)
Unit
%
Source
Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 9,399 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed

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.