Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes was 2.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan, 1985–2023
Source: World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan is 2.5%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 7.4% on the previous year and down 44.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan peaked at 14.3% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2023.
That places Afghanistan 6th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 14.3% | — |
| 1986 | 12.3% | -13.7% |
| 1987 | 12.1% | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 10.5% | -13.0% |
| 1989 | 10.2% | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 10.7% | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 10.6% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 9.6% | -8.7% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 10.0% | +7.9% |
| 1995 | 10.2% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 10.1% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 10.0% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 10.6% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 9.8% | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 10.2% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 9.4% | -7.2% |
| 2002 | 8.7% | -7.5% |
| 2003 | 8.3% | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 8.0% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 7.3% | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 6.9% | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 5.9% | -10.5% |
| 2009 | 5.7% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 5.4% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | -8.4% |
| 2012 | 4.7% | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 4.4% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 4.2% | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | -6.3% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -17.0% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.9% | 10.2% | 14.3% | 5 |
| 1990s | 10.1% | 9.2% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.7% | 5.7% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 3.0% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More health data for Afghanistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.45 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 812.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 14,735 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 2.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.2081 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2175 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan?
- Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan was 2.5% in 2023, according to World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 14.3% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2023.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes?
- Afghanistan ranks 6th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The probability that a 15 year old girl eventually dies from a pregnancy-related cause, assuming constant levels of maternal mortality and number of births per woman.