Lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia

Australia: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 0.0035 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.0035
Change on year
down 35.5%
World rank
185th
of 194 countries
All-time high
0.0168
in 1985
All-time low
0.0035
in 2023
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia, 1985–2023

0.0050.010.0151985200420231985: 0.0171986: 0.0161987: 0.0161988: 0.0161989: 0.0161990: 0.0161991: 0.0161992: 0.0161993: 0.0151994: 0.0151995: 0.0141996: 0.0131997: 0.0131998: 0.0121999: 0.0112000: 0.012001: 0.0092002: 0.0092003: 0.0082004: 0.0082005: 0.0082006: 0.0082007: 0.0092008: 0.0092009: 0.0092010: 0.0092011: 0.012012: 0.012013: 0.012014: 0.012015: 0.012016: 0.012017: 0.0092018: 0.0092019: 0.0082020: 0.0082021: 0.0072022: 0.0062023: 0.004

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia is 0.0035, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 35.5% on the previous year and down 63.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia peaked at 0.0168 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.0035, in 2023.

That places Australia 185th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.

Lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia, 1985 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1985 0.0168
1986 0.0158 -5.4%
1987 0.0159 +0.4%
1988 0.0158 -0.6%
1989 0.0162 +2.2%
1990 0.0162 +0.3%
1991 0.016 -1.0%
1992 0.0161 +0.3%
1993 0.0154 -4.1%
1994 0.0153 -0.7%
1995 0.0145 -5.5%
1996 0.0134 -7.5%
1997 0.013 -3.1%
1998 0.0119 -8.4%
1999 0.0112 -5.5%
2000 0.0104 -7.5%
2001 0.0089 -14.1%
2002 0.0086 -4.1%
2003 0.0084 -1.9%
2004 0.008 -4.9%
2005 0.0077 -2.9%
2006 0.008 +3.1%
2007 0.0087 +8.4%
2008 0.0086 -0.4%
2009 0.0091 +5.8%
2010 0.0092 +0.4%
2011 0.0098 +6.7%
2012 0.0098 +0.7%
2013 0.0098 -0.2%
2014 0.0096 -2.0%
2015 0.0096 -0.7%
2016 0.0096 +0.7%
2017 0.009 -6.7%
2018 0.0086 -4.1%
2019 0.0082 -4.7%
2020 0.0077 -6.4%
2021 0.0067 -13.5%
2022 0.0055 -17.2%
2023 0.0035 -35.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0161 0.0158 0.0168 5
1990s 0.0143 0.0112 0.0162 10
2000s 0.0086 0.0077 0.0104 10
2010s 0.0093 0.0082 0.0098 10
2020s 0.0058 0.0035 0.0077 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 182 Iceland 0.0045 compare
  2. 183 Slovenia 0.0042 compare
  3. 184 Croatia 0.0036 compare
  4. 186 United Arab Emirates 0.0034 compare
  5. 187 North Macedonia 0.0034 compare
  6. 188 Czechia 0.0032 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia?
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Australia was 0.0035 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 0.0168 in 1985.
What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0035 in 2023.
How does Australia rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
Australia ranks 185th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 63.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, 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 Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/lifetime-risk-of-maternal-death/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Lifetime risk of maternal death
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 7,566 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed