Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes was 1.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1.4%
Change on year
down 6.2%
World rank
20th
of 194 countries
All-time high
10.4%
in 1995
All-time low
1.4%
in 2023
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Sierra Leone, 1985–2023

2468101985200420231985: 9 %1986: 9.1 %1987: 9.1 %1988: 9.2 %1989: 9.3 %1990: 9.1 %1991: 10.2 %1992: 10 %1993: 10.1 %1994: 10.3 %1995: 10.4 %1996: 10.1 %1997: 10 %1998: 10.1 %1999: 10 %2000: 9.1 %2001: 8.4 %2002: 8.3 %2003: 7.9 %2004: 7.3 %2005: 6.9 %2006: 6.3 %2007: 5.9 %2008: 5.7 %2009: 5.4 %2010: 5.1 %2011: 4.7 %2012: 4.4 %2013: 3.9 %2014: 3.7 %2015: 3.2 %2016: 2.7 %2017: 2.5 %2018: 2.1 %2019: 1.9 %2020: 1.7 %2021: 1.6 %2022: 1.4 %2023: 1.4 %

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 Sierra Leone is 1.4%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 65.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Sierra Leone peaked at 10.4% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2023.

That places Sierra Leone 20th 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 Sierra Leone, year by year

Annual values for Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Sierra Leone, 1985 to 2023.
Year % Change
1985 9.0%
1986 9.1% +1.2%
1987 9.1% +0.2%
1988 9.2% +0.5%
1989 9.3% +1.1%
1990 9.1% -2.1%
1991 10.2% +12.6%
1992 10.0% -2.3%
1993 10.1% +0.6%
1994 10.3% +2.6%
1995 10.4% +1.0%
1996 10.1% -3.4%
1997 10.0% -0.8%
1998 10.1% +1.6%
1999 10.0% -1.6%
2000 9.1% -9.2%
2001 8.4% -7.3%
2002 8.3% -0.8%
2003 7.9% -5.5%
2004 7.3% -6.7%
2005 6.9% -6.1%
2006 6.3% -9.4%
2007 5.9% -4.9%
2008 5.7% -4.7%
2009 5.4% -5.5%
2010 5.1% -5.4%
2011 4.7% -6.6%
2012 4.4% -7.4%
2013 3.9% -10.8%
2014 3.7% -5.7%
2015 3.2% -13.3%
2016 2.7% -14.2%
2017 2.5% -9.7%
2018 2.1% -16.0%
2019 1.9% -7.5%
2020 1.7% -10.8%
2021 1.6% -6.6%
2022 1.4% -10.1%
2023 1.4% -6.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.1% 9.0% 9.3% 5
1990s 10.0% 9.1% 10.4% 10
2000s 7.1% 5.4% 9.1% 10
2010s 3.4% 1.9% 5.1% 10
2020s 1.5% 1.4% 1.7% 4

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 17 Cote d'Ivoire 1.5% compare
  2. 18 Gambia 1.4% compare
  3. 19 Togo 1.4% compare
  4. 21 Zimbabwe 1.3% compare
  5. 22 Lesotho 1.3% compare
  6. 23 Tanzania 1.3% compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Sierra Leone?
Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Sierra Leone was 1.4% 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 Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 10.4% in 1995.
What is the lowest share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2023.
How does Sierra Leone rank for share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes?
Sierra Leone ranks 20th 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 Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is down 65.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sierra Leone 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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Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/lifetime-risk-of-maternal-death/sierra-leone/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 7,566 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed

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.