Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Zambia
Zambia: Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes was 0.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Zambia, 1985–2023
Source: World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 0.4% for share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 66.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes 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.
Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Zambia, year by year
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More health data for Zambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7971 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,894 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.2049 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2048 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Zambia?
- Share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes in Zambia was 0.4% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for share of women who are expected to die from pregnancy-related causes?
- Zambia ranks 56th 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 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 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.