Maternal deaths by income group in New Zealand
New Zealand: Maternal deaths by income group was 4.43 deaths in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
4.43 deaths
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
146th
of 185 countries
All-time high
9.86 deaths
in 1988
All-time low
4.43 deaths
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal deaths by income group in New Zealand, 1985–2020
Source: UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 4.43 deaths for maternal deaths by income group in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 28.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal deaths by income group in New Zealand peaked at 9.86 deaths in 1988 and was at its lowest, 4.43 deaths, in 2020.
That places New Zealand 146th out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Maternal deaths by income group in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 8.79 deaths | — |
| 1986 | 8.19 deaths | -6.9% |
| 1987 | 8.86 deaths | +8.2% |
| 1988 | 9.86 deaths | +11.3% |
| 1989 | 9.56 deaths | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 9.75 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 8.42 deaths | -13.7% |
| 1992 | 7.71 deaths | -8.4% |
| 1993 | 7.55 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 7.17 deaths | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 7.91 deaths | +10.4% |
| 1996 | 7.85 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 7.48 deaths | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 7.04 deaths | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 7 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 6.32 deaths | -9.7% |
| 2001 | 6.17 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 5.52 deaths | -10.5% |
| 2003 | 5.7 deaths | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 6.56 deaths | +15.1% |
| 2005 | 5.7 deaths | -13.1% |
| 2006 | 6.36 deaths | +11.6% |
| 2007 | 6.46 deaths | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 6.11 deaths | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 6.31 deaths | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 6.23 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 6.35 deaths | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 5.84 deaths | -7.9% |
| 2013 | 4.56 deaths | -22.0% |
| 2014 | 4.55 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 5.19 deaths | +14.1% |
| 2016 | 4.53 deaths | -12.7% |
| 2017 | 4.51 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 4.49 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 4.55 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 4.43 deaths | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.05 deaths | 8.19 deaths | 9.86 deaths | 5 |
| 1990s | 7.79 deaths | 7 deaths | 9.75 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.12 deaths | 5.52 deaths | 6.56 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.08 deaths | 4.49 deaths | 6.35 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.43 deaths | 4.43 deaths | 4.43 deaths | 1 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 143 Israel 4.97 deaths compare
- 144 Trinidad and Tobago 4.78 deaths compare
- 145 Republic of Moldova 4.78 deaths compare
- 147 Austria 4.34 deaths compare
- 148 Bulgaria 4.25 deaths compare
- 149 Cape Verde 4.22 deaths compare
More health data for New Zealand
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4815 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,116 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 33 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 58 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal deaths by income group in New Zealand?
- Maternal deaths by income group in New Zealand was 4.43 deaths in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal deaths by income group recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 9.86 deaths in 1988.
- What is the lowest maternal deaths by income group recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.43 deaths in 2020.
- How does New Zealand rank for maternal deaths by income group?
- New Zealand ranks 146th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal deaths by income group rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal deaths by income group. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of maternal deaths in a given year.