Number of maternal deaths in Australia

Australia: Number of maternal deaths was 8.71 deaths in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
8.71 deaths
Change on year
down 43.9%
World rank
130th
of 185 countries
All-time high
24.12 deaths
in 1994
All-time low
8.71 deaths
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Number of maternal deaths in Australia, 1985–2020

05101520251985200220201985: 19.7 deaths1986: 19.5 deaths1987: 20.4 deaths1988: 20.9 deaths1989: 21.8 deaths1990: 21.5 deaths1991: 22.7 deaths1992: 23.1 deaths1993: 23.3 deaths1994: 24.1 deaths1995: 20.6 deaths1996: 19.7 deaths1997: 19.7 deaths1998: 18.6 deaths1999: 17.8 deaths2000: 16.7 deaths2001: 14.7 deaths2002: 13.9 deaths2003: 13.8 deaths2004: 12.9 deaths2005: 12.1 deaths2006: 12.3 deaths2007: 14.7 deaths2008: 14.6 deaths2009: 16 deaths2010: 16.4 deaths2011: 17.8 deaths2012: 17.9 deaths2013: 18.3 deaths2014: 16.2 deaths2015: 16 deaths2016: 16 deaths2017: 14.9 deaths2018: 14.2 deaths2019: 15.5 deaths2020: 8.7 deaths

Source: UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of maternal deaths in Australia is 8.71 deaths, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is down 43.9% on the previous year and down 46.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Australia peaked at 24.12 deaths in 1994 and was at its lowest, 8.71 deaths, in 2020.

That places Australia 130th out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 20.46 deaths 19.46 deaths 21.79 deaths 5
1990s 21.12 deaths 17.8 deaths 24.12 deaths 10
2000s 14.17 deaths 12.09 deaths 16.67 deaths 10
2010s 16.32 deaths 14.16 deaths 18.34 deaths 10
2020s 8.71 deaths 8.71 deaths 8.71 deaths 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 127 Belize 9.09 deaths compare
  2. 128 Cyprus 8.89 deaths compare
  3. 129 Sao Tome and Principe 8.77 deaths compare
  4. 131 Vanuatu 8.5 deaths compare
  5. 132 Netherlands 7.46 deaths compare
  6. 133 Poland 7.31 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of maternal deaths in Australia?
Number of maternal deaths in Australia was 8.71 deaths in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 24.12 deaths in 1994.
What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 8.71 deaths in 2020.
How does Australia rank for number of maternal deaths?
Australia ranks 130th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 46.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of maternal deaths. 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

Indicator
Number of maternal deaths
Unit
deaths
Source
UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 6,660 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

The estimated number of maternal deaths in a given year.