Number of maternal deaths in Cameroon

Cameroon: Number of maternal deaths was 4,119 deaths in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
4,119 deaths
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
15th
of 185 countries
All-time high
4,217 deaths
in 1997
All-time low
3,083 deaths
in 1985
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Number of maternal deaths in Cameroon, 1985–2020

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1985200220201985: 3.1k deaths1986: 3.2k deaths1987: 3.1k deaths1988: 3.2k deaths1989: 3.3k deaths1990: 3.5k deaths1991: 3.5k deaths1992: 3.6k deaths1993: 3.8k deaths1994: 4.1k deaths1995: 4.0k deaths1996: 4.2k deaths1997: 4.2k deaths1998: 4.1k deaths1999: 4.1k deaths2000: 4.0k deaths2001: 4.0k deaths2002: 4.0k deaths2003: 3.9k deaths2004: 3.9k deaths2005: 4.1k deaths2006: 4.1k deaths2007: 3.9k deaths2008: 4.1k deaths2009: 4.2k deaths2010: 4.2k deaths2011: 4.2k deaths2012: 4.0k deaths2013: 4.1k deaths2014: 4.0k deaths2015: 3.9k deaths2016: 3.9k deaths2017: 4.0k deaths2018: 3.9k deaths2019: 4.1k deaths2020: 4.1k deaths

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

Analysis

In 2020, number of maternal deaths in Cameroon stood at 4,119 deaths.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Cameroon peaked at 4,217 deaths in 1997 and was at its lowest, 3,083 deaths, in 1985.

That places Cameroon 15th out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3,183 deaths 3,083 deaths 3,335 deaths 5
1990s 3,910 deaths 3,471 deaths 4,217 deaths 10
2000s 4,001 deaths 3,856 deaths 4,157 deaths 10
2010s 4,026 deaths 3,883 deaths 4,188 deaths 10
2020s 4,119 deaths 4,119 deaths 4,119 deaths 1

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 12 Uganda 4,700 deaths compare
  2. 13 Somalia 4,519 deaths compare
  3. 14 Cote d'Ivoire 4,401 deaths compare
  4. 16 Sudan 4,112 deaths compare
  5. 17 Mali 3,927 deaths compare
  6. 18 South Sudan 3,790 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of maternal deaths in Cameroon?
Number of maternal deaths in Cameroon was 4,119 deaths in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 4,217 deaths in 1997.
What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 3,083 deaths in 1985.
How does Cameroon rank for number of maternal deaths?
Cameroon ranks 15th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cameroon 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.