Number of maternal deaths in South Korea

South Korea: Number of maternal deaths was 23.86 deaths in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
23.86 deaths
Change on year
up 22.6%
World rank
111th
of 185 countries
All-time high
279.3 deaths
in 1985
All-time low
19.46 deaths
in 2019
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Number of maternal deaths in South Korea, 1985–2020

01002003001985200220201985: 279.3 deaths1986: 268.5 deaths1987: 267.5 deaths1988: 244.7 deaths1989: 230.4 deaths1990: 213.1 deaths1991: 202 deaths1992: 188.7 deaths1993: 182.6 deaths1994: 150.9 deaths1995: 145.5 deaths1996: 140.8 deaths1997: 131.6 deaths1998: 124.1 deaths1999: 116.3 deaths2000: 91.1 deaths2001: 82.2 deaths2002: 80 deaths2003: 62.1 deaths2004: 57.7 deaths2005: 53.7 deaths2006: 49.2 deaths2007: 46.5 deaths2008: 42.2 deaths2009: 39.1 deaths2010: 37.3 deaths2011: 44.1 deaths2012: 42 deaths2013: 30.6 deaths2014: 27.8 deaths2015: 26.4 deaths2016: 24.3 deaths2017: 22.3 deaths2018: 21.1 deaths2019: 19.5 deaths2020: 23.9 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 South Korea is 23.86 deaths, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 22.6% on the previous year and down 36.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in South Korea peaked at 279.3 deaths in 1985 and was at its lowest, 19.46 deaths, in 2019.

South Korea ranks 111th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 258.08 deaths 230.37 deaths 279.3 deaths 5
1990s 159.57 deaths 116.29 deaths 213.1 deaths 10
2000s 60.38 deaths 39.07 deaths 91.07 deaths 10
2010s 29.54 deaths 19.46 deaths 44.08 deaths 10
2020s 23.86 deaths 23.86 deaths 23.86 deaths 1

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 108 Palestine 29.63 deaths compare
  2. 109 Mongolia 29.23 deaths compare
  3. 110 Solomon Islands 25.67 deaths compare
  4. 112 Romania 20.04 deaths compare
  5. 113 Italy 18.82 deaths compare
  6. 114 Lebanon 18.15 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of maternal deaths in South Korea?
Number of maternal deaths in South Korea was 23.86 deaths in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 279.3 deaths in 1985.
What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 19.46 deaths in 2019.
How does South Korea rank for number of maternal deaths?
South Korea ranks 111th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea 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.