Number of maternal deaths in Malawi

Malawi: Number of maternal deaths was 2,452 deaths in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
2,452 deaths
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
24th
of 185 countries
All-time high
4,506 deaths
in 1992
All-time low
1,903 deaths
in 2006
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Number of maternal deaths in Malawi, 1985–2020

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k1985200220201985: 3.4k deaths1986: 3.6k deaths1987: 3.8k deaths1988: 4.2k deaths1989: 4.2k deaths1990: 4.4k deaths1991: 4.5k deaths1992: 4.5k deaths1993: 4.4k deaths1994: 4.0k deaths1995: 3.4k deaths1996: 3.2k deaths1997: 3.2k deaths1998: 3.1k deaths1999: 3.0k deaths2000: 2.9k deaths2001: 2.8k deaths2002: 2.6k deaths2003: 2.4k deaths2004: 2.2k deaths2005: 2.0k deaths2006: 1.9k deaths2007: 2.1k deaths2008: 2.5k deaths2009: 2.8k deaths2010: 3.1k deaths2011: 3.0k deaths2012: 3.0k deaths2013: 2.9k deaths2014: 2.7k deaths2015: 2.7k deaths2016: 2.6k deaths2017: 2.3k deaths2018: 2.4k deaths2019: 2.3k deaths2020: 2.5k 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 Malawi is 2,452 deaths, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Malawi peaked at 4,506 deaths in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1,903 deaths, in 2006.

Malawi ranks 24th of 185 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3,841 deaths 3,407 deaths 4,185 deaths 5
1990s 3,767 deaths 2,978 deaths 4,506 deaths 10
2000s 2,417 deaths 1,903 deaths 2,925 deaths 10
2010s 2,706 deaths 2,302 deaths 3,083 deaths 10
2020s 2,452 deaths 2,452 deaths 2,452 deaths 1

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 21 Angola 2,914 deaths compare
  2. 22 China 2,822 deaths compare
  3. 23 Guinea 2,557 deaths compare
  4. 25 Benin 2,451 deaths compare
  5. 26 Ghana 2,373 deaths compare
  6. 27 Burundi 2,151 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of maternal deaths in Malawi?
Number of maternal deaths in Malawi was 2,452 deaths in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 4,506 deaths in 1992.
What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 1,903 deaths in 2006.
How does Malawi rank for number of maternal deaths?
Malawi ranks 24th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi 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.