Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand

New Zealand: Maternal mortality ratio was 7 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
7
Change on year
down 69.6%
World rank
158th
of 194 countries
All-time high
23
in 2022
All-time low
7
in 2014
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand, 1985–2023

5101520251985200420231985: 191986: 181987: 191988: 191989: 181990: 181991: 161992: 151993: 141994: 131995: 141996: 141997: 131998: 121999: 122000: 112001: 102002: 112003: 112004: 112005: 112006: 102007: 102008: 102009: 102010: 102011: 102012: 92013: 82014: 72015: 82016: 82017: 82018: 72019: 82020: 82021: 82022: 232023: 7

Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand is 7, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

That represents a change of down 69.6% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand peaked at 23 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2014.

That places New Zealand 158th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.

Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) in New Zealand, 1985 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1985 19
1986 18 -5.3%
1987 19 +5.6%
1988 19 +0.0%
1989 18 -5.3%
1990 18 +0.0%
1991 16 -11.1%
1992 15 -6.2%
1993 14 -6.7%
1994 13 -7.1%
1995 14 +7.7%
1996 14 +0.0%
1997 13 -7.1%
1998 12 -7.7%
1999 12 +0.0%
2000 11 -8.3%
2001 10 -9.1%
2002 11 +10.0%
2003 11 +0.0%
2004 11 +0.0%
2005 11 +0.0%
2006 10 -9.1%
2007 10 +0.0%
2008 10 +0.0%
2009 10 +0.0%
2010 10 +0.0%
2011 10 +0.0%
2012 9 -10.0%
2013 8 -11.1%
2014 7 -12.5%
2015 8 +14.3%
2016 8 +0.0%
2017 8 +0.0%
2018 7 -12.5%
2019 8 +14.3%
2020 8 +0.0%
2021 8 +0.0%
2022 23 +187.5%
2023 7 -69.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 18.6 18 19 5
1990s 14.1 12 18 10
2000s 10.5 10 11 10
2010s 8.3 7 10 10
2020s 11.5 7 23 4

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 158 Albania 7 compare
  2. 158 France 7 compare
  3. 158 Saudi Arabia 7 compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More health data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand?
Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand was 7 in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 23 in 2022.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2014.
How does New Zealand rank for maternal mortality ratio?
New Zealand ranks 158th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/maternal-mortality-ratio-modeled-estimate-per-100-000-live-births/new-zealand/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/maternal-mortality-ratio-modeled-estimate-per-100-000-live-births/new-zealand/">Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births)
Source
Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 9,399 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed

Maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination per 100,000 live births. The data are estimated with a regression model using information on the proportion of maternal deaths among non-AIDS deaths in women ages 15-49, fertility, birth attendants, and GDP measured using purchasing power parities (PPPs).