Maternal mortality ratio in WPR
WPR: Maternal mortality ratio was 35.42 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Maternal mortality ratio in WPR, 1985–2023
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
WPR recorded 35.42 for maternal mortality ratio in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 7.8% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in WPR peaked at 140.2 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 35.42, in 2023.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Maternal mortality ratio in WPR, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 140.2 | — |
| 1986 | 133.62 | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 127.18 | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 120.91 | -4.9% |
| 1989 | 116.64 | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 114.02 | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 108.27 | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 103.01 | -4.9% |
| 1993 | 99.25 | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 95.75 | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 90.5 | -5.5% |
| 1996 | 86.26 | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 82.33 | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 79.28 | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 76.02 | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 72.63 | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 70.68 | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 67.52 | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 65.01 | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 62.09 | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 58.85 | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 57.75 | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 55.09 | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 54.47 | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 51.35 | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 49.49 | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 47.79 | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 45.33 | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 43.94 | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 41.65 | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 40.3 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 37.82 | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 35.53 | -6.1% |
| 2018 | 36.15 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 35.52 | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 36.56 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 47.91 | +31.0% |
| 2022 | 38.43 | -19.8% |
| 2023 | 35.42 | -7.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Maternal mortality ratio in WPR changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +31.0% | 36.56 | 47.91 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 127.71 | 116.64 | 140.2 | 5 |
| 1990s | 93.47 | 76.02 | 114.02 | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.54 | 51.35 | 72.63 | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.35 | 35.52 | 49.49 | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.58 | 35.42 | 47.91 | 4 |
Countries ranked near WPR
- 7 Afghanistan 520.5 compare
- 8 Benin 518.23 compare
- 9 Guinea-Bissau 505.37 compare
- 10 Guinea 494.12 compare
- 11 Lesotho 478.02 compare
- 12 Madagascar 445.43 compare
- 13 Democratic Republic of Congo 427.05 compare
More health data for WPR
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 5,464 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases 159,013 (2025)
- Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) 9.69 (2024)
- Under-five mortality rate 12.12 (2024)
- Number of deaths among adolescents 36,886 (2024)
- Number of deaths among children ages 5 to 9 years 35,571 (2024)
- Mortality rate among children ages 5 to 9 years 1.24 (2024)
- Population with primary reliance on polluting fuels and technologies 176.35 (2023)
- Proportion of population with primary reliance on polluting fuels and 25.8% (2023)
- Population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technologies for 508.45 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in WPR?
- Maternal mortality ratio in WPR was 35.42 in 2023, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in WPR?
- The highest recorded value was 140.2 in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in WPR?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.42 in 2023.
- How does WPR rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- WPR ranks 10th out of 13 groups with data for 2023.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in WPR?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this WPR data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio (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-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).