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Maternal mortality ratio (UN MMEIG) in Cameroon

Cameroon: Maternal mortality ratio (UN MMEIG) was 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
21st
of 185 countries
All-time high
741.01 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1996
All-time low
423.89 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2018
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in Cameroon, 1985–2020

02004006008001985200220201985: 694.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 697.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 658.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 662.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 677.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 687.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 676.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 683.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 714.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 739.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 721.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 741 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 736 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 701.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 671.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 650.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 629.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 610.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 574.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 555.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 572.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 558.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 528.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 531.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 533.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 526.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 518.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 487.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 490.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 477.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 446.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 437.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 443 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 423.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 439.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 437.8 deaths per 100,000 live births

Source: UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 live births.

Analysis

Cameroon recorded 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births for maternal mortality ratio in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Cameroon peaked at 741.01 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1996 and was at its lowest, 423.89 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2018.

Cameroon ranks 21st 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.

Maternal mortality ratio (UN MMEIG) in Cameroon, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 694.33 deaths per 100,000 live births —
1986 697.28 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.4%
1987 658.62 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.5%
1988 662.67 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.6%
1989 677.92 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.3%
1990 687.4 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.4%
1991 676.77 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.5%
1992 683.4 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.0%
1993 714.13 deaths per 100,000 live births +4.5%
1994 739.85 deaths per 100,000 live births +3.6%
1995 721.76 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.4%
1996 741.01 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.7%
1997 735.97 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.7%
1998 701.93 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.6%
1999 671.47 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.3%
2000 650.73 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.1%
2001 629.25 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.3%
2002 610.57 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.0%
2003 574.42 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.9%
2004 555.62 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.3%
2005 572.95 deaths per 100,000 live births +3.1%
2006 558.27 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.6%
2007 528.86 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.3%
2008 531.9 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.6%
2009 533.66 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.3%
2010 526.75 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.3%
2011 518.68 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.5%
2012 487.1 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.1%
2013 490.71 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.7%
2014 477.51 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.7%
2015 446.85 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.4%
2016 437.25 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.1%
2017 442.97 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.3%
2018 423.89 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.3%
2019 439.77 deaths per 100,000 live births +3.7%
2020 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.5%

Cameroon compared with similar countries

  • Cameroon's 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Cameroon's 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 339.15 deaths per 100,000 live births, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 678.16 deaths per 100,000 live births 658.62 deaths per 100,000 live births 697.28 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 707.37 deaths per 100,000 live births 671.47 deaths per 100,000 live births 741.01 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 574.62 deaths per 100,000 live births 528.86 deaths per 100,000 live births 650.73 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 469.15 deaths per 100,000 live births 423.89 deaths per 100,000 live births 526.75 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near Cameroon

  1. 18 Sierra Leone 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 19 Niger 441.07 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 20 Mali 440.23 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 22 Togo 399.04 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 23 Madagascar 391.52 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 24 Malawi 380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Cameroon

All data for Cameroon →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in Cameroon?
Maternal mortality ratio in Cameroon was 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Cameroon?
The highest recorded value was 741.01 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1996.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Cameroon?
The lowest recorded value was 423.89 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018.
How does Cameroon rank for maternal mortality ratio?
Cameroon ranks 21st out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Cameroon?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Cameroon data come from?
The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Maternal mortality ratio in Cameroon. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/maternal-mortality-ratio-vs-gdp-per-capita/cameroon/

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About this data

Indicator
Maternal mortality ratio
Unit
deaths per 100,000 live births
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 maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.