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Maternal mortality ratio (UN MMEIG) in North Korea

North Korea: Maternal mortality ratio (UN MMEIG) was 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
66th
of 185 countries
All-time high
188.3 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2002
All-time low
49.93 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1993
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in North Korea, 1985–2020

501001502001985200220201985: 115.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 106.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 100.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 91.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 84.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 76.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 76.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 69.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 49.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 73.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 158.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 164.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 156 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 164.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 174.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 185.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 172.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 188.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 123.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 130.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 121.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 130.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 137.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 139.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 131.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 130.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 120.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 108.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 95.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 84.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 108.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 108.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 107.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 107.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 106.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 106.7 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

The most recent figure for maternal mortality ratio in North Korea is 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in North Korea peaked at 188.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2002 and was at its lowest, 49.93 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 1993.

North Korea ranks 66th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Maternal mortality ratio (UN MMEIG) in North Korea, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 115.05 deaths per 100,000 live births —
1986 106.26 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.6%
1987 100.43 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.5%
1988 91.61 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.8%
1989 84.68 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.6%
1990 76.14 deaths per 100,000 live births -10.1%
1991 76.51 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.5%
1992 69.6 deaths per 100,000 live births -9.0%
1993 49.93 deaths per 100,000 live births -28.3%
1994 73.38 deaths per 100,000 live births +47.0%
1995 158.36 deaths per 100,000 live births +115.8%
1996 164.72 deaths per 100,000 live births +4.0%
1997 156.01 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.3%
1998 164.09 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.2%
1999 174.82 deaths per 100,000 live births +6.5%
2000 185.62 deaths per 100,000 live births +6.2%
2001 172.25 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.2%
2002 188.3 deaths per 100,000 live births +9.3%
2003 123.08 deaths per 100,000 live births -34.6%
2004 130.58 deaths per 100,000 live births +6.1%
2005 121.89 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.7%
2006 130.64 deaths per 100,000 live births +7.2%
2007 137.7 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.4%
2008 139.22 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.1%
2009 131.39 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.6%
2010 130.23 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.9%
2011 120.12 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.8%
2012 108.17 deaths per 100,000 live births -10.0%
2013 95.9 deaths per 100,000 live births -11.3%
2014 84.64 deaths per 100,000 live births -11.7%
2015 108.37 deaths per 100,000 live births +28.0%
2016 108.76 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.4%
2017 107.65 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.0%
2018 107.16 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.5%
2019 106.16 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.9%
2020 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.5%

North Korea compared with similar countries

  • North Korea's 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for low income countries, which is 440.23 deaths per 100,000 live births, 24% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • North Korea's 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 66.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, 1.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Maternal mortality ratio (UN MMEIG) in North Korea 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.

YearChange FromTo
1995 +115.8% 73.38 deaths per 100,000 live births 158.36 deaths per 100,000 live births

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 99.61 deaths per 100,000 live births 84.68 deaths per 100,000 live births 115.05 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 116.36 deaths per 100,000 live births 49.93 deaths per 100,000 live births 174.82 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 146.07 deaths per 100,000 live births 121.89 deaths per 100,000 live births 188.3 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 107.71 deaths per 100,000 live births 84.64 deaths per 100,000 live births 130.23 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births 106.7 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 63 Solomon Islands 122.25 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 64 Guyana 111.94 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 65 Dominican Republic 107.35 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 67 India 102.65 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 68 Jamaica 98.88 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 69 Suriname 96.46 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in North Korea?
Maternal mortality ratio in North Korea was 106.7 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 North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 188.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2002.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 49.93 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1993.
How does North Korea rank for maternal mortality ratio?
North Korea ranks 66th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North Korea 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 North Korea. 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/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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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.