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Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand

New Zealand: Maternal mortality ratio was 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
157th
of 185 countries
All-time high
16.99 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1988
All-time low
7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand, 1985–2020

0510151985200220201985: 16.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 15.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 16.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 17 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 16.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 16.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 14.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 13.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 12.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 12.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 13.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 13.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 13.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 12.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 12.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 11.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 11 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 10.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 10.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 11.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 10 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 10.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 10.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 9.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 10.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 9.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 10.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 9.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 7.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 8 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 8.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 7.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 7.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 7.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 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

In 2020, maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand stood at 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 28.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand peaked at 16.99 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1988 and was at its lowest, 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2020.

New Zealand ranks 157th of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Maternal mortality ratio in New Zealand, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 16.9 deaths per 100,000 live births —
1986 15.45 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.6%
1987 16.1 deaths per 100,000 live births +4.3%
1988 16.99 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.5%
1989 16.49 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.0%
1990 16.25 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.4%
1991 14.26 deaths per 100,000 live births -12.2%
1992 13.06 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.4%
1993 12.79 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.1%
1994 12.57 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.7%
1995 13.88 deaths per 100,000 live births +10.4%
1996 13.77 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.9%
1997 13.13 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.6%
1998 12.8 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.5%
1999 12.28 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.0%
2000 11.09 deaths per 100,000 live births -9.7%
2001 11.02 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.7%
2002 10.23 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.2%
2003 10.36 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.3%
2004 11.51 deaths per 100,000 live births +11.1%
2005 10.01 deaths per 100,000 live births -13.1%
2006 10.79 deaths per 100,000 live births +7.8%
2007 10.26 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.9%
2008 9.55 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.9%
2009 10.18 deaths per 100,000 live births +6.6%
2010 9.89 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.9%
2011 10.41 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.3%
2012 9.58 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.9%
2013 7.86 deaths per 100,000 live births -18.0%
2014 7.98 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.5%
2015 8.65 deaths per 100,000 live births +8.4%
2016 7.81 deaths per 100,000 live births -9.7%
2017 7.39 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.4%
2018 7.89 deaths per 100,000 live births +6.6%
2019 7.22 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.4%
2020 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 16.39 deaths per 100,000 live births 15.45 deaths per 100,000 live births 16.99 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 13.48 deaths per 100,000 live births 12.28 deaths per 100,000 live births 16.25 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 10.5 deaths per 100,000 live births 9.55 deaths per 100,000 live births 11.51 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 8.47 deaths per 100,000 live births 7.22 deaths per 100,000 live births 10.41 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 154 Switzerland 7.38 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 155 Kuwait 7.17 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 156 Bulgaria 7.09 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 158 Luxembourg 6.49 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 159 Montenegro 6.17 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 160 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.67 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 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 7.03 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 New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 16.99 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1988.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
How does New Zealand rank for maternal mortality ratio?
New Zealand ranks 157th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand 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 New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/maternal-mortality-ratio-vs-gdp-per-capita/new-zealand/

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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.