Maternal mortality ratio in Botswana

Botswana: Maternal mortality ratio was 155.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
155.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births
Change on year
up 28.8%
World rank
48th
of 195 countries
All-time high
318.91 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 1988
All-time low
46.26 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 2017
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Maternal mortality ratio in Botswana, 1985–2023

01002003001985200420231985: 312.9 Deaths per 100 000 live births1986: 304.3 Deaths per 100 000 live births1987: 301.8 Deaths per 100 000 live births1988: 318.9 Deaths per 100 000 live births1989: 300.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births1990: 296.2 Deaths per 100 000 live births1991: 282.6 Deaths per 100 000 live births1992: 262.9 Deaths per 100 000 live births1993: 229.8 Deaths per 100 000 live births1994: 182.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births1995: 148.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births1996: 129.8 Deaths per 100 000 live births1997: 123.2 Deaths per 100 000 live births1998: 125.6 Deaths per 100 000 live births1999: 131.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births2000: 135.7 Deaths per 100 000 live births2001: 137.9 Deaths per 100 000 live births2002: 139.7 Deaths per 100 000 live births2003: 142.5 Deaths per 100 000 live births2004: 151.3 Deaths per 100 000 live births2005: 166.3 Deaths per 100 000 live births2006: 204.2 Deaths per 100 000 live births2007: 201.2 Deaths per 100 000 live births2008: 198.7 Deaths per 100 000 live births2009: 212.7 Deaths per 100 000 live births2010: 228.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births2011: 269 Deaths per 100 000 live births2012: 288.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births2013: 221.2 Deaths per 100 000 live births2014: 211.5 Deaths per 100 000 live births2015: 140.5 Deaths per 100 000 live births2016: 72.3 Deaths per 100 000 live births2017: 46.3 Deaths per 100 000 live births2018: 99.2 Deaths per 100 000 live births2019: 100.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births2020: 97.8 Deaths per 100 000 live births2021: 165.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births2022: 120.4 Deaths per 100 000 live births2023: 155.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in Deaths per 100 000 live births.

Analysis

Botswana recorded 155.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births for maternal mortality ratio in 2023.

The figure is up 28.8% on the previous year and down 29.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Botswana peaked at 318.91 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 1988 and was at its lowest, 46.26 Deaths per 100 000 live births, in 2017.

Botswana ranks 48th of 195 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 307.67 Deaths per 100 000 live births 300.43 Deaths per 100 000 live births 318.91 Deaths per 100 000 live births 5
1990s 191.2 Deaths per 100 000 live births 123.15 Deaths per 100 000 live births 296.22 Deaths per 100 000 live births 10
2000s 169.02 Deaths per 100 000 live births 135.66 Deaths per 100 000 live births 212.67 Deaths per 100 000 live births 10
2010s 167.66 Deaths per 100 000 live births 46.26 Deaths per 100 000 live births 288.06 Deaths per 100 000 live births 10
2020s 134.69 Deaths per 100 000 live births 97.8 Deaths per 100 000 live births 165.44 Deaths per 100 000 live births 4

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 45 Uganda 170.31 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare
  2. 46 Tuvalu 169.71 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare
  3. 47 Djibouti 161.88 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare
  4. 49 Pakistan 155.03 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare
  5. 50 Marshall Islands 154.79 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare
  6. 51 Bolivia 146.37 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More health data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in Botswana?
Maternal mortality ratio in Botswana was 155.1 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 318.91 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 1988.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 46.26 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 2017.
How does Botswana rank for maternal mortality ratio?
Botswana ranks 48th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Maternal mortality ratio
Unit
Deaths per 100 000 live births
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 7,605 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed

Estimated number of women who die from maternal conditions per 100,000 live births.