Maternal mortality ratio in Botswana

Botswana: Maternal mortality ratio was 185.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
185.9 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
up 57.7%
World rank
48th
of 185 countries
All-time high
260.27 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2012
All-time low
107.63 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2017
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in Botswana, 1985–2020

01002003001985200220201985: 228.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 226.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 220.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 234.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 225.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 235.2 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 228.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 224.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 203.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 197.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 181.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 184.2 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 171.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 172.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 176.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 181.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 183.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 174.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 184.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 196.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 201.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 213 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 215.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 221.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 185.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 155.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 225.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 260.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 142 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 178.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 183.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 134.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 107.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 162.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 117.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 185.9 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 Botswana is 185.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 57.7% on the previous year and up 19.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Botswana peaked at 260.27 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2012 and was at its lowest, 107.63 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2017.

Botswana ranks 48th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 227.29 deaths per 100,000 live births 220.61 deaths per 100,000 live births 234.85 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 197.59 deaths per 100,000 live births 171.5 deaths per 100,000 live births 235.16 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 195.74 deaths per 100,000 live births 174.2 deaths per 100,000 live births 221.78 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 166.84 deaths per 100,000 live births 107.63 deaths per 100,000 live births 260.27 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 185.9 deaths per 100,000 live births 185.9 deaths per 100,000 live births 185.9 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 45 Equatorial Guinea 212.33 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 46 East Timor 203.92 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 47 Papua New Guinea 191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 49 Yemen 183.4 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 50 Myanmar 178.67 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 51 Nepal 174.41 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 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 185.9 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 Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 260.27 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2012.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 107.63 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017.
How does Botswana rank for maternal mortality ratio?
Botswana ranks 48th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana 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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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.