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Maternal mortality ratio in Canada

Canada: Maternal mortality ratio was 11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
141st
of 185 countries
All-time high
12.77 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2008
All-time low
6 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1987
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in Canada, 1985–2020

0510151985200220201985: 7 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 7 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 6 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 7 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 7.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 6.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 6.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 6.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 7.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 7.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 8.2 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 8.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 7.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 8.2 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 8.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 9.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 9.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 10.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 10.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 10.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 11.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 11 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 10.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 12.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 12.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 11.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 11.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 11.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 11.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 11.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 11.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 12.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 12.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 11 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 11.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 11 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 Canada is 11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births, measured in 2020.

The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Canada peaked at 12.77 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008 and was at its lowest, 6 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 1987.

Canada ranks 141st of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Maternal mortality ratio in Canada, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 6.95 deaths per 100,000 live births —
1986 7.02 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.9%
1987 6 deaths per 100,000 live births -14.6%
1988 7.01 deaths per 100,000 live births +16.8%
1989 7.15 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.0%
1990 6.89 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.6%
1991 6.59 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.3%
1992 6.9 deaths per 100,000 live births +4.6%
1993 7.46 deaths per 100,000 live births +8.1%
1994 7.64 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.3%
1995 8.22 deaths per 100,000 live births +7.6%
1996 8.93 deaths per 100,000 live births +8.7%
1997 7.8 deaths per 100,000 live births -12.7%
1998 8.17 deaths per 100,000 live births +4.8%
1999 8.64 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.7%
2000 9.3 deaths per 100,000 live births +7.7%
2001 9.82 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.6%
2002 10.38 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.7%
2003 10.59 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.1%
2004 10.66 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.6%
2005 11.33 deaths per 100,000 live births +6.3%
2006 10.97 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.2%
2007 10.56 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.8%
2008 12.77 deaths per 100,000 live births +21.0%
2009 12.61 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.3%
2010 11.94 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.3%
2011 11.86 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.7%
2012 11.83 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.3%
2013 11.48 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.9%
2014 11.68 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.8%
2015 11.66 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.2%
2016 12.52 deaths per 100,000 live births +7.4%
2017 12.58 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.4%
2018 11 deaths per 100,000 live births -12.5%
2019 11.16 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.4%
2020 11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.3%

Canada compared with similar countries

  • Canada's 11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.63 deaths per 100,000 live births, 1.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 6.82 deaths per 100,000 live births 6 deaths per 100,000 live births 7.15 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 7.72 deaths per 100,000 live births 6.59 deaths per 100,000 live births 8.93 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 10.9 deaths per 100,000 live births 9.3 deaths per 100,000 live births 12.77 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 11.77 deaths per 100,000 live births 11 deaths per 100,000 live births 12.58 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births 11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births 11.01 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 138 Kazakhstan 13.38 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 139 Moldova 12.26 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 140 Portugal 11.8 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 142 Serbia 10.18 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 143 Romania 10.07 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 144 United Kingdom 9.84 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in Canada?
Maternal mortality ratio in Canada was 11.01 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 12.77 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987.
How does Canada rank for maternal mortality ratio?
Canada ranks 141st out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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 Canada. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/maternal-mortality-slope-chart/canada/

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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.