Maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Maternal mortality ratio was 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopia, 1985–2020
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 Ethiopia stood at 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 9.3% on the previous year and down 58.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopia peaked at 1,297 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2020.
Ethiopia ranks 31st of 185 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,236 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,205 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,297 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,069 deaths per 100,000 live births | 939.58 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,236 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 855.77 deaths per 100,000 live births | 683.81 deaths per 100,000 live births | 960.47 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 443.6 deaths per 100,000 live births | 294.02 deaths per 100,000 live births | 634.71 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births | 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births | 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 28 Uganda 284.14 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 29 Congo 282.39 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 30 Sudan 270.36 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 32 Burkina Faso 263.75 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 33 Ghana 263.11 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 34 Senegal 260.88 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Ethiopia
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 744.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 19,997 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 1,357 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 1,357 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 1.25 million (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 1.24 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 1.29 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 1.28 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 1.33 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 1.32 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopia?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Ethiopia was 266.69 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 1,297 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 266.69 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
- How does Ethiopia rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Ethiopia ranks 31st out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.