Maternal mortality ratio in Ireland
Ireland: Maternal mortality ratio was 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 9.8%
World rank
164th
of 185 countries
All-time high
11.06 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1985
All-time low
4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality ratio in Ireland, 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 Ireland stood at 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.8% on the previous year and down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Ireland peaked at 11.06 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2020.
Ireland ranks 164th 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 11.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 10.02 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.3% |
| 1987 | 9.89 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 10.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 9.8 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 10.84 deaths per 100,000 live births | +10.7% |
| 1991 | 10.44 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 10.86 deaths per 100,000 live births | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 9.12 deaths per 100,000 live births | -16.0% |
| 1994 | 9.3 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 9.96 deaths per 100,000 live births | +7.0% |
| 1996 | 8.63 deaths per 100,000 live births | -13.3% |
| 1997 | 10.47 deaths per 100,000 live births | +21.3% |
| 1998 | 9.62 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.1% |
| 1999 | 8.28 deaths per 100,000 live births | -13.9% |
| 2000 | 10.45 deaths per 100,000 live births | +26.3% |
| 2001 | 9.32 deaths per 100,000 live births | -10.8% |
| 2002 | 8.45 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.3% |
| 2003 | 7.42 deaths per 100,000 live births | -12.2% |
| 2004 | 7.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 8.61 deaths per 100,000 live births | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 7.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births | -11.2% |
| 2008 | 7.59 deaths per 100,000 live births | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 7.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 6.55 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.3% |
| 2011 | 7.42 deaths per 100,000 live births | +13.3% |
| 2012 | 7.04 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.1% |
| 2013 | 6.46 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 6.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 6.49 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 5.34 deaths per 100,000 live births | -17.6% |
| 2017 | 5.58 deaths per 100,000 live births | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 5.43 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 5.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.8% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.63 deaths per 100,000 live births, 65% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.23 deaths per 100,000 live births, 69% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.18 deaths per 100,000 live births | 9.8 deaths per 100,000 live births | 11.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 9.75 deaths per 100,000 live births | 8.28 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10.86 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.19 deaths per 100,000 live births | 7.03 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10.45 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.21 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5.34 deaths per 100,000 live births | 7.42 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 161 Austria 5.23 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 162 Estonia 5.18 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 163 Turkmenistan 5.15 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 165 Slovakia 4.82 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 166 Croatia 4.82 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 167 Belgium 4.76 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7228 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.026 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6489 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in Ireland?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Ireland was 4.98 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 11.06 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.98 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
- How does Ireland rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Ireland ranks 164th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.