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Maternal mortality ratio in Malaysia

Malaysia: Maternal mortality ratio was 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
122nd
of 185 countries
All-time high
55.13 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1985
All-time low
21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in Malaysia, 1985–2020

02040601985200220201985: 55.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 54.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 54.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 49.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 49.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 48.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 47.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 46.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 45.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 43.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 39.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 40.6 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 41.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 42.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 40 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 39.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 35.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 36.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 32.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 32.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 32.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 32 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 28 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 30.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 29.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 25.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 24.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 23.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 23.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 22.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 21.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 21.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 21.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 21.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 21.1 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

In 2020, maternal mortality ratio in Malaysia stood at 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Malaysia peaked at 55.13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2020.

Malaysia ranks 122nd 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.

Maternal mortality ratio in Malaysia, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 55.13 deaths per 100,000 live births —
1986 54.29 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.5%
1987 54.29 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.0%
1988 49.8 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.3%
1989 49.66 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.3%
1990 48.64 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.0%
1991 47.34 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.7%
1992 46.15 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.5%
1993 45.25 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.9%
1994 43.64 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.5%
1995 39.79 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.8%
1996 40.58 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.0%
1997 41.26 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.7%
1998 42.8 deaths per 100,000 live births +3.7%
1999 39.96 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.6%
2000 39.75 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.5%
2001 35.71 deaths per 100,000 live births -10.1%
2002 36.47 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.1%
2003 32.07 deaths per 100,000 live births -12.1%
2004 32.55 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.5%
2005 32.15 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.2%
2006 32 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.5%
2007 28.03 deaths per 100,000 live births -12.4%
2008 30.48 deaths per 100,000 live births +8.7%
2009 29.53 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.1%
2010 25.48 deaths per 100,000 live births -13.7%
2011 24.05 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.6%
2012 23.55 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.1%
2013 23.09 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.0%
2014 22.53 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.4%
2015 22.34 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.9%
2016 21.94 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.8%
2017 21.62 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.5%
2018 21.52 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.5%
2019 21.58 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.3%
2020 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.1%

Malaysia compared with similar countries

  • Malaysia's 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 45.53 deaths per 100,000 live births, 46% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Malaysia's 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 66.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, 32% of the median. (26 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 52.64 deaths per 100,000 live births 49.66 deaths per 100,000 live births 55.13 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 43.54 deaths per 100,000 live births 39.79 deaths per 100,000 live births 48.64 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 32.87 deaths per 100,000 live births 28.03 deaths per 100,000 live births 39.75 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 22.77 deaths per 100,000 live births 21.52 deaths per 100,000 live births 25.48 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 119 Costa Rica 22 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 120 Antigua and Barbuda 21.25 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 121 Grenada 21.14 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 123 United States 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 124 Lebanon 20.62 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 125 Palestine 20.43 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in Malaysia?
Maternal mortality ratio in Malaysia was 21.13 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 Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 55.13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
How does Malaysia rank for maternal mortality ratio?
Malaysia ranks 122nd out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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 Malaysia. 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/malaysia/

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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.