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Maternal mortality ratio in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Maternal mortality ratio was 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 8.4%
World rank
133rd
of 185 countries
All-time high
35.77 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1985
All-time low
14.28 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2013
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in Saudi Arabia, 1985–2020

0102030401985200220201985: 35.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 34.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 32.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 31.2 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 28.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 29.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 26.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 24.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 25.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 23.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 24.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 22.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 23.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 22.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 21.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 21.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 20.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 20.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 19.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 18.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 17 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 17.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 17.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 16.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 16.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 15.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 15.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 15.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 14.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 15 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 15.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 16.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 16.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 16.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 17.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 16.2 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

Saudi Arabia recorded 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births for maternal mortality ratio in 2020.

That represents a change of down 8.4% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Saudi Arabia peaked at 35.77 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 14.28 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2013.

That places Saudi Arabia 133rd out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 35.77 deaths per 100,000 live births —
1986 34.5 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.5%
1987 32.26 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.5%
1988 31.19 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.3%
1989 28.78 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.7%
1990 29.26 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.7%
1991 26.9 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.1%
1992 24.78 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.9%
1993 25.38 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.4%
1994 23.34 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.0%
1995 24.68 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.7%
1996 22.87 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.3%
1997 23.66 deaths per 100,000 live births +3.5%
1998 22.86 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.4%
1999 21.71 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.0%
2000 21.53 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.9%
2001 20.72 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.7%
2002 20.78 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.3%
2003 19.75 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.0%
2004 18.12 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.2%
2005 17.01 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.1%
2006 17.1 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.5%
2007 17.34 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.4%
2008 16.38 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.6%
2009 16.86 deaths per 100,000 live births +3.0%
2010 15.34 deaths per 100,000 live births -9.0%
2011 15.31 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.2%
2012 15.25 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.4%
2013 14.28 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.4%
2014 15.01 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.1%
2015 15.82 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.4%
2016 16.27 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.8%
2017 16.45 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.1%
2018 16.78 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.0%
2019 17.68 deaths per 100,000 live births +5.4%
2020 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.4%

Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries

  • Saudi Arabia's 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.63 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Saudi Arabia's 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 22.02 deaths per 100,000 live births, 74% of the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 32.5 deaths per 100,000 live births 28.78 deaths per 100,000 live births 35.77 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 24.54 deaths per 100,000 live births 21.71 deaths per 100,000 live births 29.26 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 18.56 deaths per 100,000 live births 16.38 deaths per 100,000 live births 21.53 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 15.82 deaths per 100,000 live births 14.28 deaths per 100,000 live births 17.68 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births 16.2 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 130 Egypt 16.82 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 131 Tajikistan 16.63 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 132 Ukraine 16.54 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 134 Bahrain 15.9 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 135 Hungary 15.05 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 136 Chile 15.03 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in Saudi Arabia?
Maternal mortality ratio in Saudi Arabia was 16.2 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 Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 35.77 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 14.28 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2013.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for maternal mortality ratio?
Saudi Arabia ranks 133rd out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/maternal-mortality-slope-chart/saudi-arabia/

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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.