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Maternal mortality ratio in Sweden

Sweden: Maternal mortality ratio was 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
171st
of 185 countries
All-time high
8.25 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1988
All-time low
4.42 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2016
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in Sweden, 1985–2020

024681985200220201985: 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 7.1 deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 6.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 8.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 7.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 6.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 6.8 deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 6.7 deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 6.9 deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 6.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 6.3 deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 6.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 6.5 deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 5.4 deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 5.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 6.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 5.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 5.7 deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 5.6 deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 5.3 deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 5.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 5.2 deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 5.1 deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 5 deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 5 deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 4.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 4.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 4.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 4.9 deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 4.8 deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 4.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 4.4 deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 4.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 4.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 4.5 deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 4.5 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 Sweden stood at 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Sweden peaked at 8.25 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1988 and was at its lowest, 4.42 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2016.

That places Sweden 171st out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Maternal mortality ratio in Sweden, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 7.24 deaths per 100,000 live births —
1986 7.07 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.3%
1987 6.86 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.0%
1988 8.25 deaths per 100,000 live births +20.3%
1989 7.43 deaths per 100,000 live births -10.0%
1990 6.93 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.7%
1991 6.84 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.3%
1992 6.69 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.1%
1993 6.93 deaths per 100,000 live births +3.6%
1994 6.29 deaths per 100,000 live births -9.3%
1995 6.34 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.8%
1996 6.46 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.8%
1997 6.48 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.3%
1998 5.44 deaths per 100,000 live births -15.9%
1999 5.57 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.3%
2000 6.15 deaths per 100,000 live births +10.4%
2001 5.82 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.4%
2002 5.67 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.5%
2003 5.6 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.3%
2004 5.28 deaths per 100,000 live births -5.7%
2005 5.08 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.8%
2006 5.15 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.5%
2007 5.07 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.6%
2008 5.01 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.3%
2009 4.96 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.9%
2010 4.53 deaths per 100,000 live births -8.7%
2011 4.89 deaths per 100,000 live births +7.9%
2012 4.93 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.8%
2013 4.93 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.0%
2014 4.78 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.0%
2015 4.45 deaths per 100,000 live births -7.0%
2016 4.42 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.5%
2017 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.0%
2018 4.53 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.5%
2019 4.53 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.1%
2020 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.5%

Sweden compared with similar countries

  • Sweden's 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.63 deaths per 100,000 live births, 59% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Sweden's 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.23 deaths per 100,000 live births, 62% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.37 deaths per 100,000 live births 6.86 deaths per 100,000 live births 8.25 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 6.4 deaths per 100,000 live births 5.44 deaths per 100,000 live births 6.93 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 5.38 deaths per 100,000 live births 4.96 deaths per 100,000 live births 6.15 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 4.65 deaths per 100,000 live births 4.42 deaths per 100,000 live births 4.93 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 168 Denmark 4.66 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 169 Italy 4.59 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 170 Slovenia 4.53 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 172 Germany 4.43 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 173 Japan 4.31 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  6. 174 Netherlands 4.31 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in Sweden?
Maternal mortality ratio in Sweden was 4.51 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 Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 8.25 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1988.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 4.42 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2016.
How does Sweden rank for maternal mortality ratio?
Sweden ranks 171st out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sweden 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 Sweden. 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/sweden/

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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.