Maternal mortality ratio in Sweden
Sweden: Maternal mortality ratio was 4.51 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Maternal mortality ratio in Sweden, 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 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 168 Denmark 4.66 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 169 Italy 4.59 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 170 Slovenia 4.53 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 172 Germany 4.43 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 173 Japan 4.31 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 174 Netherlands 4.31 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Sweden
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,109 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 30 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 66,073 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 56,430 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 62,494 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 56,433 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 61,970 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 57,504 (2025)
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.
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.