Maternal mortality ratio in United States
United States: Maternal mortality ratio was 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▲ Rising
Maternal mortality ratio in United States, 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 United States stood at 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and up 49.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in United States peaked at 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.04 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 1990.
United States ranks 123rd of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.81 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10.43 deaths per 100,000 live births | 11.07 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 10.82 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10.04 deaths per 100,000 live births | 11.46 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.26 deaths per 100,000 live births | 11.83 deaths per 100,000 live births | 15.41 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.26 deaths per 100,000 live births | 14.07 deaths per 100,000 live births | 19.85 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births | 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births | 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 120 Antigua and Barbuda 21.25 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 121 Grenada 21.14 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 122 Malaysia 21.13 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 124 Lebanon 20.62 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 125 Palestine 20.43 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 126 Uruguay 18.64 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for United States
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,069 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,015 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 2.37 million (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 2.22 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 2.38 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 2.24 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 2.37 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 2.23 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in United States?
- Maternal mortality ratio in United States was 21.08 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 21.08 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.04 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990.
- How does United States rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- United States ranks 123rd out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.