Maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff in Australia
Australia: Maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff was 2.94 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff in Australia, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff in Australia stood at 2.94. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 42.2% on the previous year and down 46.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff in Australia peaked at 9.35 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 2.94, in 2020.
That places Australia 179th 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 vs births attended by health staff in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 8.02 | — |
| 1986 | 8.01 | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 8.4 | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 8.54 | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 8.71 | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 8.26 | -5.3% |
| 1991 | 8.79 | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 8.79 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 8.96 | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 9.35 | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 8.09 | -13.5% |
| 1996 | 7.79 | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 7.88 | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 7.47 | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 7.18 | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 6.69 | -6.7% |
| 2001 | 5.97 | -10.8% |
| 2002 | 5.57 | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 5.51 | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 5.12 | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 4.6 | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 4.57 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 5.11 | +11.8% |
| 2008 | 4.89 | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 5.38 | +10.0% |
| 2010 | 5.45 | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 5.94 | +8.9% |
| 2012 | 5.86 | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 5.99 | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 5.39 | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 5.24 | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 5.18 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.77 | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 4.42 | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 5.09 | +14.9% |
| 2020 | 2.94 | -42.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 2.94 is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.63, 39% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Australia's 2.94 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 66.7, 4% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -42.2% | 5.09 | 2.94 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.34 | 8.01 | 8.71 | 5 |
| 1990s | 8.25 | 7.18 | 9.35 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.34 | 4.57 | 6.69 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.33 | 4.42 | 5.99 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.94 | 2.94 | 2.94 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 215 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0279 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0295 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff in Australia?
- Maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff in Australia was 2.94 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.35 in 1994.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.94 in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff?
- Australia ranks 179th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality vs births attended by health staff. 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).