Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in China
China: Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff was 23.05 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
23.05 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
up 13.0%
World rank
117th
of 185 countries
All-time high
114.47 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1985
All-time low
20.36 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2018
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in China, 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 vs. births attended by skilled health staff in China stood at 23.05 deaths per 100,000 live births.
That represents a change of up 13.0% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in China peaked at 114.47 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 20.36 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2018.
That places China 117th 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 vs. births attended by skilled health staff in China, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 114.47 deaths per 100,000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 102.62 deaths per 100,000 live births | -10.3% |
| 1987 | 93.7 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.7% |
| 1988 | 95 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 89.92 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.3% |
| 1990 | 85.92 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 87.94 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 89.7 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 78.23 deaths per 100,000 live births | -12.8% |
| 1994 | 79.01 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 76.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 66.5 deaths per 100,000 live births | -12.8% |
| 1997 | 65.7 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 63.09 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 64.22 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 58.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.6% |
| 2001 | 55.31 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 53.82 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 43.35 deaths per 100,000 live births | -19.5% |
| 2004 | 48.78 deaths per 100,000 live births | +12.5% |
| 2005 | 45.59 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 42.55 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 39.32 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 38.18 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 34.05 deaths per 100,000 live births | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 33.22 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 32.18 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 28.44 deaths per 100,000 live births | -11.6% |
| 2013 | 28.3 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 25.82 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.7% |
| 2015 | 25.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 23.31 deaths per 100,000 live births | -10.3% |
| 2017 | 21.87 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 20.36 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 20.4 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 23.05 deaths per 100,000 live births | +13.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 99.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | 89.92 deaths per 100,000 live births | 114.47 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 75.66 deaths per 100,000 live births | 63.09 deaths per 100,000 live births | 89.7 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.9 deaths per 100,000 live births | 34.05 deaths per 100,000 live births | 58.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.99 deaths per 100,000 live births | 20.36 deaths per 100,000 live births | 33.22 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.05 deaths per 100,000 live births | 23.05 deaths per 100,000 live births | 23.05 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
- 114 Georgia 27.61 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 115 Armenia 27.19 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 116 Trinidad and Tobago 26.58 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 118 Iran 22.02 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 119 Costa Rica 22 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 120 Antigua and Barbuda 21.25 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,029 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,642 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.016 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 3.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0101 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 33,364 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in China?
- Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in China was 23.05 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 vs. births attended by skilled health staff recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 114.47 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.36 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018.
- How does China rank for maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff?
- China ranks 117th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.