Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland
Iceland: Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff was 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 15.0%
World rank
182nd
of 185 countries
All-time high
6.88 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1994
All-time low
2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland, 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 Iceland stood at 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 15.0% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland peaked at 6.88 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994 and was at its lowest, 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2020.
That places Iceland 182nd 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 vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 6.76 deaths per 100,000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 6.25 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.6% |
| 1987 | 6.73 deaths per 100,000 live births | +7.6% |
| 1988 | 6.21 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.7% |
| 1989 | 6.31 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 6 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.0% |
| 1991 | 5.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 5.85 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 6.04 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 6.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | +13.8% |
| 1995 | 6.49 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.7% |
| 1996 | 6.18 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 5.59 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.4% |
| 1998 | 5.58 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 5.67 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 5.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 3.99 deaths per 100,000 live births | -24.2% |
| 2002 | 3.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 4.63 deaths per 100,000 live births | +16.1% |
| 2004 | 4.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 4.04 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 4.03 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 3.97 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 3.29 deaths per 100,000 live births | -17.1% |
| 2009 | 3.1 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 2.93 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 2.92 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 2.82 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 3.68 deaths per 100,000 live births | +30.6% |
| 2014 | 3.16 deaths per 100,000 live births | -14.2% |
| 2015 | 3.42 deaths per 100,000 live births | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 3 deaths per 100,000 live births | -12.3% |
| 2017 | 2.8 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 2.8 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 3.12 deaths per 100,000 live births | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | -15.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.45 deaths per 100,000 live births | 6.21 deaths per 100,000 live births | 6.76 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 5.99 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5.58 deaths per 100,000 live births | 6.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | 3.1 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.07 deaths per 100,000 live births | 2.8 deaths per 100,000 live births | 3.68 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 179 Australia 2.94 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 180 Malta 2.89 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 181 Israel 2.84 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 183 Poland 1.96 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 184 Norway 1.66 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 185 Belarus 1.1 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Iceland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2085)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4982 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,358 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 0 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 3.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 5.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0156 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland?
- Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Iceland was 2.65 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.88 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.65 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank for maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff?
- Iceland ranks 182nd out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.
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.