Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Malawi
Malawi: Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff was 380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
24th
of 185 countries
All-time high
985.91 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1988
All-time low
326.37 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2006
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Malawi, 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 Malawi stood at 380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and down 25.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Malawi peaked at 985.91 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1988 and was at its lowest, 326.37 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2006.
That places Malawi 24th out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 891.78 deaths per 100,000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 917.62 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 949.55 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 985.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 953.41 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 970.77 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 960.12 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 944.62 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 897.78 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 827.2 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.9% |
| 1995 | 721.46 deaths per 100,000 live births | -12.8% |
| 1996 | 681.52 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.5% |
| 1997 | 650.07 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 627.63 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 588.57 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 573.46 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 530.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 489.92 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.7% |
| 2003 | 445.14 deaths per 100,000 live births | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 386.04 deaths per 100,000 live births | -13.3% |
| 2005 | 346.93 deaths per 100,000 live births | -10.1% |
| 2006 | 326.37 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 351.57 deaths per 100,000 live births | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 419.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | +19.4% |
| 2009 | 475.55 deaths per 100,000 live births | +13.3% |
| 2010 | 512.93 deaths per 100,000 live births | +7.9% |
| 2011 | 495.72 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 502.27 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 472.6 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 442.25 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 444.94 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 430.34 deaths per 100,000 live births | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 374.88 deaths per 100,000 live births | -12.9% |
| 2018 | 391.79 deaths per 100,000 live births | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 370.24 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 939.65 deaths per 100,000 live births | 891.78 deaths per 100,000 live births | 985.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 786.98 deaths per 100,000 live births | 588.57 deaths per 100,000 live births | 970.77 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 434.55 deaths per 100,000 live births | 326.37 deaths per 100,000 live births | 573.46 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 443.8 deaths per 100,000 live births | 370.24 deaths per 100,000 live births | 512.93 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births | 380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births | 380.67 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 21 Cameroon 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 22 Togo 399.04 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 23 Madagascar 391.52 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 25 Zimbabwe 356.76 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 26 Haiti 350.4 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 27 Eritrea 321.55 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1,158 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Malawi?
- Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Malawi was 380.67 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 985.91 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1988.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 326.37 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2006.
- How does Malawi rank for maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff?
- Malawi ranks 24th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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
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About this data
The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.