Maternal mortality in China
China: Maternal mortality was 23.05 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
23.05
Change on year
up 13.0%
World rank
118th
of 189 countries
All-time high
114.47
in 1985
All-time low
20.36
in 2018
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality in China, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, maternal mortality in China stood at 23.05.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.0% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality in China peaked at 114.47 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 20.36, in 2018.
That places China 118th out of 189 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 in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 114.47 | — |
| 1986 | 102.62 | -10.3% |
| 1987 | 93.7 | -8.7% |
| 1988 | 95 | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 89.92 | -5.3% |
| 1990 | 85.92 | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 87.94 | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 89.7 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 78.23 | -12.8% |
| 1994 | 79.01 | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 76.27 | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 66.5 | -12.8% |
| 1997 | 65.7 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 63.09 | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 64.22 | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 58.06 | -9.6% |
| 2001 | 55.31 | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 53.82 | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 43.35 | -19.5% |
| 2004 | 48.78 | +12.5% |
| 2005 | 45.59 | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 42.55 | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 39.32 | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 38.18 | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 34.05 | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 33.22 | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 32.18 | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 28.44 | -11.6% |
| 2013 | 28.3 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 25.82 | -8.7% |
| 2015 | 25.98 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 23.31 | -10.3% |
| 2017 | 21.87 | -6.2% |
| 2018 | 20.36 | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 20.4 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 23.05 | +13.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 23.05 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 51.11, 45% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- China's 23.05 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 59.08, 39% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 99.14 | 89.92 | 114.47 | 5 |
| 1990s | 75.66 | 63.09 | 89.7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.9 | 34.05 | 58.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.99 | 20.36 | 33.22 | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.05 | 23.05 | 23.05 | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
- 115 Georgia 27.61 compare
- 116 Armenia 27.19 compare
- 117 Trinidad and Tobago 26.58 compare
- 119 Iran 22.02 compare
- 120 Costa Rica 22 compare
- 121 Antigua and Barbuda 21.25 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,642 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % 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 0.0176 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality in China?
- Maternal mortality in China was 23.05 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 114.47 in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.36 in 2018.
- How does China rank for maternal mortality?
- China ranks 118th out of 189 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality. 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).