Maternal mortality in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Maternal mortality was 266.69 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
266.69
Change on year
down 9.3%
World rank
32nd
of 189 countries
All-time high
1,297
in 1985
All-time low
266.69
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality in Ethiopia, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 266.69 for maternal mortality in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.3% on the previous year and down 58.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality in Ethiopia peaked at 1,297 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 266.69, in 2020.
Ethiopia ranks 32nd of 189 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Maternal mortality in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,297 | — |
| 1986 | 1,246 | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 1,205 | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 1,219 | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 1,214 | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 1,236 | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 1,169 | -5.5% |
| 1992 | 1,151 | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 1,117 | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 1,082 | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 1,052 | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 1,018 | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 947.12 | -6.9% |
| 1998 | 939.58 | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 977.93 | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 952.84 | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 955.11 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 960.47 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 906.12 | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 900.38 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 879.86 | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 814.16 | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 780.3 | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 724.71 | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 683.81 | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 634.71 | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 603.16 | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 543.32 | -9.9% |
| 2013 | 498.45 | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 447.36 | -10.3% |
| 2015 | 399.17 | -10.8% |
| 2016 | 355.66 | -10.9% |
| 2017 | 348.31 | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 311.85 | -10.5% |
| 2019 | 294.02 | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 266.69 | -9.3% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 266.69 is below the median for low income countries, which is 440.23, 61% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 266.69 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 339.15, 79% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,236 | 1,205 | 1,297 | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,069 | 939.58 | 1,236 | 10 |
| 2000s | 855.77 | 683.81 | 960.47 | 10 |
| 2010s | 443.6 | 294.02 | 634.71 | 10 |
| 2020s | 266.69 | 266.69 | 266.69 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More health data for Ethiopia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 19,997 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 148 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0709 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0742 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality in Ethiopia?
- Maternal mortality in Ethiopia was 266.69 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 1,297 in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 266.69 in 2020.
- How does Ethiopia rank for maternal mortality?
- Ethiopia ranks 32nd out of 189 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 58.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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).