What is maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea?

Maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea was 191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Papua New Guinea?

The highest recorded value was 354.25 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.

What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Papua New Guinea?

The lowest recorded value was 189.82 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019.

How does Papua New Guinea rank for maternal mortality ratio?

Papua New Guinea ranks 48th out of 189 countries with data for 2020.

Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?

Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?

The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea

Name: Maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea
Creator: UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Papua New Guinea: Maternal mortality ratio was 191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)

191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births

Change on year

up 1.1%

World rank

48th

of 189 countries

All-time high

354.25 deaths per 100,000 live births

in 1985

All-time low

189.82 deaths per 100,000 live births

in 2019

Years of data

1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea, 1985–2020

Source: UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 live births.

Analysis

In 2020, maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea stood at 191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 33.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea peaked at 354.25 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 and was at its lowest, 189.82 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2019.

Papua New Guinea ranks 48th 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.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1980s	347.08 deaths per 100,000 live births	341.64 deaths per 100,000 live births	354.25 deaths per 100,000 live births	5
1990s	305.6 deaths per 100,000 live births	290.72 deaths per 100,000 live births	334.87 deaths per 100,000 live births	10
2000s	314.51 deaths per 100,000 live births	289.23 deaths per 100,000 live births	335.64 deaths per 100,000 live births	10
2010s	228.38 deaths per 100,000 live births	189.82 deaths per 100,000 live births	288.9 deaths per 100,000 live births	10
2020s	191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births	191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births	191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births	1

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

45 Namibia 214.63 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
46 Equatorial Guinea 212.33 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
47 East Timor 203.92 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
49 Botswana 185.9 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
50 Yemen 183.4 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
51 Myanmar 178.67 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 189 places →

More health data for Papua New Guinea

Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,127 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
Number of infants who die before age 1 2,501 deaths (2100)
Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 97,965 (2025)
Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 89,573 (2025)
Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 99,735 (2025)
Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 90,833 (2025)
Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 101,809 (2025)
Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 92,386 (2025)

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea?: Maternal mortality ratio in Papua New Guinea was 191.84 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Papua New Guinea?: The highest recorded value was 354.25 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Papua New Guinea?: The lowest recorded value was 189.82 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for maternal mortality ratio?: Papua New Guinea ranks 48th out of 189 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?: Over the last ten years it is down 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?: The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio. 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

Indicator: Maternal mortality ratio
Unit: deaths per 100,000 live births
Source: UN MMEIG (2023) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 189 places, 8,868 data points, 1751–2020
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The estimated number of women who die from maternal conditions per 100,000 live births, based on data from death certificates, large-scale surveys, and statistical modeling.