Maternal mortality in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Maternal mortality was 16.2 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
16.2
Change on year
down 8.4%
World rank
135th
of 189 countries
All-time high
35.77
in 1985
All-time low
14.28
in 2013
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality in Saudi Arabia, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 16.2 for maternal mortality in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.4% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality in Saudi Arabia peaked at 35.77 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 14.28, in 2013.
That places Saudi Arabia 135th 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 35.77 | — |
| 1986 | 34.5 | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 32.26 | -6.5% |
| 1988 | 31.19 | -3.3% |
| 1989 | 28.78 | -7.7% |
| 1990 | 29.26 | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 26.9 | -8.1% |
| 1992 | 24.78 | -7.9% |
| 1993 | 25.38 | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 23.34 | -8.0% |
| 1995 | 24.68 | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 22.87 | -7.3% |
| 1997 | 23.66 | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 22.86 | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 21.71 | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 21.53 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 20.72 | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 20.78 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 19.75 | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 18.12 | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 17.01 | -6.1% |
| 2006 | 17.1 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 17.34 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 16.38 | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 16.86 | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 15.34 | -9.0% |
| 2011 | 15.31 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 15.25 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 14.28 | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 15.01 | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 15.82 | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 16.27 | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 16.45 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 16.78 | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 17.68 | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 16.2 | -8.4% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 16.2 is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.61, 2.1× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 16.2 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 22.02, 74% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 32.5 | 28.78 | 35.77 | 5 |
| 1990s | 24.54 | 21.71 | 29.26 | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.56 | 16.38 | 21.53 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.82 | 14.28 | 17.68 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.2 | 16.2 | 16.2 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More health data for Saudi Arabia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8373 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3736 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 829 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 5.31 % 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 0.0384 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 5.38 % 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 0.0401 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality in Saudi Arabia?
- Maternal mortality in Saudi Arabia was 16.2 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 35.77 in 1985.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.28 in 2013.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for maternal mortality?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 135th out of 189 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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).