Maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Maternal mortality ratio was 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
18th
of 189 countries
All-time high
1,792 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1999
All-time low
435.24 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2019
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone, 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
Sierra Leone recorded 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births for maternal mortality ratio in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 47.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone peaked at 1,792 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1999 and was at its lowest, 435.24 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2019.
Sierra Leone ranks 18th of 189 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,428 deaths per 100,000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 1,458 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 1,455 deaths per 100,000 live births | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 1,477 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 1,508 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 1,539 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 1,600 deaths per 100,000 live births | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 1,618 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 1,657 deaths per 100,000 live births | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 1,750 deaths per 100,000 live births | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 1,768 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 1,744 deaths per 100,000 live births | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1,764 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 1,784 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1,792 deaths per 100,000 live births | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 1,682 deaths per 100,000 live births | -6.1% |
| 2001 | 1,610 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 1,493 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.3% |
| 2003 | 1,451 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 1,367 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 1,327 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 1,225 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 1,125 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 972.64 deaths per 100,000 live births | -13.5% |
| 2009 | 901.04 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.4% |
| 2010 | 837.35 deaths per 100,000 live births | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 727.58 deaths per 100,000 live births | -13.1% |
| 2012 | 666.86 deaths per 100,000 live births | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 632.13 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 618.32 deaths per 100,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 588.39 deaths per 100,000 live births | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 504.91 deaths per 100,000 live births | -14.2% |
| 2017 | 520.28 deaths per 100,000 live births | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 459.5 deaths per 100,000 live births | -11.7% |
| 2019 | 435.24 deaths per 100,000 live births | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births | +1.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for low income countries, which is 440.23 deaths per 100,000 live births, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 339.15 deaths per 100,000 live births, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,465 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,428 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,508 deaths per 100,000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,702 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,539 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,792 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,315 deaths per 100,000 live births | 901.04 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1,682 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 599.06 deaths per 100,000 live births | 435.24 deaths per 100,000 live births | 837.35 deaths per 100,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births | 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births | 442.83 deaths per 100,000 live births | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 15 Cote d'Ivoire 479.91 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 16 Mauritania 463.83 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 17 Gambia 458.24 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 19 Niger 441.07 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 20 Mali 440.23 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
- 21 Cameroon 437.75 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % 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 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone was 442.83 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1,792 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1999.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 435.24 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Sierra Leone ranks 18th out of 189 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.
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About this data
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.