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.

Maternal mortality ratio in Sierra Leone

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

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

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.

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

See the full ranking of 189 places →

More health data for Sierra Leone

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)
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 79,693 (2025)
Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 79,021 (2025)
Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 82,252 (2025)
Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 81,100 (2025)
Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 84,700 (2025)
Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 83,425 (2025)

All data for Sierra Leone →

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.

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.