Maternal mortality in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Maternal mortality was 442.83 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
442.83
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
18th
of 189 countries
All-time high
1,792
in 1999
All-time low
435.24
in 2019
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Maternal mortality in Sierra Leone, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 442.83 for maternal mortality 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 in Sierra Leone peaked at 1,792 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 435.24, 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 in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,428 | — |
| 1986 | 1,458 | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 1,455 | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 1,477 | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 1,508 | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 1,539 | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 1,600 | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 1,618 | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 1,657 | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 1,750 | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 1,768 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 1,744 | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1,764 | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 1,784 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1,792 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 1,682 | -6.1% |
| 2001 | 1,610 | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 1,493 | -7.3% |
| 2003 | 1,451 | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 1,367 | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 1,327 | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 1,225 | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 1,125 | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 972.64 | -13.5% |
| 2009 | 901.04 | -7.4% |
| 2010 | 837.35 | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 727.58 | -13.1% |
| 2012 | 666.86 | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 632.13 | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 618.32 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 588.39 | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 504.91 | -14.2% |
| 2017 | 520.28 | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 459.5 | -11.7% |
| 2019 | 435.24 | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 442.83 | +1.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 442.83 is above the median for low income countries, which is 440.23, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 442.83 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 339.15, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,465 | 1,428 | 1,508 | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,702 | 1,539 | 1,792 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,315 | 901.04 | 1,682 | 10 |
| 2010s | 599.06 | 435.24 | 837.35 | 10 |
| 2020s | 442.83 | 442.83 | 442.83 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,209 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0676 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality in Sierra Leone?
- Maternal mortality in Sierra Leone was 442.83 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 1,792 in 1999.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 435.24 in 2019.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for maternal mortality?
- Sierra Leone ranks 18th out of 189 countries with data for 2020.
- Is maternal mortality 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 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).