Number of maternal deaths in China

China: Number of maternal deaths was 1,446 in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1,446
Change on year
down 16.4%
World rank
34th
of 194 countries
All-time high
31,485
in 1987
All-time low
1,446
in 2023
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Number of maternal deaths in China, 1985–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k1985200420231985: 30.3k1986: 31.2k1987: 31.5k1988: 28.5k1989: 28.2k1990: 28.5k1991: 20.9k1992: 18.1k1993: 16.2k1994: 14.9k1995: 13.5k1996: 12.2k1997: 11.1k1998: 10.3k1999: 9.7k2000: 9.8k2001: 8.7k2002: 8.2k2003: 7.6k2004: 7.4k2005: 7.0k2006: 6.7k2007: 6.5k2008: 6.7k2009: 6.3k2010: 6.0k2011: 5.8k2012: 6.1k2013: 5.4k2014: 5.3k2015: 4.6k2016: 4.5k2017: 4.3k2018: 3.4k2019: 3.1k2020: 2.3k2021: 2.2k2022: 1.7k2023: 1.4k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of maternal deaths in China is 1,446, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.

The figure is down 16.4% on the previous year and down 73.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in China peaked at 31,485 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1,446, in 2023.

China ranks 34th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of maternal deaths in China, year by year

Annual values for Number of maternal deaths in China, 1985 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1985 30,261
1986 31,174 +3.0%
1987 31,485 +1.0%
1988 28,456 -9.6%
1989 28,201 -0.9%
1990 28,532 +1.2%
1991 20,863 -26.9%
1992 18,147 -13.0%
1993 16,205 -10.7%
1994 14,895 -8.1%
1995 13,501 -9.4%
1996 12,218 -9.5%
1997 11,149 -8.7%
1998 10,336 -7.3%
1999 9,712 -6.0%
2000 9,771 +0.6%
2001 8,689 -11.1%
2002 8,153 -6.2%
2003 7,633 -6.4%
2004 7,350 -3.7%
2005 6,968 -5.2%
2006 6,682 -4.1%
2007 6,465 -3.3%
2008 6,726 +4.0%
2009 6,251 -7.1%
2010 6,029 -3.5%
2011 5,794 -3.9%
2012 6,102 +5.3%
2013 5,450 -10.7%
2014 5,277 -3.2%
2015 4,581 -13.2%
2016 4,542 -0.9%
2017 4,325 -4.8%
2018 3,372 -22.0%
2019 3,081 -8.6%
2020 2,348 -23.8%
2021 2,190 -6.7%
2022 1,730 -21.0%
2023 1,446 -16.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 29,916 28,201 31,485 5
1990s 15,556 9,712 28,532 10
2000s 7,469 6,251 9,771 10
2010s 4,855 3,081 6,102 10
2020s 1,928 1,446 2,348 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 31 Yemen 1,642 compare
  2. 32 Philippines 1,541 compare
  3. 33 Malawi 1,490 compare
  4. 35 South Africa 1,395 compare
  5. 36 Senegal 1,263 compare
  6. 37 Liberia 1,068 compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More health data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of maternal deaths in China?
Number of maternal deaths in China was 1,446 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 31,485 in 1987.
What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 1,446 in 2023.
How does China rank for number of maternal deaths?
China ranks 34th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 73.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of maternal deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Number of maternal deaths in China. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-maternal-deaths-2/china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-maternal-deaths-2/china/">Number of maternal deaths in China</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Number of maternal deaths
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 7,605 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed