Number of maternal deaths (Our World) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Number of maternal deaths (Our World) was 4.16 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Number of maternal deaths in New Zealand, 1985–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
New Zealand recorded 4.16 for number of maternal deaths in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 68.8% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in New Zealand peaked at 13.33 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4.16, in 2023.
That places New Zealand 142nd out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Number of maternal deaths (Our World) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 10.07 | — |
| 1986 | 9.4 | -6.6% |
| 1987 | 10.48 | +11.5% |
| 1988 | 10.68 | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 10.33 | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 10.48 | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 9.72 | -7.3% |
| 1992 | 8.69 | -10.6% |
| 1993 | 8.22 | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 7.42 | -9.8% |
| 1995 | 8.03 | +8.2% |
| 1996 | 7.74 | -3.6% |
| 1997 | 7.28 | -5.9% |
| 1998 | 6.55 | -10.1% |
| 1999 | 6.7 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 6.04 | -9.8% |
| 2001 | 5.76 | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 5.68 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 6.01 | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 6.11 | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 6.06 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 5.98 | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 6.61 | +10.6% |
| 2008 | 6.29 | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 6.27 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 6.29 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 6.17 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 5.64 | -8.6% |
| 2013 | 4.85 | -14.1% |
| 2014 | 4.23 | -12.8% |
| 2015 | 4.82 | +14.0% |
| 2016 | 4.49 | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 4.42 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 4.29 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 4.43 | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 4.36 | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 4.46 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 13.33 | +198.7% |
| 2023 | 4.16 | -68.8% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 4.16 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.51, 1.2× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 4.16 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.04, 26% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of maternal deaths (Our World) in New Zealand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +198.7% | 4.46 | 13.33 |
| 2023 | -68.8% | 13.33 | 4.16 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.19 | 9.4 | 10.68 | 5 |
| 1990s | 8.08 | 6.55 | 10.48 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.08 | 5.68 | 6.61 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.96 | 4.23 | 6.29 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.58 | 4.16 | 13.33 | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More health data for New Zealand
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4815 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 33 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.1187 % 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 0.0277 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.018 % 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 0.0291 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of maternal deaths in New Zealand?
- Number of maternal deaths in New Zealand was 4.16 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 13.33 in 2022.
- What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.16 in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for number of maternal deaths?
- New Zealand ranks 142nd out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand 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).