Number of maternal deaths by region in Malawi
Malawi: Number of maternal deaths by region was 2,452 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
2,452
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
24th
of 185 countries
All-time high
4,506
in 1992
All-time low
1,903
in 2006
Years of data
36
1985–2020
Number of maternal deaths by region in Malawi, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 2,452 for number of maternal deaths by region in 2020.
The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths by region in Malawi peaked at 4,506 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1,903, in 2006.
Malawi ranks 24th of 185 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Number of maternal deaths by region in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3,407 | — |
| 1986 | 3,606 | +5.9% |
| 1987 | 3,836 | +6.4% |
| 1988 | 4,170 | +8.7% |
| 1989 | 4,185 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 4,407 | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 4,484 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 4,506 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 4,381 | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 4,004 | -8.6% |
| 1995 | 3,391 | -15.3% |
| 1996 | 3,244 | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 3,159 | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 3,119 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 2,978 | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 2,925 | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 2,761 | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 2,606 | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 2,430 | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 2,158 | -11.2% |
| 2005 | 1,988 | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 1,903 | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 2,071 | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 2,489 | +20.2% |
| 2009 | 2,844 | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 3,083 | +8.4% |
| 2011 | 2,994 | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 3,039 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 2,869 | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 2,680 | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 2,696 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 2,608 | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 2,302 | -11.7% |
| 2018 | 2,441 | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 2,347 | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 2,452 | +4.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 2,452 is above the median for low income countries, which is 2,151, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 2,452 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,625, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,841 | 3,407 | 4,185 | 5 |
| 1990s | 3,767 | 2,978 | 4,506 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,417 | 1,903 | 2,925 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,706 | 2,302 | 3,083 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,452 | 2,452 | 2,452 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 6,399 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % 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 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % 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 0.0718 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of maternal deaths by region in Malawi?
- Number of maternal deaths by region in Malawi was 2,452 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of maternal deaths by region recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 4,506 in 1992.
- What is the lowest number of maternal deaths by region recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,903 in 2006.
- How does Malawi rank for number of maternal deaths by region?
- Malawi ranks 24th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of maternal deaths by region rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of maternal deaths by region. 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).