Number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre was 0.0074 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1985–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 0.0074 units per square kilometre. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 0.0117 units per square kilometre in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.0074 units per square kilometre, in 2023.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 8th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0113 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1986 | 0.0112 units per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 0.0117 units per square kilometre | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 0.0114 units per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 0.0113 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 0.0113 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.0113 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 0.0116 units per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 0.011 units per square kilometre | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 0.0107 units per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 0.0108 units per square kilometre | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 0.01 units per square kilometre | -7.4% |
| 2000 | 0.0099 units per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.0098 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 0.0098 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.0097 units per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0096 units per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 0.0097 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0099 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 0.01 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 0.0103 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.0092 units per square kilometre | -11.3% |
| 2013 | 0.0092 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0092 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0091 units per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.0089 units per square kilometre | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 0.0086 units per square kilometre | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 0.0083 units per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 0.0081 units per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 0.0078 units per square kilometre | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 0.0081 units per square kilometre | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 0.0075 units per square kilometre | -7.3% |
| 2023 | 0.0074 units per square kilometre | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0114 units per square kilometre | 0.0112 units per square kilometre | 0.0117 units per square kilometre | 5 |
| 1990s | 0.0108 units per square kilometre | 0.01 units per square kilometre | 0.0116 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0099 units per square kilometre | 0.0096 units per square kilometre | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0091 units per square kilometre | 0.0081 units per square kilometre | 0.0104 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0077 units per square kilometre | 0.0074 units per square kilometre | 0.0081 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 5 Haiti 0.0308 units per square kilometre compare
- 6 Bangladesh 0.0308 units per square kilometre compare
- 7 Gambia 0.0287 units per square kilometre compare
- 8 Comoros 0.0236 units per square kilometre compare
- 9 Benin 0.0222 units per square kilometre compare
- 10 Togo 0.0184 units per square kilometre compare
- 11 Malawi 0.0159 units per square kilometre compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate 3.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per capita 0.0617 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0147 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 3.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0125 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, per capita 0.0156 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 0.0074 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0117 units per square kilometre in 1987.
- What is the lowest number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0074 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 8th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of maternal deaths, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Number of maternal deaths divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of maternal deaths ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Number of maternal deaths Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of maternal deaths divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.