Number of maternal deaths in Australia
Australia: Number of maternal deaths was 7 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Number of maternal deaths in Australia, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of maternal deaths in Australia is 7, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 36.4% on the previous year and down 61.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Australia peaked at 24 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 7, in 2023.
That places Australia 126th out of 194 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 in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 21 | — |
| 1986 | 21 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 21 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 22 | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 23 | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 24 | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 23 | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 22 | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 20 | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 19 | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 18 | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 17 | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 14 | -17.6% |
| 2002 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 13 | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 13 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 15 | +15.4% |
| 2008 | 15 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 16 | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 18 | +12.5% |
| 2012 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 17 | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 16 | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 15 | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 13 | -13.3% |
| 2022 | 11 | -15.4% |
| 2023 | 7 | -36.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.6 | 21 | 23 | 5 |
| 1990s | 21.5 | 18 | 24 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.4 | 13 | 17 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.4 | 16 | 18 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.5 | 7 | 15 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 125 Mauritius 8 compare
- 126 Armenia 7 compare
- 126 Netherlands 7 compare
- 126 Turkmenistan 7 compare
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 906.6 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 215 (2100)
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per capita 0.321 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per capita 0.6423 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of maternal deaths in Australia?
- Number of maternal deaths in Australia was 7 in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 24 in 1992.
- What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 2023.
- How does Australia rank for number of maternal deaths?
- Australia ranks 126th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), 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 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
A maternal death refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.