Number of maternal deaths in Canada

Canada: Number of maternal deaths was 42 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
42
Change on year
down 19.2%
World rank
94th
of 194 countries
All-time high
60
in 2020
All-time low
26
in 1987
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Number of maternal deaths in Canada, 1985–2023

02040601985200420231985: 271986: 271987: 261988: 271989: 301990: 301991: 311992: 311993: 321994: 311995: 311996: 311997: 291998: 291999: 302000: 302001: 322002: 332003: 342004: 352005: 382006: 402007: 422008: 452009: 462010: 432011: 432012: 442013: 432014: 442015: 442016: 462017: 462018: 472019: 462020: 602021: 502022: 522023: 42

Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of maternal deaths in Canada is 42, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 19.2% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Canada peaked at 60 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 26, in 1987.

That places Canada 94th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Number of maternal deaths in Canada, year by year

Annual values for Number of maternal deaths in Canada, 1985 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1985 27
1986 27 +0.0%
1987 26 -3.7%
1988 27 +3.8%
1989 30 +11.1%
1990 30 +0.0%
1991 31 +3.3%
1992 31 +0.0%
1993 32 +3.2%
1994 31 -3.1%
1995 31 +0.0%
1996 31 +0.0%
1997 29 -6.5%
1998 29 +0.0%
1999 30 +3.4%
2000 30 +0.0%
2001 32 +6.7%
2002 33 +3.1%
2003 34 +3.0%
2004 35 +2.9%
2005 38 +8.6%
2006 40 +5.3%
2007 42 +5.0%
2008 45 +7.1%
2009 46 +2.2%
2010 43 -6.5%
2011 43 +0.0%
2012 44 +2.3%
2013 43 -2.3%
2014 44 +2.3%
2015 44 +0.0%
2016 46 +4.5%
2017 46 +0.0%
2018 47 +2.2%
2019 46 -2.1%
2020 60 +30.4%
2021 50 -16.7%
2022 52 +4.0%
2023 42 -19.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 27.4 26 30 5
1990s 30.5 29 32 10
2000s 37.5 30 46 10
2010s 44.6 43 47 10
2020s 51 42 60 4

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 91 France 47 compare
  2. 92 Comoros 44 compare
  3. 93 Jamaica 43 compare
  4. 95 Saudi Arabia 40 compare
  5. 96 Djibouti 39 compare
  6. 96 El Salvador 39 compare
  7. 96 Kazakhstan 39 compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More health data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of maternal deaths in Canada?
Number of maternal deaths in Canada was 42 in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 60 in 2020.
What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 26 in 1987.
How does Canada rank for number of maternal deaths?
Canada ranks 94th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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.

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Number of maternal deaths in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-maternal-deaths/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of maternal deaths
Source
Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 9,399 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed

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.