Number of maternal deaths (Trends) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Number of maternal deaths (Trends) was 59 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Number of maternal deaths in Sri Lanka, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 59 for number of maternal deaths in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 18.1% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Sri Lanka peaked at 240 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 59, in 2023.
Sri Lanka ranks 88th of 194 countries on this measure, 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 (Trends) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 240 | — |
| 1986 | 220 | -8.3% |
| 1987 | 210 | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 200 | -4.8% |
| 1989 | 200 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 200 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 190 | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 180 | -5.3% |
| 1993 | 170 | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 170 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 170 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 160 | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 150 | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 140 | -6.7% |
| 1999 | 140 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 140 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 140 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 140 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 130 | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 140 | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 120 | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 120 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 120 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 110 | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 100 | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 93 | -7.0% |
| 2011 | 91 | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 88 | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 85 | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 81 | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 76 | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 74 | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 73 | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 70 | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 68 | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 76 | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 110 | +44.7% |
| 2022 | 72 | -34.5% |
| 2023 | 59 | -18.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 59 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 36, 1.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 59 is below the median for South Asia, which is 439.5, 13% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of maternal deaths (Trends) in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +44.7% | 76 | 110 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 214 | 200 | 240 | 5 |
| 1990s | 167 | 140 | 200 | 10 |
| 2000s | 126 | 100 | 140 | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.9 | 68 | 93 | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.25 | 59 | 110 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 85 Jordan 73 compare
- 86 Kyrgyzstan 63 compare
- 87 Tunisia 60 compare
- 88 East Timor 59 compare
- 90 United Kingdom 57 compare
- 91 France 47 compare
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 304 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % 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 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % 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 0.0353 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of maternal deaths in Sri Lanka?
- Number of maternal deaths in Sri Lanka was 59 in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 240 in 1985.
- What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 59 in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for number of maternal deaths?
- Sri Lanka ranks 88th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.