Global maternal deaths have declined over the past three decades, but progress has slowed in recent years and remains uneven across countries, according to new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 findings released today. The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health.
The study estimates that 240,000 women will die from maternal causes in 2023, accounting for 5.5% of deaths among women aged 10 to 54 worldwide. Maternal deaths remain concentrated in regions facing the greatest health system and data challenges, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Caribbean. In 2023, Nigeria, India, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Pakistan recorded the highest number of maternal deaths in the world.
This analysis, led by researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and collaborators around the world, provides the latest global assessment of maternal mortality trends in 204 countries and territories through 2023, including subnational estimates for 20 countries. The study incorporates more than 1,000 newly available data sources and the latest modeling approaches, and also provides the latest estimates of the causes of maternal mortality, progress towards global targets, and trends during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Progress towards maternal mortality targets has slowed in many countries.
The global maternal mortality rate has fallen by more than a third, from 321 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 191 deaths in 2023, but progress has slowed in recent years and remains well above the SDG targets. Maternal mortality rates declined more rapidly from 2000 to 2015, with maternal mortality rates declining by an average of nearly 3% per year. However, since 2015, progress has slowed significantly, with global declines averaging only about 0.5% per year, and some countries experiencing increases in maternal mortality.
In 2023, the highest maternal mortality rates were observed in four regions of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Caribbean and Oceania. Countries with particularly high rates included Liberia, the Central African Republic, Haiti, Eritrea, and Sierra Leone.
Since 2000, the world has made impressive progress in reducing maternal mortality, but since 2015 that momentum has slowed and in some regions it has begun to retreat. To reverse this trend, health systems need to strengthen access to quality care before, during and after pregnancy, especially in countries where maternal mortality rates remain among the highest. ”
Dr. Mae Dirac, Senior Author and Assistant Professor of Health Metrics Science and Family Medicine
The leading causes of maternal mortality remain largely preventable.
The study shows that the main causes of maternal death vary by region but remain well-known and largely preventable, with maternal hemorrhage and gestational hypertension being the biggest causes of death worldwide. Improving access to antenatal care, safe childbirth services, emergency obstetric care, and postnatal follow-up could significantly reduce mortality rates, especially in countries with the highest burden.
However, data remains sparse in many high-load regions, making it difficult to track progress and respond quickly to new challenges. Expanding high-quality biometric registries, maternal mortality surveillance, and local data systems are important to guide effective policy and investment.
“Maternal mortality is both a challenge for the health care system and a reflection of broader inequalities that affect women’s health,” said co-author Ira Maltopoulo, a doctoral candidate in Global Health Indicators at the University of Washington and IHME. “Progress is being made in some countries as economic growth and health resources expand. Countries such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Nepal and Cambodia have reduced maternal deaths by expanding access to institutional deliveries and strengthening maternal health services, despite continued resource constraints.”
The disruption of the pandemic led to a temporary increase in maternal deaths in some regions.
Besides the known causes of maternal mortality, COVID-19 infection also led to an increase in maternal mortality early in the pandemic. In 2020-2021, before widespread vaccination, COVID-19 caused a temporary increase in maternal deaths in several regions, particularly in regions with high COVID-19 mortality rates. Increases were observed in some high-income regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and North America, temporarily reversing progress in some countries that had previously been moving closer to SDG targets.
Globally, maternal mortality rates remained relatively stable at the peak of the pandemic, but disrupted health systems and increased risk of infection during pregnancy contributed to setbacks in some regions. Maternal mortality rates returned to pre-pandemic trends in most places with data available for 2022-2023, highlighting both the resilience of health systems in some settings and the vulnerability in others.
Although maternal mortality rates have returned to pre-pandemic trends in some regions, they remain well above global targets in many parts of the world. With less than five years left to reach SDG target 3.1, renewed global action and sustained investment will be needed to accelerate progress, strengthen health systems, and improve countries’ capacity to monitor and reduce maternal mortality.
sauce:
Health Index Evaluation Institute
Reference magazines:
Faith, J. others. (2026). Global, regional and national levels and trends in maternal mortality, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and mortality due to COVID-19 from 1990 to 2023: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology, Women’s Health. DOI: 10.1016/S3050-5038(26)00047-6. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanogw/article/PIIS3050-5038(26)00047-6/abstract
