SOTWStatistics of the World

Maternal Mortality by Country 2023

Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births: women who die from causes related to pregnancy or its management while pregnant or within 42 days of the end of the pregnancy.

Nigeria has the highest maternal deaths per 100,000 live births: 993 in 2023. Next are Chad (748), the Central African Republic (692), South Sudan (692) and Liberia (628). 2 countries share the lowest maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, 1 (Norway and Belarus). The median across the 194 countries is 47, counting each country once, so it is not a world average.

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. 194 of 217 countries and territories have a figure. Every figure is for 2023.

Highest
993
Nigeria, 2023
Lowest
1
2 countries share it, 2023
Median
47
Counting each country once, so it is not a world average
Coverage
194 of 217
Countries and territories with a figure; 2023
Maternal Mortality by Country: 2023 Rankings: 194 countries and territories ranked by maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, with the year of each figure.
#CountryMaternal deaths per 100,000 live birthsYearChange since 2013 (%)
1Nigeria9932023-13.4%
2Chad7482023-38.5%
3Central African Republic6922023-36.6%
3South Sudan6922023-10.2%
5Liberia6282023-13.4%
6Somalia5632023-34.2%
7Afghanistan5212023-33.0%
8Benin5182023-14.7%
9Guinea-Bissau5052023-28.6%
10Guinea4942023-27.6%
11Lesotho4782023-44.1%
12Madagascar4452023-7.5%
13DR Congo4272023-24.7%
14Burundi3922023-29.4%
15Mauritania3812023-23.2%
16Mali3672023-30.1%
17Côte d'Ivoire3592023-34.0%
18Zimbabwe3582023-31.8%
19Sierra Leone3542023-58.0%
19The Gambia3542023-41.6%
21Niger3502023-33.5%
22Togo3492023-30.2%
23Haiti3282023-13.7%
24Eritrea2912023-34.3%
25Tanzania2762023-42.4%
26Nauru2732023+10.5%
27Cameroon2582023-45.0%
28Sudan2562023-21.7%
29Burkina Faso2422023-33.0%
30Republic of the Congo2412023-24.7%
31Senegal2372023-38.4%
32Ghana2342023-30.8%
33Gabon2332023-0.9%
34Rwanda2292023-27.8%
35Venezuela2272023+84.6%
36Malawi2252023-45.1%
37Ethiopia1952023-60.5%
38Timor-Leste1922023-45.0%
39Papua New Guinea1892023-22.2%
40Myanmar1852023-21.9%
41Angola1832023-31.5%
42Comoros1792023-31.2%
43Equatorial Guinea1742023-26.3%
44Tuvalu1702023+1.2%
44Uganda1702023-44.8%
46Djibouti1622023-26.0%
47Botswana1552023-29.9%
47Marshall Islands1552023-22.9%
47Pakistan1552023-29.5%
50Kenya1492023-27.7%
51Bolivia1462023-16.6%
52Nepal1422023-45.0%
53Indonesia1402023-32.7%
54Namibia1392023-65.4%
55Cambodia1372023-24.7%
56Jamaica1302023+38.3%
57Micronesia1292023-28.7%
58Dominican Republic1242023+36.3%
59Solomon Islands1232023-16.3%
60Eswatini1182023-76.0%
60South Africa1182023-34.4%
60Yemen1182023-12.6%
63Bangladesh1152023-50.0%
64Laos1122023-47.9%
65Samoa1012023+1.0%
66Vanuatu1002023-9.1%
67Mozambique992023-49.5%
68Guatemala942023-15.3%
69Palau892023+4.7%
70Zambia852023-60.1%
71Philippines842023-23.6%
71Suriname842023-30.6%
73India802023-45.9%
73Kiribati802023-14.0%
75Bahamas762023+2.7%
76Guyana752023-41.4%
76Sao Tome and Principe752023-50.0%
78St. Kitts and Nevis742023-9.8%
79Morocco702023-38.1%
80Belize672023+63.4%
80Brazil672023+9.8%
80North Korea672023-10.7%
80Tonga672023-16.2%
84Iraq662023-31.3%
84Mauritius662023+13.8%
86Algeria622023-23.5%
87Nicaragua602023-30.2%
88Colombia592023-18.1%
88Libya592023-21.3%
90Paraguay582023-31.0%
91St. Vincent and the Grenadines562023-23.3%
92Ecuador552023-19.1%
93Trinidad and Tobago542023+8.0%
94Peru512023-32.0%
95Grenada482023+9.1%
95Vietnam482023-20.0%
97Bhutan472023-40.5%
97Honduras472023-24.2%
99St. Lucia442023-17.0%
100Kyrgyzstan422023-34.4%
100Mexico422023-6.7%
100Seychelles422023-12.5%
103Mongolia412023-30.5%
104Cabo Verde402023-20.0%
105El Salvador3920230.0%
106Panama372023-28.8%
107Brunei362023-10.0%
107Dominica362023-28.0%
107Tunisia362023-16.3%
110Antigua and Barbuda352023+9.4%
110Barbados352023-12.5%
110Cuba352023-16.7%
113Thailand342023-2.9%
114Argentina332023-29.8%
115Maldives322023-31.9%
116Jordan312023-29.5%
117Fiji302023-25.0%
118Malaysia262023-10.3%
118Uzbekistan262023-18.8%
120Costa Rica242023-11.1%
121Georgia202023-41.2%
121Syria202023-20.0%
123Armenia192023-26.9%
123Latvia192023-20.8%
123Moldova1920230.0%
126Azerbaijan182023-25.0%
126Sri Lanka182023-21.7%
128Bahrain1720230.0%
128Egypt172023-37.0%
128United States172023+6.3%
131China162023-46.7%
131Iran162023-33.3%
131West Bank and Gaza162023-50.0%
134Lebanon152023+15.4%
134Portugal152023+50.0%
134Türkiye152023-25.0%
134Ukraine152023-25.0%
134Uruguay152023-6.3%
139Cyprus142023+40.0%
139Tajikistan142023-33.3%
141Oman132023-13.3%
142Canada122023+9.1%
142Hungary122023-7.7%
142Romania122023-33.3%
145Andorra112023+22.2%
145Luxembourg112023-26.7%
145Puerto Rico112023-31.3%
145Serbia112023-15.4%
149Chile102023-41.2%
149Kazakhstan102023-33.3%
151Russia92023-43.8%
152Finland820230.0%
152Kuwait820230.0%
152Lithuania82023-20.0%
152Malta82023+14.3%
152San Marino820230.0%
152United Kingdom82023-11.1%
158Albania72023-30.0%
158France72023-22.2%
158New Zealand72023-12.5%
158Saudi Arabia72023-22.2%
162Austria620230.0%
162Bosnia and Herzegovina62023-14.3%
162Bulgaria62023-14.3%
162Italy62023-25.0%
162Montenegro62023-14.3%
162Singapore62023-33.3%
168Estonia52023-16.7%
168Greece52023+25.0%
168Monaco520230.0%
168Switzerland52023-28.6%
168Turkmenistan52023-28.6%
173Belgium42023-33.3%
173Denmark42023-20.0%
173Germany42023-20.0%
173Ireland42023-20.0%
173Netherlands42023-33.3%
173Qatar42023-33.3%
173Slovakia42023-20.0%
173South Korea42023-42.9%
173Sweden42023-20.0%
182Croatia32023-40.0%
182Czechia320230.0%
182Iceland32023-25.0%
182Japan32023-40.0%
182North Macedonia32023-40.0%
182Slovenia32023-50.0%
182Spain32023-25.0%
182United Arab Emirates32023-25.0%
190Australia22023-66.7%
190Israel22023-33.3%
190Poland220230.0%
193Belarus12023-50.0%
193Norway12023-66.7%

Each figure in the Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births column is the latest available for that country, and every one is for 2023. Values are rounded for display; the CSV download has full precision.

No figure: American Samoa, Aruba, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands, Curaçao, Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guam, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macao, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands.

World map of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, 2023. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators.
Highest: Nigeria 993 (2023), Chad 748 (2023), Central African Republic 692 (2023). Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. 27 ranked countries are too small for the map's outlines and drawn as a dot at the capital. Shapes show location only.
Embed this map
<a href="https://statisticsoftheworld.com/maternal-mortality-by-country"><img src="https://statisticsoftheworld.com/maps/SH.STA.MMRT.svg" width="960" height="500" alt="World map of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, 2023. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators."></a>
<p>Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Map: <a href="https://statisticsoftheworld.com/maternal-mortality-by-country">Statistics of the World</a></p>

Then and now

Nigeria2000: 1,1362023: 993Chad2000: 1,2082023: 748Central African Republic2000: 1,4902023: 692South Sudan2000: 1,6582023: 692Liberia2000: 7862023: 628Somalia2000: 1,1502023: 563
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Years 2000 to 2023; each panel has its own scale.
The first 10 in each year, among the countries with a figure that year; the last column is the table above (2023).
#200020132023
1South Sudan (1,658)Chad (1,216)Nigeria (993)
2Sierra Leone (1,603)Nigeria (1,146)Chad (748)
3Central African Republic (1,490)Central African Republic (1,092)Central African Republic (692)
4Afghanistan (1,372)Lesotho (855)South Sudan (692)
5Guinea-Bissau (1,295)Somalia (855)Liberia (628)
6Chad (1,208)Sierra Leone (842)Somalia (563)
7Somalia (1,150)Afghanistan (778)Afghanistan (521)
8Nigeria (1,136)South Sudan (771)Benin (518)
9Guinea (951)Liberia (725)Guinea-Bissau (505)
10Rwanda (885)Guinea-Bissau (707)Guinea (494)

Venezuela rose the most since 2013, +84.6%, among the 194 countries with figures for both 2013 and 2023. Eswatini fell the most, -76.0%.

Rose the most since 2013

  • Venezuela: +84.6%
  • Belize: +63.4%
  • Portugal: +50.0%
  • Cyprus: +40.0%
  • Jamaica: +38.3%

Fell the most since 2013

  • Eswatini: -76.0%
  • Australia: -66.7%
  • Norway: -66.7%
  • Namibia: -65.4%
  • Ethiopia: -60.5%

From the change column: countries whose latest figure is for 2023 and that have a 2013 figure.

By region

maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by World Bank region: countries with a figure, highest, lowest and median.
RegionCountriesHighestLowestMedian, each country counted once
East Asia & Pacific30Nauru (273)Australia (2)82
Europe & Central Asia51Kyrgyzstan (42)Belarus (1) and Norway (1)6
Latin America & Caribbean34Haiti (328)Chile (10)55
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan23Afghanistan (521)Israel (2)17
North America2United States (17)Canada (12)15
South Asia6Nepal (142)Sri Lanka (18)64
Sub-Saharan Africa48Nigeria (993)Cabo Verde (40)257

Where major economies rank

Compare these economies side by side

The 10 highest: maternal deaths per 100,000 live births

  1. Nigeria: 993 (2023)
  2. Chad: 748 (2023)
  3. Central African Republic: 692 (2023)
  4. South Sudan: 692 (2023)
  5. Liberia: 628 (2023)
  6. Somalia: 563 (2023)
  7. Afghanistan: 521 (2023)
  8. Benin: 518 (2023)
  9. Guinea-Bissau: 505 (2023)
  10. Guinea: 494 (2023)

The 10 lowest: maternal deaths per 100,000 live births

  1. Belarus: 1 (2023)
  2. Norway: 1 (2023)
  3. Australia: 2 (2023)
  4. Israel: 2 (2023)
  5. Poland: 2 (2023)
  6. Croatia: 3 (2023)
  7. Czechia: 3 (2023)
  8. Iceland: 3 (2023)
  9. Japan: 3 (2023)
  10. North Macedonia: 3 (2023)

About maternal mortality

These are modelled estimates from the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank and the UN Population Division), published by the World Bank. Many countries do not register every death and its cause, so the group combines civil registration, surveys and censuses in a statistical model, and each estimate has a wide uncertainty range.

The Sustainable Development Goals aim to bring the global ratio below 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. A country’s ratio measures the risk each birth carries; the lifetime risk a woman faces also depends on how many children women have.

About these figures

Definition. Maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination per 100,000 live births. The data are estimated with a regression model using information on the proportion of maternal deaths among non-AIDS deaths in women ages 15-49, fertility, birth attendants, and GDP measured using purchasing power parities (PPPs). (The publisher's definition of “Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births)”, copied from the World Bank (World Development Indicators) on 2026-09-07.)

Unit. modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births

Coverage. 194 of 217 countries and territories have a figure. Every figure is for 2023.

The median and any other summary on this page count each country once, so they are not world averages. Values are rounded for display; the CSV download has full precision.

The publisher revises past years when it updates the series, so a figure here can change after it first appears.

Questions about these figures

Which country has the highest maternal deaths per 100,000 live births?

Nigeria has the highest maternal deaths per 100,000 live births: 993 in 2023. The figures come from the World Bank World Development Indicators.

Which country has the lowest maternal deaths per 100,000 live births?

2 countries share the lowest maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, 1 (Norway and Belarus). Both figures are for 2023.

How many countries are ranked, and for which years?

194 countries and territories have a figure in this ranking. Every figure is for 2023.

What is the median maternal deaths per 100,000 live births across countries?

The median is 47: half of the 194 countries are above it and half below. Every figure is for 2023. It counts each country once, so it is not a world average.

Which country's maternal deaths per 100,000 live births changed the most since 2013?

Among the 194 countries with figures for both 2013 and 2023, Venezuela changed the most: +84.6% since 2013, to 227 in 2023.

Where does the United States rank on maternal deaths per 100,000 live births?

The United States ranks 128 of 194, at 17 in 2023.

Which country has the highest maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in each region?

East Asia & Pacific: Nauru (273); Europe & Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan (42); Latin America & Caribbean: Haiti (328); Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Afghanistan (521); North America: the United States (17); South Asia: Nepal (142); Sub-Saharan Africa: Nigeria (993). Figures are for 2023 unless another year is shown. Regions follow the World Bank's groups.

Use and cite this data

  • The download button above saves this table's rows as CSV, filtered and in the order shown. The API also serves this indicator as CSV: statisticsoftheworld.com/api/v1/rankings/SH.STA.MMRT?format=csv. It lists the stored latest figures highest first under the publisher's country names and can include the World aggregate, so its rows and ranks can differ from this table.
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  • Spotted an error? Report a data correction. How to cite: citation guide.

Statistics of the World. Maternal Mortality by Country: 2023 Rankings. Data: World Bank World Development Indicators, figures for 2023. https://statisticsoftheworld.com/maternal-mortality-by-country