Barbados's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) was 178.3 in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 429.08% from 33.7 in 2013 (18.13% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 178.3 | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 40.5 | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 33.7 | 2013 |
| Highest | 178.3 | 2023 |
| Lowest | 0 | 2004 |
| Average since 2014 | 68.69 | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 0 | 2004 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Barbados' maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) rose 39 on 2022 (from 139.3 to 178.3).
Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2022), the average change was +6.25 and a typical year strayed about 27.77 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 47.3 in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 33.7 in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 19.84 a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2023, Barbados had the 4th highest value of the 19 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Barbados in the 2023 ranking
- British Virgin Islands — 1st of 19: 415
- Grenada — 2nd of 19: 208.2
- St. Kitts and Nevis — 3rd of 19: 207.9
- Jamaica — 5th of 19: 136.9
- Paraguay — 6th of 19: 84.6
- Guatemala — 7th of 19: 84
What this measures
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.
Limitations: Maternal mortality ratios are generally of unknown reliability, as are many other cause-specific mortality indicators. The ratios cannot be assumed to provide an exact estimate of maternal mortality. Maternal mortality ratios collected directly from Demographic and Health Surveys are presented in the survey year, but reference time of these maternal mortality ratios is for the seven years preceding the survey.
All 17 values
| Year | Maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 178.3 |
| 2022 | 139.3 |
| 2021 | 131 |
| 2020 | 83.7 |
| 2019 | 78.1 |
| 2018 | 40.5 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1.15 |
| 2015 | 34.8 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2013 |
Maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) in nearby economies
- Antigua and Barbuda — 0 (2022)
- Argentina — 34.3 (2022)
- Aruba — 0 (2019)
- Bahamas, The — 212.1 (2022)
- Belize — 78.83 (2023)
- Brazil — 57.7 (2022)
- British Virgin Islands — 415 (2023)
- Cayman Islands — 0 (2023)
- Chile
More health data for Barbados
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 5.23% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 5.86% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 23,719 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 16.12% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 24,507 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 18.08% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 48,226 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 17.06% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.35% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Barbados's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births)?
- 178.3 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How does Barbados rank?
- 4th highest of 19 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) unusual for Barbados?
- In 2023, Barbados' maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) rose 39 on 2022 (from 139.3 to 178.3). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2022), the average change was +6.25 and a typical year strayed about 27.77 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
- Where does this data come from?
- The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), World Health Organization (WHO), note: The country data compiled, adjusted and used in the estimation model by the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG)..
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.STA.MMRT.NE, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), World Health Organization (WHO), note: The country data compiled, adjusted and used in the estimation model by the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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