Brazil: Maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Brazil's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell 59.7 on 2021 (from 117.4 to 57.7).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2021), the average change was +0.07 and a typical year strayed about 11.42 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 42.7 in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 59.7 in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 15% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2022, Brazil had the 5th highest value of the 14 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 Brazil in the 2022 ranking

• Guyana — 2nd of 14: 160
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 3rd of 14: 77.3
• Panama — 4th of 14: 59.45
• Colombia — 6th of 14: 48.46
• Mexico — 7th of 14: 38.21
• Argentina — 8th of 14: 34.3

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 28 values

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)
• Barbados — 178.3 (2023)
• Belize — 78.83 (2023)
• British Virgin Islands — 415 (2023)
• Cayman Islands — 0 (2023)
• Chile

More health data for Brazil

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 5.83% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 6.28% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 20.21 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 18.69% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 21.05 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 20.11% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 41.26 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 19.39% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 6.34% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Brazil's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births)?

57.7 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is down 50.13% from 115.7 in 1995 (2.54% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 117.4 in 2021 and the lowest 57.7 in 2022.

How does Brazil rank?

5th highest of 14 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) unusual for Brazil?

In 2022, Brazil's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell 59.7 on 2021 (from 117.4 to 57.7). Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2021), the average change was +0.07 and a typical year strayed about 11.42 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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