Bulgaria: Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Bulgaria's maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell 4 on 2022 (from 10 to 6).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.5 and a typical year strayed about 1.22 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3 in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 4 in 2023. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 13% 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 2023, Bulgaria had the 162nd highest value of the 194 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 Bulgaria in the 2023 ranking

• Saudi Arabia — 161st of 194: 7
• Austria — 162nd of 194: 6
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 163rd of 194: 6
• Italy — 165th of 194: 6
• Montenegro — 166th of 194: 6
• Singapore — 167th of 194: 6

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. 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).

Limitations: The methodology differs from that used for previous estimates, so data should not be compared historically. 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.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 39 values

Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) in nearby economies

• Albania — 7 (2023)
• Andorra — 11 (2023)
• Armenia — 19 (2023)
• Austria — 6 (2023)
• Azerbaijan — 18 (2023)
• Belarus — 1 (2023)
• Belgium — 4 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 6 (2023)
• Croatia

More health data for Bulgaria

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.3% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.85% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 450,175 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 13.56% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 476,203 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 15.3% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 926,378 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 14.4% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 4.5% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

6 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 76.92% from 26 in 1985 (3.79% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 27 in 1990 and the lowest 6 in 2019.

How does Bulgaria rank?

162nd highest of 194 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Bulgaria's maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell 4 on 2022 (from 10 to 6). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.5 and a typical year strayed about 1.22 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.9 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, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: https://www.who.int/news/item/23-02-2023-a-woman-dies-every-two-minutes-due-to-pregnancy-or-childbirth--un-agencies; UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), note: Trends in Maternal Mortality; UN Population Fund (UNFPA), note: Trends in Matern… 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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