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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Cameroon's maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell 18 on 2022 (from 276 to 258).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −10.63 and a typical year strayed about 19.25 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 26 in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 66 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 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 18.58 a year. A straight line explains 94% 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, Cameroon had the 27th 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 Cameroon in the 2023 ranking

• Eritrea — 24th of 194: 291
• Tanzania — 25th of 194: 276
• Naoero — 26th of 194: 273
• Sudan — 28th of 194: 256
• Burkina Faso — 29th of 194: 242
• Congo, Rep. — 30th of 194: 241

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

• Angola — 183 (2023)
• Benin — 518 (2023)
• Botswana — 155 (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 242 (2023)
• Burundi — 392 (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 40 (2023)
• Central African Republic — 692 (2023)
• Chad — 748 (2023)
• Comoros

More health data for Cameroon

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 14.86% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 15.25% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 6.09 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 40.66% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 6.19 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 41.58% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 12.29 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 41.12% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 13.72% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 54.9% from 572 in 1985 (2.07% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 678 in 2000 and the lowest 258 in 2023.

How does Cameroon rank?

27th 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 Cameroon?

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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