Caribbean small states: Lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Caribbean small states' lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) rose 3.8% on 2022 (from 780 to 810).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +5.4% and a typical year strayed about 16.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 81.4% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 38.6% in 2021. 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 14% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Life time risk of maternal death is the probability that a 15-year-old female will die eventually from a maternal cause assuming that current levels of fertility and mortality (including maternal mortality) do not change in the future, taking into account competing causes of death.

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 probability cannot be assumed to provide an exact estimate of risk of maternal death.

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

All 39 values

Lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 40 (2023)
• Algeria — 633 (2023)
• Bahrain — 3,315 (2023)
• Djibouti — 265 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2,223 (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 4,179 (2023)
• Iraq — 465 (2023)
• Israel — 15,889 (2023)
• Jordan — 1,263 (2023)

More health data for Caribbean small states

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 6.69% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 7.15% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 483,831 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 20.9% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 500,360 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 22.32% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 984,192 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 21.6% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Caribbean small states's lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country)?

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

How has it changed since 1985?

It is up 376.47% from 170 in 1985 (4.19% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 810 in 2023 and the lowest 170 in 1985.

Is the latest change in lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) unusual for Caribbean small states?

In 2023, Caribbean small states' lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) rose 3.8% on 2022 (from 780 to 810). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +5.4% and a typical year strayed about 16.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.MMR.RISK, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO); UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), note: Trends in Maternal Mortality; UN Population Fund (UNFPA), note: Trends in Maternal Mortality; World Bank Group (WBG), note: Trends in Maternal Mortality 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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