Caribbean small states: Number of maternal deaths

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Caribbean small states' number of maternal deaths fell 4.4% on 2022 (from 45 to 43).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −2.5% and a typical year strayed about 14.9% 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 64% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 45.1% 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% 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

A maternal death refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.

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 figures cannot be assumed to provide exact estimates.

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

All 39 values

Number of maternal deaths in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 7,600 (2023)
• Algeria — 570 (2023)
• Bahrain — 3 (2023)
• Djibouti — 39 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 410 (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 190 (2023)
• Iraq — 770 (2023)
• Israel — 4 (2023)
• Jordan — 73 (2023)
• Kuwait — 4 (2023)
• Lebanon — 14 (2023)
• Libya

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 number of maternal deaths?

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

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 73.13% from 160 in 1985 (3.4% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 160 in 1985 and the lowest 43 in 2023.

Is the latest change in number of maternal deaths unusual for Caribbean small states?

In 2023, Caribbean small states' number of maternal deaths fell 4.4% on 2022 (from 45 to 43). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −2.5% and a typical year strayed about 14.9% 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.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.MMR.DTHS, 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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