Chile: Number of maternal deaths

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Chile's number of maternal deaths fell 22.7% on 2022 (from 22 to 17).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −6.1% and a typical year strayed about 4.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.3% in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 22.7% 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.88 a year. A straight line explains 86% 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, Chile had the 112th 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 Chile in the 2023 ranking

• Japan — 109th of 194: 23
• Azerbaijan — 110th of 194: 22
• Romania — 111th of 194: 21
• Lebanon — 113th of 194: 14
• Costa Rica — 114th of 194: 13
• Guyana — 115th of 194: 13

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

• Antigua and Barbuda — 0 (2023)
• Argentina — 170 (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 3 (2023)
• Barbados — 1 (2023)
• Belize — 5 (2023)
• Bolivia — 380 (2023)
• Brazil — 1,700 (2023)
• Colombia — 420 (2023)
• Costa Rica — 13 (2023)
• Cuba — 33 (2023)
• Dominica — 0 (2023)
• Dominican Republic

More health data for Chile

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.45% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.69% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 1.61 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 16.14% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 1.67 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 16.96% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 3.29 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 16.55% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.59% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Chile's number of maternal deaths?

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

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 91.5% from 200 in 1985 (6.28% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 200 in 1985 and the lowest 17 in 2023.

How does Chile rank?

112th highest of 194 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in number of maternal deaths unusual for Chile?

In 2023, Chile's number of maternal deaths fell 22.7% on 2022 (from 22 to 17). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −6.1% and a typical year strayed about 4.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 3.6 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.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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