China: Maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, China's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell 0.5 on 2018 (from 18.3 to 17.8).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2018), the average change was −2.13 and a typical year strayed about 3.19 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above 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 8.1 in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 7 in 2002. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.21 a year. A straight line explains 91% 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.

Closest to China in the 2019 ranking

• Türkiye — 2nd of 3: 13.1
• Aruba — 3rd of 3: 0

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.

Limitations: 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. Maternal mortality ratios collected directly from Demographic and Health Surveys are presented in the survey year, but reference time of these maternal mortality ratios is for the seven years preceding the survey.

All 24 values

More health data for China

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 3.25% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 3.46% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 101.3 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 14.67% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 115.41 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 16.12% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 216.72 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 15.41% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.41% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

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Questions people ask

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

17.8 in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 79.98% from 88.9 in 1990 (5.39% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 88.9 in 1990 and the lowest 17.8 in 2019.

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

In 2019, China's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) fell 0.5 on 2018 (from 18.3 to 17.8). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2018), the average change was −2.13 and a typical year strayed about 3.19 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above 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.STA.MMRT.NE, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), World Health Organization (WHO), note: The country data compiled, adjusted and used in the estimation model by the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). 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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