Guatemala: Number of maternal deaths

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Guatemala's number of maternal deaths fell 2.8% on 2022 (from 360 to 350).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −3.1% and a typical year strayed about 6.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 20.5% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 23.4% 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 11.58 a year. A straight line explains 60% 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, Guatemala had the 59th 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 Guatemala in the 2023 ranking

• Colombia — 56th of 194: 420
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 57th of 194: 410
• Bolivia — 58th of 194: 380
• Guinea-Bissau — 60th of 194: 330
• Eritrea — 61st of 194: 290
• Gambia, The — 62nd of 194: 290

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)
• Chile — 17 (2023)
• Colombia — 420 (2023)
• Costa Rica — 13 (2023)
• Cuba — 33 (2023)
• Dominica

More health data for Guatemala

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 9.66% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 10.15% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 2.85 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 30.31% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 2.94 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 31.75% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 5.8 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 31.03% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 10.34% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Guatemala's number of maternal deaths?

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

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 63.92% from 970 in 1985 (2.65% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1,000 in 1992 and the lowest 350 in 2023.

How does Guatemala rank?

59th highest of 194 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Guatemala's number of maternal deaths fell 2.8% on 2022 (from 360 to 350). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −3.1% and a typical year strayed about 6.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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.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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