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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Guyana's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) rose 21 on 2021 (from 139 to 160).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2021), the average change was −0.87 and a typical year strayed about 50.17 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 125.1 in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was 98 in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 11% 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

In 2022, Guyana had the 2nd highest value of the 14 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 Guyana in the 2022 ranking

• Bahamas, The — 1st of 14: 212.1
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 3rd of 14: 77.3
• Panama — 4th of 14: 59.45
• Brazil — 5th of 14: 57.7

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 26 values

Maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 0 (2022)
• Argentina — 34.3 (2022)
• Aruba — 0 (2019)
• Bahamas, The — 212.1 (2022)
• Barbados — 178.3 (2023)
• Belize — 78.83 (2023)
• Brazil — 57.7 (2022)
• British Virgin Islands — 415 (2023)
• Cayman Islands

More health data for Guyana

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 9.29% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 10.1% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 119,136 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 27.76% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 122,743 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 30.17% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 241,879 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 28.93% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 9.39% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

160 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is up 0.06% from 159.9 in 1997. The highest value was 231 in 1999 and the lowest 77.3 in 2016.

How does Guyana rank?

2nd highest of 14 economies with data for 2022.

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

In 2022, Guyana's maternal mortality ratio (national estimate, per 100,000 live births) rose 21 on 2021 (from 139 to 160). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2021), the average change was −0.87 and a typical year strayed about 50.17 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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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