IBRD only's number of maternal deaths was 42,000 in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 44.74% from 76,000 in 2013 (5.76% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 42,000 | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 55,000 | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 76,000 | 2013 |
| Highest | 288,000 | 1985 |
| Lowest | 42,000 | 2023 |
| Average since 2014 | 58,400 | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 288,000 | 1985 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, IBRD only's number of maternal deaths fell 12.5% on 2022 (from 48,000 to 42,000).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −4.3% and a typical year strayed about 10.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 38.9% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 36% 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 2,036 a year. A straight line explains 36% 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
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| IBRD only | 42,000 | 2023 |
| World | 260,000 | 2023 |
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
| Year | Number of maternal deaths |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 42,000 |
| 2022 | 48,000 |
| 2021 | 75,000 |
| 2020 | 54,000 |
| 2019 | 52,000 |
| 2018 | 55,000 |
| 2017 | 59,000 |
| 2016 | 63,000 |
| 2015 | 66,000 |
| 2014 | 70,000 |
| 2013 |
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 IBRD only
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 6.14% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 6.44% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 514.86 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 20.75% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 554.89 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 21.97% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 1.07 billion (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 21.37% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 7.09% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is IBRD only's number of maternal deaths?
- 42,000 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1985?
- It is down 85.42% from 288,000 in 1985 (4.94% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 288,000 in 1985 and the lowest 42,000 in 2023.
- Is the latest change in number of maternal deaths unusual for IBRD only?
- In 2023, IBRD only's number of maternal deaths fell 12.5% on 2022 (from 48,000 to 42,000). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −4.3% and a typical year strayed about 10.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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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