Iraq: Number of maternal deaths

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Iraq's number of maternal deaths rose 13.2% on 2022 (from 680 to 770).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.6% and a typical year strayed about 8.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 29% in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 21.8% 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 39.21 a year. A straight line explains 78% 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, Iraq had the 46th 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 Iraq in the 2023 ranking

• Mexico — 43rd of 194: 860
• Haiti — 44th of 194: 850
• Nepal — 45th of 194: 820
• Mauritania — 47th of 194: 660
• Viet Nam — 48th of 194: 660
• United States — 49th of 194: 610

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

• Afghanistan — 7,600 (2023)
• Algeria — 570 (2023)
• Bahrain — 3 (2023)
• Djibouti — 39 (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 410 (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 190 (2023)
• Israel — 4 (2023)
• Jordan — 73 (2023)
• Kuwait — 4 (2023)
• Lebanon — 14 (2023)
• Libya — 74 (2023)
• Malta

More health data for Iraq

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 11.8% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 12.3% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 8.26 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 35.28% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 8.68 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 36.77% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 16.94 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 36.03% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 11.45% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Iraq's number of maternal deaths?

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

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 18.09% from 940 in 1985 (0.52% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1,400 in 1990 and the lowest 680 in 2022.

How does Iraq rank?

46th highest of 194 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Iraq's number of maternal deaths rose 13.2% on 2022 (from 680 to 770). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.6% and a typical year strayed about 8.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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