Marshall Islands: Number of maternal deaths

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Marshall Islands' number of maternal deaths fell 50% on 2022 (from 2 to 1).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −3% and a typical year strayed about 10.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 25% in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 50% in 2023. 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 0.11 a year. A straight line explains 49% 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, Marshall Islands had the 169th 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 Marshall Islands in the 2023 ranking

• Estonia — 172nd of 194: 1
• Grenada — 173rd of 194: 1
• Luxembourg — 174th of 194: 1
• Naoero — 176th of 194: 1
• Norway — 177th of 194: 1
• Qatar — 178th of 194: 1

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

• Australia — 7 (2023)
• Brunei Darussalam — 2 (2023)
• Cambodia — 500 (2023)
• China — 1,400 (2023)
• Fiji — 5 (2023)
• Indonesia — 6,300 (2023)
• Japan — 23 (2023)
• Kiribati — 3 (2023)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 230 (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 9 (2023)
• Lao PDR — 180 (2023)
• Malaysia

More health data for Marshall Islands

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 10.11% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 10.3% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 5,980 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 33.75% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 6,318 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 34.04% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 12,298 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 33.89% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Marshall Islands's number of maternal deaths?

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

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 80% from 5 in 1985 (4.15% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6 in 1989 and the lowest 1 in 2023.

How does Marshall Islands rank?

169th highest of 194 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Marshall Islands' number of maternal deaths fell 50% on 2022 (from 2 to 1). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −3% and a typical year strayed about 10.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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