Moldova: Lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Moldova's lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) rose 0.1% on 2022 (from 3,824 to 3,829).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +5.5% and a typical year strayed about 11.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 38.2% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 25.2% in 2020. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 30% 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 2023, Moldova had the 64th 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 Moldova in the 2023 ranking

• United States — 61st of 194: 4,161
• Kazakhstan — 62nd of 194: 3,955
• Azerbaijan — 63rd of 194: 3,910
• Armenia — 65th of 194: 3,556
• Costa Rica — 66th of 194: 3,404
• Georgia — 67th of 194: 3,332

What this measures

Life time risk of maternal death is the probability that a 15-year-old female will die eventually from a maternal cause assuming that current levels of fertility and mortality (including maternal mortality) do not change in the future, taking into account competing causes of death.

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 probability cannot be assumed to provide an exact estimate of risk of maternal death.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 39 values

Lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) in nearby economies

• Albania — 10,999 (2023)
• Andorra — 10,866 (2023)
• Armenia — 3,556 (2023)
• Austria — 13,905 (2023)
• Azerbaijan — 3,910 (2023)
• Belarus — 96,213 (2023)
• Belgium — 21,405 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 14,753 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 13,799 (2023)

More health data for Moldova

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.82% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 6.01% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 224,035 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 17.57% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 237,078 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 21.84% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 461,113 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 19.53% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 6.14% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Moldova's lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country)?

3,829 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is up 547.88% from 591 in 1985 (5.04% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3,829 in 2023 and the lowest 591 in 1985.

How does Moldova rank?

64th highest of 194 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) unusual for Moldova?

In 2023, Moldova's lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) rose 0.1% on 2022 (from 3,824 to 3,829). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +5.5% and a typical year strayed about 11.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below 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.RISK, 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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