Senegal: Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Senegal's maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) rose 9 on 2022 (from 228 to 237).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −12.33 and a typical year strayed about 12.74 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 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 15 in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 79 in 1986. 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 16.82 a year. A straight line explains 96% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 172.16 for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 12.93, against 16.67 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2023, Senegal had the 31st 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 Senegal in the 2023 ranking

• Sudan — 28th of 194: 256
• Burkina Faso — 29th of 194: 242
• Congo, Rep. — 30th of 194: 241
• Ghana — 32nd of 194: 234
• Gabon — 33rd of 194: 233
• Rwanda — 34th of 194: 229

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. The data are estimated with a regression model using information on the proportion of maternal deaths among non-AIDS deaths in women ages 15-49, fertility, birth attendants, and GDP measured using purchasing power parities (PPPs).

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 ratios cannot be assumed to provide an exact estimate of maternal mortality.

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

All 39 values

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

• Angola — 183 (2023)
• Benin — 518 (2023)
• Botswana — 155 (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 242 (2023)
• Burundi — 392 (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 40 (2023)
• Cameroon — 258 (2023)
• Central African Republic — 692 (2023)
• Chad

More health data for Senegal

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 13.37% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 13.47% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 3.45 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 37.01% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 3.7 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 38.46% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 7.15 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 37.74% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 12.03% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1985?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.STA.MMRT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: https://www.who.int/news/item/23-02-2023-a-woman-dies-every-two-minutes-due-to-pregnancy-or-childbirth--un-agencies; UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), note: Trends in Maternal Mortality; UN Population Fund (UNFPA), note: Trends in Matern… 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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