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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Switzerland's lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) fell 30.9% on 2022 (from 20,324 to 14,045).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +5% and a typical year strayed about 6.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 26.2% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 30.9% 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 upward, about 662.86 a year. A straight line explains 52% 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, Switzerland had the 29th 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 Switzerland in the 2023 ranking

• San Marino — 26th of 194: 15,473
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 27th of 194: 14,753
• Qatar — 28th of 194: 14,171
• Austria — 30th of 194: 13,905
• Bulgaria — 31st of 194: 13,799
• Lithuania — 32nd of 194: 12,355

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 Switzerland

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.64% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.94% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 658,807 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 14.4% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 694,461 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 15.37% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 1.35 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 14.88% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 4.9% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

14,045 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is up 185.7% from 4,916 in 1985 (2.8% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 20,324 in 2022 and the lowest 4,695 in 1988.

How does Switzerland rank?

29th 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 Switzerland?

In 2023, Switzerland's lifetime risk of maternal death (1 in: rate varies by country) fell 30.9% on 2022 (from 20,324 to 14,045). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +5% and a typical year strayed about 6.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 5.3 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.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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