Maternal Deaths per 100,000 Live Births

African nations claim 23 of the world's 24 deadliest countries for mothers giving birth.

World Health Organization•Updated Apr '25

Summary

Healthiest 5 Countries by Maternal Mortality

1Cook Islands
0.107 /100k
2Belarus
1.1 /100k
3Norway
1.3 /100k
4Poland
1.6 /100k
5Australia
2.3 /100k
Dataset Median
46.7 /100k

Worst 5 Countries by Maternal Mortality

189Liberia
627.7 /100k
190Central African Republic
691.7 /100k
191South Sudan
691.8 /100k
192Chad
747.5 /100k
193Nigeria
992.8 /100k

Gap

23 of 24

Haiti alone breaks African dominance in danger zone

Gap

3,267x

Cook Islands safest for mothers globally

Comparison

15.2x

US trails European safety leader by 15x

Data

193 results

1Cook Islands0.107 /100k
2Belarus1.1 /100k
3Norway1.3 /100k
4Poland1.6 /100k
5Australia2.3 /100k
6Israel2.5 /100k
7United Arab Emirates2.5 /100k
8Czechia2.7 /100k
9Spain2.7 /100k
10North Macedonia2.8 /100k

Map

Maternal Deaths per 100,000 Live Births

992.8 /100k
0.107 /100k

Insights

Generated automatically using AI

Gap

23 of 24

Only one non-African country (Haiti) breaks into the world's most dangerous births

Gap

3,267x

Cook Islands has lowest maternal death rate at 0.11 vs Niger's 350 per 100k

Comparison

15.2x

United States maternal mortality rate 15x higher than Belarus, Europe's leader

Cluster

170-193

Bottom 24 countries all exceed 327 deaths showing crisis concentration threshold

Leader

Top 42

All countries with single-digit death rates achieve developed nation safety standard

Methodology

What this measures: The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in a given year. This metric quantifies the risk of death for women during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of delivery.

How the data is collected: Data is compiled by the World Health Organization from national vital registration systems and epidemiological studies. Collection methods may vary by country depending on health system capacity and reporting infrastructure.

How the ranking is computed: Countries are ranked from lowest to highest maternal mortality ratios. Lower values indicate better maternal health outcomes and rank higher in our listing.

Coverage: 193 countries with data spanning from 1985 to 2023.

Limitations:

  • Data quality varies significantly between countries with different health reporting systems
  • Some countries rely on estimates rather than comprehensive vital registration data
  • Maternal deaths may be underreported in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure
  • Rankings reflect health system performance but don't establish causation with specific policies
  • Cross-country comparisons may be affected by different data collection methodologies

Source

World Health Organization

World Health Organization - Maternal Deaths per 100,000 Live Births