Ho, March 30, – Global maternal deaths have declined significantly over the past three decades, but progress has slowed sharply in recent years, with stark inequalities persisting across regions, a new study has revealed.
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, estimates that 240,000 women died from maternal causes in 2023, accounting for 5.5 per cent of deaths among women aged 10–54 worldwide.
The study found that maternal deaths remain heavily concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania and parts of the Caribbean. Countries with the highest burden include Nigeria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Pakistan.
Although the global maternal mortality ratio declined from 321 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 191 in 2023, progress has slowed from nearly three per cent annual reductions between 2000 and 2015 to just 0.5 per cent in recent years. In some countries, maternal mortality is rising again.
The highest mortality rates were recorded in countries such as Liberia, Central African Republic, Haiti, Eritrea, Sierra Leone and Chad, underscoring deep disparities in access to quality healthcare.
Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington said most maternal deaths are preventable, with haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remaining the leading causes globally. They stressed the need to improve access to antenatal care, skilled delivery services, emergency obstetric care and post-partum follow-up.
Dr. Maegan Ashworth Dirac, senior author of the study, warned that gains made since 2000 were now at risk, calling for urgent investments in maternal healthcare, particularly in high-burden regions.
The study also highlighted persistent data gaps, especially in low-resource settings, urging countries to strengthen vital registration systems and maternal death surveillance to improve decision-making.
It noted that the COVID-19 pandemic caused temporary increases in maternal deaths in 2020 and 2021 due to health system disruptions, although most countries are now returning to pre-pandemic trends.
With less than five years to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target on maternal mortality, researchers are calling for renewed global action to accelerate progress, address inequalities, and strengthen health systems to protect women’s lives.
GHBUSS
March 30, 2026
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