Childbirth mortality

Every day, about 1,000 women die from preventable diseases related to pregnancy and childbirth. Ninety-nine percent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries. Maternal mortality is higher in rural areas and among poorer and less educated groups. Adolescent girls face a greater risk of pregnancy complications and pregnancy deaths than older women. Skilled care before, during and after childbirth can save the lives of women and newborns. Between 1990 and 2008, maternal mortality rates fell by one-third around the world.

The maternal mortality rate is unacceptably high. Worldwide, about 1,000 women die every day from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. in 2008, 358,000 women died during and after pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occur in developing countries, and most could have been prevented.

Improving maternal health is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the international community in 2000. Under MDG 5, countries committed to reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015. Since 1990, maternal mortality has declined by 34 percent worldwide.

In sub-Saharan Africa, some countries have halved the number of maternal deaths since 1990. In other regions, including Asia and North Africa, progress has been even greater. Yet, from 1990 to 2008, the global maternal mortality ratio -- the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births -- declined by only 2.3 percent per year. This is far below the 5.5 percent annual rate of reduction needed to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5.

By the end of 2018, the national maternal mortality rate had fallen to 18.3 per 100,000, the infant mortality rate to 6.1 per 1,000, and the mortality rate for children under 5 years old to 8.4 per 1,000.