Maternal Mortality Ratio by Country, 2000-2023

About This Dataset

Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for twelve of the world's most populous countries, every year from 2000 to 2023. The estimates come from the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group - WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank and UNDESA - and are republished in the World Bank's indicators. The twelve were chosen by population rather than by ranking, so the chart deliberately spans the full range instead of showing only the worst-affected countries.

✨ AI Insight

Eleven of the twelve countries cut maternal mortality between 2000 and 2023. The United States is the only one that got worse, from 12 deaths per 100,000 live births to 17. Ethiopia made the largest absolute cut, from 870 to 195, and Russia the largest proportional one, down 82.4 percent from 51 to 9. Nigeria still ends highest by a wide margin at 993, which by itself is 54.2 percent of the twelve countries' combined total, and it is only 12.6 percent below its own 2000 level. 2021 stands out as a simultaneous spike: Brazil at 128, Mexico at 104 and the United States at 31 each record their worst year of the series in that one year.

Source: World Bank / WHO-UNICEF-UNFPA-World Bank-UNDESA MMEIG (SH.STA.MMRT)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Nigeria leads with 993 in 2023.

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United States grew fastest: +41.7% from 2000 to 2023 (12 → 17).

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Russia declined most: -82.4% from 2000 to 2023 (51 → 9).

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Average value in 2023: 153 · median: 74.

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2000 recorded the highest combined total across all categories.

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Gap in 2023: Nigeria is 331× larger than Japan.