Maternal Health Around the World

Maternal deaths are primarily attributed to a lack of accessible, affordable prenatal and perinatal care and to unattended births in regions where certified medical professionals are limited. However, maternal deaths are still prominent in countries with advanced systems of health care.

The United States spends more money on hospitalization for pregnancy and childbirth than every other country in the world. Yet, the rate at which mothers are dying as a result of pregnancy or childbirth in the United States continues to rise.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated 14 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in the United States in 2015 (PDF, 1.5 MB); External link  other studies suggest the rate of maternal deaths in the United States is much higher, with estimates up to 28 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to an analysis for the 2015 Global Burden of Disease Study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (PDF, 12.9 MB). External link 

To address the issue, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals External link  mobilized medical care providers, volunteers, researchers, and policymakers to work toward universal access to maternal health care from 1990 to 2015; the global efforts toward improving maternal health are now extended through 2030.

Nursing@Georgetown created this resource to explore how the U.N. goals have affected maternal death rates and how these deaths can be mitigated — both in the United States and globally.

Maternal Health: U.S. Versus the World

2030 marks the target date of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — a set of benchmarks agreed upon by all countries and leading development institutions — to deliver better health care outcomes globally. One goal is to improve maternal health and access to care, which can be measured by a decline in maternal deaths.¹

The Goal

Reduce maternal deaths by2/3 worldwide.²

The Problem

Every year an estimated 303,000 women die during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon after.³ This is 830 women every day or 1 woman every 2 minutes.³

Maternal Mortality in U.S and the World

The World Health Organization quantifies maternal deaths using the maternal mortality ratio, or MMR, which represents the number of women who die for every 100,000 live births. A lower MMR is better than a higher MMR.

In developing countries, 239 women die for every 100,000 live births.³

In developed countries, 12 women die for every 100,000 live births.³

Behind the MMR Numbers

1 in 180 The global adult lifetime risk of maternal mortality (i.e., the probability that a 15-year-old woman will die eventually from a maternal cause).⁴

$111 billion The amount the U.S. spends each year on hospitalization for pregnancy and childbirth — the highest in the world.⁵

0 - Federal requirements in the U.S. to report maternal deaths.⁶

31.9% The cesarean section rate in the U.S. in 2016.⁷ The WHO has stated that rates should stay between 5 percent and 15 percent.⁸ The risk of maternal death associated with planned cesarean delivery is higher than those associated with planned vaginal delivery.⁹

The Midwifery Model

Since 1990, the 21 countries that have been most successful in reducing maternal deaths substantially increased facility birthing, and many have done this through the deployment of midwives.¹⁰

Studies in both the United States and other countries have documented the positive outcomes of the midwifery model of care. In one such study, researchers found that 45 percent of the women with uncomplicated pregnancies were better off under the care of midwives than in a hospital during birth.¹¹

Goals for the Future

The 2015 worldwide goal for reducing maternal deaths by 75 percent was not met. However, the progress made indicates that a global MMR of less than 70 is achievable by 2030.¹²

The United States has set a goal of achieving an MMR of 11.4 by 2020.¹³

To learn more, and to find out information on how you can help in your country or community, visit WHO.int and AmnestyUSA.org.

The following section contains tabular data from the graphics in this post.

Leading Causes of Maternal Death 

Change in Maternal Mortality Ratios between 1990 and 2015

This article explores how the United Nations Millennium Development Goals have affected maternal death rates both in the United States and Globally.