A woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth: UN agencies.

The report, Trends in maternal mortality, reveals alarming setbacks for women's health over recent years, as maternal deaths either increased or stagnated in nearly all regions of the world.

About the report and the data

The report

A* The report was produced by WHO on behalf of the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group comprising WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

A* It uses national data to estimate levels and trends of maternal mortality from 2000-2020.

A* The data in this new publication supersede all previous estimates published by WHO and the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group.

The data

O The SDG target for maternal deaths is for a global Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.

O The global MMR in 2020 was estimated at 223 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 227 in 2015 and from 339 in 2000.

O During the Millennium Development Goal era from 2000 to 2015, the global annual rate of reduction was 2.7%, but this fell to negligible levels during the first five years of the SDG era (from 2016 to 2020).

O The report includes data disaggregated by the following regions, used for SDG reporting: Central Asia and Southern Asia; Sub-Saharan Africa; Northern America and Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; Western Asia and Northern Africa; Australia and New Zealand; Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia, and Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand.

O A maternal death is defined as a death due to complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, occurring when a woman is pregnant, or within six weeks of the end of the pregnancy.

In total numbers, maternal deaths continue to be largely concentrated in the poorest parts of the world and in countries affected by conflict. In 2020, about 70% of all maternal deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa. In nine countries facing severe humanitarian crises, maternal mortality rates were more than double the world average (551 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births, compared to 223 globally).

He added: 'These new statistics reveal the urgent need to ensure every woman and girl has access to critical health services before, during and after childbirth, and that they can fully exercise their reproductive rights.'

The report, which tracks maternal deaths nationally, regionally and globally...