What is maternal mortality and how is it measured?

A maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of end of pregnancy, from causes related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) measures maternal deaths per 100,000 live births — 223 globally in 2020, representing 287,000 deaths. Progress since 2000 has been significant but far too slow to meet SDG 3.1 targets.

What are the leading causes of maternal death?

The five main direct causes: haemorrhage (especially post-partum, ~35%); hypertensive disorders including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (~22%); sepsis and infections (~8%); complications from obstructed labour (~9%); and complications from unsafe abortion (~4.7%). Most are preventable or treatable with known, low-cost interventions when skilled care and emergency obstetric services are accessible.

Why do so many maternal deaths occur in poor countries?

The vast majority (95%) of maternal deaths occur in LMICs because of gaps in skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care, functional referral systems, anaesthesia, blood transfusion and essential medicines (oxytocin, magnesium sulphate). The lifetime risk in sub-Saharan Africa is 1 in 40 vs 1 in 5,300 in high-income countries — one of the starkest health equity indicators globally.

What is the SDG target for maternal mortality?

SDG 3.1 targets an MMR below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, with no country above 140. The current global MMR is 223 (2020). Meeting the target requires reducing MMR by at least 4.3% per year — far faster than the 2.6%/year achieved from 2000 to 2020. Most high-burden countries are off-track.

What is pre-eclampsia and why is it dangerous?

Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy complication with high blood pressure (>=140/90 mmHg) and protein in urine after 20 weeks of gestation, affecting 2-8% of pregnancies globally. Without treatment it can progress to eclampsia (seizures), stroke, organ failure and death. Magnesium sulphate prevents progression to eclampsia; antihypertensives manage blood pressure. Delivery is the only definitive treatment.

What is antenatal care and how many visits are recommended?

WHO's 2016 guidelines recommend a minimum of 8 antenatal contacts during pregnancy (increased from 4), including blood pressure monitoring, blood and urine tests, ultrasound, HIV/syphilis/HBV testing, iron and folic acid supplementation, tetanus vaccination and malaria prophylaxis where indicated. In many LMICs, coverage with 4+ ANC visits is below 60%.

What is post-partum haemorrhage?

PPH is excessive blood loss (>500mL) after delivery, occurring in up to 5% of births and responsible for ~35% of maternal deaths. The main cause is uterine atony — failure of the uterus to contract after delivery. Oxytocin given immediately after delivery is first-line prevention. Recognition and treatment in the first minutes are life-saving.

What is obstetric fistula?

Obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and bladder or rectum caused by prolonged obstructed labour without timely surgical intervention, leaving women continuously incontinent. Still affecting ~500,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, it causes severe social exclusion. Fistula is curable with surgery (success rate 80-90%) and preventable with skilled obstetric care and emergency caesarean section.

What is Every Woman Every Child?

Every Woman Every Child is a UN initiative launched in 2010 mobilising action to improve the health of women, children and adolescents. It coordinates governments, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector around the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030) — the political framework for achieving SDG 3 health targets.

What is WHO's antenatal care model?

WHO's 2016 ANC model recommends 8 contacts during pregnancy, emphasising continuity of care and a woman-centred approach. Routine interventions include nutritional assessment, anaemia screening, blood pressure monitoring, gestational diabetes screening, HIV and STI testing, vaccination and malaria prevention. This is the global standard for evidence-based ANC, though adoption in LMICs remains incomplete.

Why is maternal health an equity issue?

Maternal mortality is one of the starkest health inequality indicators: MMR in high-income countries is 12 per 100,000; in sub-Saharan Africa, 535. A woman's risk of dying from pregnancy depends almost entirely on where she is born. The barriers to survival — distance to care, cost, skilled attendant availability, caesarean capacity, blood transfusion — all reflect structural inequities in health systems and economies.

How does GMJ News cover maternal health?

GMJ News tracks WHO ANC guidelines, UNFPA State of World Population, MMEIG maternal mortality estimates and SDG 3.1 progress. Georgia has significantly reduced its MMR but faces ongoing challenges in quality of obstetric care, particularly in rural areas — directly relevant to the Georgian Medical Journal and PHIG's accreditation and quality improvement work.

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Maternal Health

GMJ News knowledge hub · last reviewed September 2026 · Georgian Medical Journal

Summary Statistics Glossary GMJ news FAQ Documents Organizations Research

A woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth complications roughly every two minutes — about 260 000 maternal deaths a year (UN inter-agency estimates), the vast majority preventable with quality antenatal, skilled birth and emergency obstetric care. Some 70% occur in sub-Saharan Africa; the SDG target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100 000 live births by 2030 demands a step-change in health-system investment — a core accountability theme of the UN Secretary-General's Independent Accountability Panel and the Every Woman Every Child movement.

Key messages

Scale

An estimated 287,000 women died from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes in 2020 — roughly 810 per day, or one every two minutes (WHO 2023).

Preventable

At least 70% of maternal deaths are preventable with timely, quality care — skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care and antenatal monitoring.

Equity crisis

95% of maternal deaths occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The lifetime risk of maternal death in sub-Saharan Africa is 1 in 40; in high-income countries, 1 in 5,300.

SDG 3.1

The SDG target is a global MMR below 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030 — requiring a 12-fold faster annual decline than achieved from 2016 to 2020.

Beyond mortality

For every maternal death, 20-30 women suffer serious complications — haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis, unsafe abortion — causing lasting disability.

Investment

Every $1 invested in maternal and newborn health generates $9 in economic returns. Universal skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care would save over 100,000 lives per year.

Key statistics

287K

maternal deaths/year (2020)

WHO 2023

810

deaths/day

WHO 2023

70%

preventable

WHO

95%

in LMICs

WHO 2023

1 in 40

lifetime risk — sub-Saharan Africa

WHO 2023

<70

MMR target/100K by 2030 (SDG 3.1)

UN SDG

Global maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) 2000-2020 — MMEIG estimates

Source: WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA/World Bank Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group (MMEIG).

Glossary of key terms

Maternal mortality ratio (MMR)
WHO/UNICEFMaternal deaths per 100,000 live births. A maternal death is death while pregnant or within 42 days of end of pregnancy from causes related to the pregnancy. Global MMR in 2020: 223.

Antenatal care (ANC)
WHOHealthcare during pregnancy before labour. WHO recommends at least 8 contacts. ANC allows screening for pre-eclampsia, anaemia, HIV, gestational diabetes and provision of supplements, vaccines and health education.

Skilled birth attendant (SBA)
WHOA health professional — midwife, nurse or doctor — with midwifery competencies trained to provide quality care during pregnancy, childbirth and immediately after, and to manage and refer obstetric complications.

Post-partum haemorrhage (PPH)
WHOExcessive bleeding following childbirth — the most common cause of maternal death (~35% of maternal mortality globally). Oxytocin is the recommended first-line preventive treatment.

Pre-eclampsia
WHOA pregnancy complication characterised by high blood pressure and organ damage after 20 weeks. Can progress to eclampsia (seizures) and is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality.

Obstetric fistula
WHO/UNFPAA hole in the birth canal caused by prolonged obstructed labour. Affects ~500,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Curable with surgery; preventable with emergency obstetric care.