According to the latest report titled “Trends in maternal mortality” released by United Nations agencies, maternal deaths either increased or stagnated in nearly all regions of the world, highlighting major setbacks for maternal health.
The report tracks maternal deaths nationally, regionally and globally from 2000 to 2020 and shows that there were an estimated 287,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2020, marking only a slight decrease from 309,000 in 2016 when the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals came into effect.
In two of the eight UN regions, the maternal mortality rate increased from 2016 to 2020, by 17% and 15% respectively.
However, progress is possible, as some regions and countries experienced significant declines in their maternal mortality rates during the same period.
Maternal deaths continue to be largely concentrated in the poorest parts of the world and in countries affected by conflict, with about 70% of all maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020.