Countries with the highest maternal mortality rates — where does Nigeria rank?

Maternal mortality is a genuinely serious concern for underdeveloped nations. According to new data published in the report, Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2023, a woman died almost every two minutes from complications during childbirth in 2023. Beyond that, over 700 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every single day in the same year, leading to 260,000 deaths in total. It becomes scarier when we realise that most of these deaths could have been prevented. ALSO READ: FG offers free CS to Nigerians to reduce maternal, newborn mortality What is the leading cause of maternal mortality? With the lifetime risk of 1 in 66 women likely to die from a maternal cause in low-income countries, it has become necessary to know the leading cause of maternal mortality. Severe bleeding (haemorrhage) after childbirth is the major complication that causes around 75% of all maternal deaths. Other major complications that account for this grossly disturbing statistic include:Infections (usually after childbirth)High blood pressure during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia)Complications from delivery; andUnsafe abortion.Most of these complications are not only preventable but also treatable. Some of them, in fact, develop during pregnancy. There are other social and cultural factors that can affect maternal health outcomes. They include:Education, ethnicity, race, gender and incomeHarmful gender stereotypes, biases and inequalities that restrict girls and women’s rightsPoor health systems involving a lack of adequate trained and competent health workers and essential medical supplies; andExternal factors like conflict and humanitarian hardships which cause instability. ALSO READ: FULL LIST: FG approves free maternal care in 154 hospitals nationwide What’s the difference between maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and maternal deaths? The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) as the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births during a given time period. The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) defines maternal death as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from unintentional or incidental causes.” The difference is that maternal deaths show how many women are dying while MMR shows how dangerous it is to be pregnant in that country. A country can have a higher MMR with fewer maternal deaths because fewer women give birth there but the risk per birth is high. ALSO READ: Seyi Tinubu donates drugs to reduce maternal, child mortality Countries with the highest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) Now let’s look at the five countries with the highest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the world, according to the Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2023 report released in 2025. Among these five, note that only one country tops both lists of the highest number of maternal deaths and the highest MMR. This means that the country has:A huge number of women giving birth; and also A very high chance of dying from it.The country is, therefore, struggling with the quality and reach of maternal care across board. It needs urgent, large-scale maternal health interventions. Find out which country it is below. Liberia – Liberia had an estimated MMR of 628, meaning that 628 women died per 100,000 live births in 2023. Although the risk per birth is high in this country, only 1,100 women died in total within the given year.South Sudan – South Sudan’s estimated MMR is 692, with a total of 2,300 maternal deaths throughout the entire year. This indicates that fewer women are giving birth in the country but the risk of dying from maternal causes is pretty high.Central African Republic (CAR) – CAR also had an estimated MMR of 692 per 100,00 live births. However, they recorded only 1,700 maternal deaths throughout 2023.Chad – Chad’s estimated MMR in 2023 is 748 per 100,000 live births. However, a total of 6,300 women died from maternal causes in the country in 2023.The MMR is considered High if it is 300–499 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, Very high if it is 500–999 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and Extremely high if it is greater than or equal to 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. ALSO READ: Sanwo-Olu promised free maternal care – Lagosians say they aren’t enjoying it Which country has both the highest MMR and highest number of maternal deaths in the world? Nigeria. Nigeria’s estimated MMR is 993, meaning that approximately 993 women died per 100,000 live births in 2023. With approximately 75,000 maternal deaths in the same year, Nigeria also had highest number of maternal deaths in the world, accounting for more than a quarter (28.7%) of all estimated global maternal deaths in 2023. However, the three other countries that also had more 10,000 maternal deaths in 2023, did not feature on the countries with the highest MMR list. This means that while they have a higher population of women that give birth, the risk of maternal death per birth is lower in those countries. They are: India (19,000), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (19,000) and Pakistan (11,000), accounting for 7.2%, 7.2% and 4.1% of global maternal deaths, respectively. Together, the four countries (Nigeria, India, DRC, and Pakistan) accounted for almost half (47%) of all maternal deaths globally in 2023. ALSO READ: Improving maternal healthcare in rural Nigeria with free drugs and birthing kits Possible ways to lower the maternal mortality rate in underdeveloped nations SOURCE: Trends in maternal mortality estimates 2000 to 2023: estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA/Population Division. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. ALSO READ: Sanwo-Olu inaugurates 110-bed Maternal, Child Centre in Epe