World Day

Women's health: one mother dies in childbirth every two minutes worldwide

If overall survival in pregnancy and childbirth improves, the threat of cuts in funding and services looms and it will be impossible to meet the UN Goals

by Health Review

7 April 2025

Close up of pregnant woman in white t-shirt holding hands on her tummy during medical checkup at modern clinic. Doctor with clipboard taking notes during examination.

4' min read

Key points

The effect of cuts in essential care
The effects of the pandemic: +40,000 women died in 2021
Tedros (Oms): strengthening reproductive rights
Stagnant progress in 5 WHO regions
Maximum risks in case of humanitarian emergency
United Nations Goal

4' min read

The health of mothers and children is in danger of declining due to unprecedented cuts in aid worldwide, according to a report by Unicef, WHO, UNFPA, World Bank Group and Undesa/Population Division. Women today are more likely than ever to survive pregnancy and childbirth, according to the report launched on World Health Day on 7 April, the UN report 'Trends in maternal mortality', which shows a 40% global decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023, largely due to improved access to essential health services. However, it is the same report that notes that the pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2016 and that an estimated 260,000 women died in 2023 due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth, which equates to one maternal death every two minutes.

The effect of cuts in essential care

The report is published at the same time as humanitarian funding cuts are having a severe impact on essential health care in many parts of the world, forcing countries to cut vital maternal, newborn and child health services. These cuts have led to the closure of facilities and loss of health workers, as well as disrupting supply chains for life-saving aid and medicines, such as treatments for haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and malaria, all leading causes of maternal death.

Without urgent action, the agencies warn that pregnant women in many countries will suffer serious repercussions, particularly those living in humanitarian settings where maternal deaths are high at already alarming levels.

The effects of the pandemic: +40 thousand women deaths in 2021

The report also provides the first global account of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on maternal survival. An estimated 40,000 more women died as a result of pregnancy or childbirth in 2021, rising to 322,000 from 282,000 the previous year. This surge is linked not only to direct complications caused by Covid-19, but also to widespread disruptions in maternity services. This, the drafters explain, highlights 'the importance of ensuring such care during pandemics and other emergencies', emphasising that pregnant women need reliable access to services and routine check-ups, as well as 24-hour emergency care.

Tedros (Oms): strengthen reproductive rights

"Although this report shows glimmers of hope, the data also highlight how dangerous pregnancy still is in much of the world, despite the fact that solutions exist to prevent and treat the complications that cause most maternal deaths," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). In addition to ensuring access to quality maternity care, it will be critical to strengthen women's and girls' reproductive and health rights, which enhance their prospects for healthy outcomes during pregnancy and beyond".

"When a mother dies during pregnancy or childbirth, the life of her baby is also at risk. All too often, both die from causes we know how to prevent," said Unicef Dg Catherine Russell. "Cuts in global funding for health services are putting more and more pregnant women at risk, especially in the most fragile settings, by limiting their access to essential care during pregnancy and the support they need at birth. The world urgently needs to invest in midwives, nurses and community health workers to ensure that every mother and child has a chance to survive and thrive'.

Stagnant progress in 5 WHO regions

The report highlights persistent inequalities between regions and countries and uneven progress. With a decrease in maternal mortality of about 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023, sub-Saharan Africa achieved significant results and was one of three UN regions, along with Australia and New Zealand and Central and South Asia, to record significant declines after 2015. However, facing high rates of poverty and multiple conflicts, the sub-Saharan Africa region still accounts for about 70 per cent of the global number of maternal deaths in 2023.

Reflecting the slowdown in progress, maternal mortality remained stagnant after 2015 in five regions: North Africa and West Asia, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Access to quality maternal health services is a right, not a privilege, and we all share an urgent responsibility to build well-funded health systems that safeguard the lives of every pregnant woman and newborn," said Natalia Kanem, Director-General of UNFPA. By strengthening supply chains, the midwifery workforce and the disaggregated data needed to identify those most at risk, we can and must end the tragedy of preventable maternal deaths and their enormous cost to families and societies".

Maximum risks in case of humanitarian emergency

According to the report, pregnant women living in humanitarian emergencies face some of the highest risks globally. Nearly two-thirds of global maternal deaths now occur in countries affected by fragility or conflict. For women in these contexts, the risks are staggering: one in 51 15 girls is at risk of dying from maternity-related causes in her lifetime, compared to one in 593 in more stable countries. The highest risks are in Chad and the Central African Republic (1 in 24), followed by Nigeria (1 in 25), Somalia (1 in 30) and Afghanistan (1 in 40).

In addition to ensuring essential services during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, the report emphasises the importance of efforts to improve the overall health of women by improving access to family planning services and preventing health conditions such as anaemia, malaria and non-communicable diseases that increase risk. It will also be crucial to ensure that girls stay in school and that women and girls have the knowledge and resources to protect their health.

Far from the UN target

Urgent investments are needed to prevent maternal deaths. The world is currently falling short of the UN Sustainable Development Goal for maternal survival. Globally, maternal mortality rates would have to decline by about 15% each year to reach the 2030 target, a significant increase from current annual decline rates of about 1.5%.