Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015

In East and Southern Africa, the maternal mortality ratio declined from 918 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 407 per 100,000 in 2015 - a drop of 56 per cent. This means a 1:52 lifetime risk of maternal death in the ESA region. The global maternal death ratio fell by 44 per cent between 1990 and 2015. The total number of maternal deaths around the world dropped from about 532,000 in 1990 to an estimated 303,000 in 2015. This equates to an estimated global maternal death ratio of 216 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 385 in 1990.