Maternal Mortality in the United States and Worldwide

Behind each number in this article is a family. Most pregnancies and births end safely, but some do not, and the figures show where and why. If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant and are worried about your health, contact your health care provider, or call 911 in an emergency. If you are in emotional crisis, call or text 988. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is open at all hours at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262), by call or text.

What counts as a maternal death?

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, which follows the World Health Organization’s definition, counts a death during pregnancy or within 42 days after it ends from any cause related to or made worse by pregnancy or its care, but not from accidental or incidental causes. The rate is the number of deaths per 100,000 live births. Worldwide, the same measure is called the maternal mortality ratio.

How many women die in the United States?

In 2024, 649 women died of maternal causes, a rate of 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a CDC report from March 2026. In 2023 it was 669 deaths and a rate of 18.6. The CDC says the 2024 rate was not significantly lower than the 2023 rate. The rate was 22.3 in 2022 and 32.9 in 2021, the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CDC figures reported by CNN.

Who is most at risk?

Black women had a rate of 44.8 per 100,000 in 2024, compared with 14.2 for white women, 12.1 for Hispanic women, and 18.1 for Asian women, according to the CDC report. By age, the rate was 62.3 for women 40 and older, 16.5 for ages 25 to 39, and 13.7 for those under 25. A news summary of the Commonwealth Fund brief says researchers pointed to differences in insurance, stress, racism, and bias in clinical decisions among the factors behind the racial gap.

Why do the numbers differ between reports?

They count different things. The CDC’s national rate uses the 42-day window. State review committees count “pregnancy-related” deaths, which include deaths up to a year after the pregnancy ends. The CDC release says these committees also count deaths from suicide and from overdose related to substance use disorder. So a report using the longer window will show more deaths.

What causes these deaths?

In CDC data from review committees in 36 states for 2017 to 2019, the leading underlying causes were mental health conditions (23 percent, including suicide and overdose), hemorrhage (14 percent), cardiac and coronary conditions (13 percent), and infection, blood clots, and heart-muscle disease (about 9 percent each). The leading cause differed by group: cardiac conditions for Black women, mental health conditions for Hispanic and white women, and hemorrhage for Asian women.

Many of these deaths happen after the baby is born. About 22 percent occurred during pregnancy, 25 percent on the day of delivery or within a week, and 53 percent from a week to a year afterward.

Could they be prevented?

Mostly, say the CDC’s reviewers. The CDC reported that more than 80 percent of these pregnancy-related deaths were preventable, and a news summary of the report gives 84 percent of the 996 deaths where a decision was made. The Mississippi Free Press explains that a death counts as preventable when the committee finds some chance it could have been avoided by at least one reasonable change.

How does the United States compare with other wealthy countries?

Poorly. The Commonwealth Fund compared 14 high-income countries and found the United States had the highest rate in 2022, about 22 per 100,000, more than double and sometimes triple the rate in most others. In half the countries the rate was under five. The brief cites a shortage of maternity providers, no federal paid-leave guarantee, and fewer postpartum home visits. These comparisons use 2022 data, and the U.S. rate has fallen since.

What about the rest of the world?

An estimated 260,000 women died in 2023, according to UN agencies, which is about one every two minutes. The global ratio was 197 per 100,000 live births, down 40 percent from 328 in 2000. Sub-Saharan Africa had about 70 percent of the deaths and a ratio of 454, against 3 in Australia and New Zealand. A woman’s lifetime risk is about 1 in 66 in low-income countries and about 1 in 8,000 in high-income ones. The leading direct causes are hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, infection, and unsafe abortion, and most deaths are preventable. Progress has slowed, and the global goal of 70 by 2030 is far off.

What do we still not know?

Global figures are modeled estimates with uncertainty ranges, such as 174 to 233 around the 197 figure. U.S. counts depend on death certificates. Year-to-year changes are small in number and can reflect chance. The causes and timing data come from 36 states and a three-year period, and later reviews may differ.

Where can I find support?

See Finding Grief Support, Losing a Spouse or Partner, Losing a Parent, Coping With Sudden or Traumatic Loss, and Talking to Children About Death. For leading causes overall, see What Are the Leading Causes of Death in the United States?.