Just as many women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth in the UK as they were 20 years ago, leaving Britain trailing behind countries like Albania, Poland and Slovakia as well as the wealthier nations of Europe.
The stagnation of the UK, only 23rd in the global league table, contrasts strikingly with the developing world where, according to a major new and comprehensive study in the Lancet, real inroads are being made on death rates among women in childbirth.
Deaths in childbirth
Globally, the number of deaths dropped from more than 500,000 a year in 1980 to 343,000 a year in 2008. In the last 20 years, deaths have been declining at a rate of about 1.4% a year.
The figures - shown below, show the Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) - the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
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Data summary
|
MMR global rank
|
Country
|
MMR 2008
|
MMR 1990
|
Annual % change 90-08
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SOURCE: IHME |
||||
| 1 | Italy | 3.9 | 7.4 | -3.5 |
| 2 | Sweden | 4.6 | 6.3 | -1.7 |
| 3 | Luxembourg | 4.8 | 6.6 | -1.8 |
| 4 | Australia | 5.1 | 6.3 | -1.2 |
| 5 | Austria | 5.5 | 8.0 | -2.0 |
| 6 | Ireland | 5.7 | 6.8 | -1.0 |
| 7 | Israel | 5.9 | 10.5 | -3.2 |
| 8 | Malta | 6.3 | 15.0 | -4.7 |
| 9 | Canada | 6.6 | 5.7 | 0.9 |
| 10 | Spain | 6.6 | 8.8 | -1.5 |
| 11 | Japan | 6.8 | 11.7 | -3.0 |
| 12 | Czech Republic | 6.9 | 12.3 | -3.2 |
| 13 | Germany | 7.0 | 11.6 | -2.8 |
| 14 | Slovakia | 7.0 | 13.4 | -3.6 |
| 15 | Hungary | 7.1 | 16.3 | -4.6 |
| 16 | Iceland | 7.1 | 9.3 | -1.5 |
| 17 | Finland | 7.2 | 7.3 | -0.1 |
| 18 | Poland | 7.4 | 21.4 | -5.8 |
| 19 | Switzerland | 7.4 | 7.0 | 0.3 |
| 20 | Netherlands | 7.6 | 9.2 | -1.0 |
| 21 | Norway | 7.6 | 6.8 | 0.6 |
| 22 | Albania | 8.1 | 36.0 | -7.9 |
| 23 | United Kingdom | 8.2 | 8.4 | -0.1 |
| 24 | Greece | 8.4 | 7.6 | 0.6 |
| 25 | New Zealand | 8.5 | 10.7 | -1.3 |
| 26 | United Arab Emirates | 8.6 | 30.9 | -6.9 |
| 27 | Serbia | 8.9 | 11.8 | -1.6 |
| 28 | Denmark | 9.4 | 7.1 | 1.5 |
| 29 | Belgium | 9.4 | 8.2 | 0.8 |
| 30 | Portugal | 9.5 | 16.2 | -2.9 |
| 31 | France | 10.0 | 14.2 | -1.9 |
| 32 | Korea, South | 11.4 | 18.3 | -2.6 |
| 33 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11.8 | 32.3 | -5.4 |
| 34 | Croatia | 14.1 | 14.5 | -0.2 |
| 35 | Qatar | 14.3 | 48.8 | -6.6 |
| 36 | Taiwan, Province of China | 14.3 | 26.1 | -3.3 |
| 37 | Singapore | 15.7 | 12.2 | 1.4 |
| 38 | Lithuania | 16.0 | 22.4 | -1.9 |
| 39 | United States | 16.6 | 11.5 | 2.1 |
| 40 | Macedonia | 16.7 | 20.0 | -1.0 |
| 41 | Latvia | 17.8 | 29.6 | -2.8 |
| 42 | Slovenia | 18.7 | 15.6 | 1.0 |
| 43 | Montenegro | 19.0 | 32.6 | -3.0 |
| 44 | Belarus | 19.1 | 27.6 | -2.0 |
| 45 | Moldova | 20.4 | 41.7 | -3.9 |
| 46 | Chile | 21.1 | 43.7 | -4.0 |
| 47 | Turkmenistan | 21.6 | 66.9 | -6.1 |
| 48 | Estonia | 22.5 | 28.4 | -1.3 |
| 49 | Oman | 23.8 | 84.9 | -6.8 |
| 50 | Lebanon | 23.9 | 76.4 | -6.3 |
| 51 | Uruguay | 24.7 | 32.8 | -1.6 |
| 52 | Costa Rica | 25.3 | 32.0 | -1.3 |
| 53 | Romania | 26.1 | 91.8 | -6.8 |
| 54 | Kuwait | 26.1 | 47.9 | -3.3 |
| 55 | Bulgaria | 27.7 | 33.7 | -1.1 |
| 56 | Iran | 27.8 | 63.7 | -4.5 |
| 57 | Saudi Arabia | 27.9 | 94.3 | -6.5 |
| 58 | Mauritius | 28.1 | 64.9 | -4.6 |
| 59 | Armenia | 29.5 | 35.6 | -1.0 |
| 60 | Sri Lanka | 29.8 | 52.3 | -3.1 |
| 61 | Ukraine | 29.8 | 34.9 | -0.9 |
| 62 | Russia | 34.1 | 48.3 | -1.9 |
| 63 | Jamaica | 34.4 | 50.2 | -2.1 |
| 64 | Jordan | 34.8 | 102.5 | -5.8 |
| 65 | Bahrain | 36.0 | 89.3 | -4.9 |
| 66 | Tunisia | 36.1 | 141.2 | -7.3 |
| 67 | Georgia | 37.0 | 28.3 | 1.5 |
| 68 | Brunei Darussalam | 37.0 | 61.8 | -2.8 |
| 69 | El Salvador | 37.1 | 135.3 | -6.9 |
| 70 | Azerbaijan | 37.3 | 38.6 | -0.2 |
| 71 | Libya | 39.6 | 124.3 | -6.2 |
| 72 | Trinidad and Tobago | 39.7 | 65.9 | -2.8 |
| 73 | Cuba | 40.0 | 46.8 | -0.9 |
| 74 | China | 40.1 | 86.9 | -4.2 |
| 75 | Cyprus | 40.7 | 97.6 | -4.7 |
| 76 | Malaysia | 42.4 | 76.4 | -3.2 |
| 77 | Egypt | 43.1 | 195.4 | -8.1 |
| 78 | Kazakhstan | 44.0 | 61.3 | -1.8 |
| 79 | Panama | 44.1 | 61.2 | -1.8 |
| 80 | Uzbekistan | 44.6 | 61.1 | -1.7 |
| 81 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 45.0 | 82.3 | -3.3 |
| 82 | Tajikistan | 45.6 | 89.6 | -3.7 |
| 83 | Occupied Palestinian Territory | 45.6 | 91.8 | -3.8 |
| 84 | Saint Lucia | 46.2 | 91.5 | -3.7 |
| 85 | Colombia | 46.3 | 70.7 | -2.3 |
| 86 | Grenada | 46.7 | 99.2 | -4.1 |
| 87 | Thailand | 47.0 | 44.3 | 0.3 |
| 88 | Venezuela | 48.2 | 66.0 | -1.7 |
| 89 | Argentina | 48.8 | 60.0 | -1.1 |
| 90 | Syrian Arab Republic | 49.9 | 155.9 | -6.1 |
| 91 | Mexico | 51.6 | 73.1 | -1.9 |
| 92 | Brazil | 54.6 | 111.5 | -3.9 |
| 93 | Turkey | 57.9 | 121.5 | -4.0 |
| 94 | Bahamas | 58.5 | 79.8 | -1.7 |
| 95 | Korea, North | 64.2 | 67.9 | -0.3 |
| 96 | Viet Nam | 64.3 | 157.9 | -4.9 |
| 97 | Algeria | 66.1 | 188.6 | -5.7 |
| 98 | Dominican Republic | 66.3 | 96.4 | -2.1 |
| 99 | Kyrgyzstan | 69.3 | 65.3 | 0.3 |
| 100 | Belize | 73.5 | 87.6 | -1.0 |
| 101 | Cape Verde | 74.7 | 229.2 | -6.0 |
| 102 | Maldives | 75.2 | 366.3 | -8.4 |
| 103 | Ecuador | 77.1 | 181.2 | -4.6 |
| 104 | Barbados | 78.5 | 85.5 | -0.5 |
| 105 | Peru | 81.3 | 172.1 | -4.1 |
| 106 | Philippines | 83.6 | 174.4 | -4.0 |
| 107 | Fiji | 85.4 | 133.2 | -2.4 |
| 108 | Guatemala | 88.3 | 177.6 | -3.8 |
| 109 | Nicaragua | 102.6 | 100.8 | 0.1 |
| 110 | Samoa | 104.4 | 173.4 | -2.8 |
| 111 | Honduras | 105.3 | 163.7 | -2.4 |
| 112 | Tonga | 112.9 | 189.5 | -2.8 |
| 113 | Paraguay | 113.2 | 145.9 | -1.4 |
| 114 | Suriname | 116.4 | 105.6 | 0.6 |
| 115 | Morocco | 124.0 | 383.8 | -6.1 |
| 116 | Micronesia | 127.5 | 226.8 | -3.2 |
| 117 | Iraq | 130.4 | 211.7 | -2.6 |
| 118 | Guyana | 143.1 | 162.3 | -0.7 |
| 119 | Vanuatu | 178.4 | 335.9 | -3.5 |
| 120 | Bolivia | 180.2 | 439.3 | -4.8 |
| 121 | Mongolia | 207.4 | 404.0 | -3.6 |
| 122 | Myanmar | 219.2 | 662.0 | -6.0 |
| 123 | Comoros | 225.3 | 449.9 | -3.8 |
| 124 | Indonesia | 228.6 | 252.8 | -0.6 |
| 125 | South Africa | 236.8 | 120.7 | 3.8 |
| 126 | Nepal | 240.2 | 471.3 | -3.7 |
| 127 | India | 253.8 | 523.3 | -3.9 |
| 128 | Bhutan | 254.9 | 1145.4 | -8.0 |
| 129 | Cambodia | 265.8 | 409.1 | -2.4 |
| 130 | Yemen | 268.7 | 582.4 | -4.2 |
| 131 | Gambia | 281.3 | 628.5 | -4.4 |
| 132 | Solomon Islands | 284.1 | 499.8 | -3.1 |
| 133 | Sao Tome and Principe | 295.7 | 531.3 | -3.2 |
| 134 | Equatorial Guinea | 301.8 | 775.4 | -5.1 |
| 135 | Sudan | 306.3 | 592.6 | -3.6 |
| 136 | Papua New Guinea | 311.9 | 476.3 | -2.3 |
| 137 | Burkina Faso | 332.4 | 487.5 | -2.1 |
| 138 | Bangladesh | 338.3 | 724.4 | -4.1 |
| 139 | Laos | 339.2 | 1215.4 | -6.8 |
| 140 | Uganda | 352.3 | 571.0 | -2.6 |
| 141 | Madagascar | 373.1 | 484.4 | -1.4 |
| 142 | Pakistan | 376.4 | 541.2 | -2.0 |
| 143 | Rwanda | 383.4 | 813.4 | -4.1 |
| 144 | Senegal | 400.6 | 541.7 | -1.7 |
| 145 | Ghana | 409.2 | 549.0 | -1.6 |
| 146 | Kenya | 413.4 | 452.3 | -0.5 |
| 147 | Togo | 447.1 | 539.7 | -1.0 |
| 148 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 449.0 | 610.2 | -1.7 |
| 149 | Djibouti | 461.6 | 606.5 | -1.5 |
| 150 | Benin | 468.9 | 587.6 | -1.2 |
| 151 | Gabon | 493.5 | 422.5 | 0.9 |
| 152 | Botswana | 518.8 | 236.8 | 4.4 |
| 153 | Congo, Dem Rep | 533.6 | 550.0 | -0.2 |
| 154 | Burundi | 569.6 | 711.6 | -1.2 |
| 155 | Haiti | 582.4 | 898.2 | -2.4 |
| 156 | Namibia | 586.2 | 353.7 | 2.8 |
| 157 | Ethiopia | 589.7 | 967.7 | -2.7 |
| 158 | Angola | 592.5 | 1156.4 | -3.6 |
| 159 | Mozambique | 598.8 | 385.0 | 2.5 |
| 160 | Niger | 600.7 | 890.1 | -2.2 |
| 161 | Zambia | 602.9 | 594.2 | 0.1 |
| 162 | Nigeria | 608.3 | 473.4 | 1.4 |
| 163 | Congo | 616.8 | 616.4 | 0.0 |
| 164 | Zimbabwe | 624.3 | 231.8 | 5.7 |
| 165 | Mali | 669.7 | 831.1 | -1.2 |
| 166 | Somalia | 674.6 | 962.8 | -2.0 |
| 167 | Cameroon | 704.6 | 522.6 | 1.7 |
| 168 | Mauritania | 712.2 | 1295.4 | -3.3 |
| 169 | Swaziland | 735.6 | 358.7 | 4.1 |
| 170 | Eritrea | 751.2 | 1292.5 | -3.0 |
| 171 | Guinea-Bissau | 804.3 | 966.0 | -1.0 |
| 172 | Liberia | 858.9 | 728.6 | 0.9 |
| 173 | Guinea | 859.8 | 964.7 | -0.6 |
| 174 | Timor-Leste | 928.6 | 1016.3 | -0.5 |
| 175 | Côte d'Ivoire | 944.1 | 580.3 | 2.7 |
| 176 | Lesotho | 963.5 | 363.2 | 5.6 |
| 177 | Sierra Leone | 1032.7 | 1044.2 | -0.1 |
| 178 | Chad | 1065.2 | 891.0 | 1.0 |
| 179 | Malawi | 1140.1 | 743.2 | 2.4 |
| 180 | Central African Republic | 1570.4 | 1757.1 | -0.6 |
| 181 | Afghanistan | 1575.1 | 1261.0 | 1.2 |