Lifetime risk of maternal death (%) - Country Ranking - Africa

Definition: Life time risk of maternal death is the probability that a 15-year-old female will die eventually from a maternal cause assuming that current levels of fertility and mortality (including maternal mortality) do not change in the future, taking into account competing causes of death.

Source: WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group, and the United Nations Population Division. Trends in Maternal Mortality: 2000 to 2017. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2019

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Chad 6.87 2017
2 Somalia 5.08 2017
3 Sierra Leone 4.90 2017
4 Nigeria 4.86 2017
5 Central African Republic 4.07 2017
6 Niger 3.76 2017
7 Mauritania 3.59 2017
8 Mali 3.49 2017
9 The Gambia 3.18 2017
10 Guinea-Bissau 3.17 2017
11 Liberia 3.08 2017
12 Burundi 3.03 2017
13 Dem. Rep. Congo 2.94 2017
14 Côte d'Ivoire 2.91 2017
15 Guinea 2.88 2017
16 Tanzania 2.75 2017
17 Cameroon 2.53 2017
18 Eritrea 2.16 2017
19 Uganda 2.04 2017
20 Benin 2.04 2017
21 Zimbabwe 1.82 2017
22 Ethiopia 1.81 2017
23 Togo 1.79 2017
24 Burkina Faso 1.75 2017
25 Congo 1.73 2017
26 Lesotho 1.73 2017
27 Malawi 1.68 2017
28 Senegal 1.53 2017
29 Madagascar 1.51 2017
30 Equatorial Guinea 1.50 2017
31 Mozambique 1.50 2017
32 Angola 1.45 2017
33 Eswatini 1.39 2017
34 Sudan 1.33 2017
35 Kenya 1.31 2017
36 Ghana 1.22 2017
37 Comoros 1.21 2017
38 Gabon 1.07 2017
39 Zambia 1.07 2017
40 Rwanda 1.07 2017
41 Namibia 0.71 2017
42 Djibouti 0.69 2017
43 São Tomé and Principe 0.60 2017
44 Botswana 0.45 2017
45 Algeria 0.37 2017
46 South Africa 0.30 2017
47 Morocco 0.18 2017
48 Libya 0.17 2017
49 Cabo Verde 0.15 2017
50 Egypt 0.14 2017
51 Seychelles 0.13 2017
52 Tunisia 0.10 2017
53 Mauritius 0.09 2017

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Limitations and Exceptions: The methodology differs from that used for previous estimates, so data should not be compared historically. Maternal mortality ratios are generally of unknown reliability, as are many other cause-specific mortality indicators. The probability cannot be assumed to provide an exact estimate of risk of maternal death.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Reproductive health is a state of physical and mental well-being in relation to the reproductive system and its functions and processes. Means of achieving reproductive health include education and services during pregnancy and childbirth, safe and effective contraception, and prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disability among women of reproductive age in developing countries. Maternal mortality is generally of unknown reliability, as are many other cause-specific mortality indicators. Household surveys such as Demographic and Health Surveys attempt to measure maternal mortality by asking respondents about survivorship of sisters. The main disadvantage of this method is that the estimates of maternal mortality that it produces pertain to any time within the past few years before the survey, making them unsuitable for monitoring recent changes or observing the impact of interventions. In addition, measurement of maternal mortality is subject to many types of errors. Even in high-income countries with reliable vital registration systems, misclassification of maternal deaths has been found to lead to serious underestimation. The estimates are based on an exercise by the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) which consists of World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Bank, and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and include country-level time series data. For countries without complete registration data but with other types of data and for countries with no data, maternal mortality is estimated with a regression model using available national maternal mortality data and socioeconomic information. In countries with a high risk of maternal death, many girls die before reaching reproductive age. Lifetime risk of maternal mortality refers to the probability that a 15-year-old girl will eventually die due to a maternal cause.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual