Prognosis
Maternal Death Rate Decline Stalls Amid US, EU Increases
- Sub-Saharan Africa had the majority of maternal deaths in 2020
- Experts call for investment in health workers and facilities
The maternal mortality rate in the US rose from 17 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015 to 21 deaths in 2020.
Photographer: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
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Declines in pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths that took place over a decade and a half have stalled since 2015, as rates increased in some of the world’s wealthiest regions.
Maternal mortality increased by 17% in Europe and North America from 2016 to 2020, and by 15% in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a World Health Organization report. Worldwide rates flattened over the same period after falling steadily from 2000 through 2015, the report said.