SWITZERLAND — According to a new report from United Nations agencies, the world’s progress in reducing maternal mortality has stalled in recent years, with some regions experiencing backsliding since 2015.
The report estimates that 287,000 maternal deaths occurred globally in 2020, which is a slight decrease compared to 309,000 maternal deaths in 2016.
Despite this decrease, officials emphasize that most of these deaths are preventable or treatable with access to quality care.
The global rate of maternal deaths in 2020 was 223 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, meaning that someone died from pregnancy- or childbirth-related issues every two minutes.
WHO officials released the report and stressed that the globe is falling increasingly behind the U.N.’s 2030 goal of lowering maternal deaths to 70 per 100,000 live births.
The current stagnation could lead to over 1 million additional maternal deaths by 2030 if current trends continue.
“The data are a wake-up call for us, to take action to avoid future deaths,” said Anshu Banerjee, a WHO assistant director-general.
The global rate of maternal deaths fell an average of 2.7% every year between 2000 and 2015 before flattening over the last five years.
Some regions experienced rising maternal mortality rates from 2016 to 2020, with a 17% increase in Europe and Northern America and a 15% increase in Latin America and the Caribbean.
WHO officials noted that those regions had comparatively low absolute maternal mortality numbers at baseline.
The report included data that go through 2020. Officials said the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to the lack of progress in reducing deaths, but that the stall started in at least 2016, and even earlier in some countries.
The reasons for an individual country’s progress or lack thereof are complex and can vary, with factors including a lack of investment in primary and maternal care as well as shortages of health workers and medical supplies.
But broadly, maternal mortality rates reflect whether people have access to competent, respectful care, especially in the 24 hours around birth, when most maternal deaths occur, WHO officials said at a press briefing.
The report documented some regional progress even amid the global stalling. Maternal mortality rates in Australia and New Zealand dropped 35% from 2016 to 2020, while the rate in Central and Southern Asia fell 16% during that time period.
Overall, maternal deaths were highest in the poorest parts of the world, where they are sometimes exacerbated by conflict and disasters.
Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the highest maternal mortality rate of any region, accounting for about 70% of all maternal deaths worldwide.
Leading causes of maternal mortality include severe bleeding, high blood pressure, infections, and other health conditions that pregnancy can aggravate, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.
The report cited complications from unsafe abortions as another cause. WHO officials stressed that women deserve autonomy over their sexual and reproductive health.
Nearly half of pregnancies are unplanned, underscoring how an estimated 270 million women lack modern family planning methods.
“The ability for women to choose if, when, and how many children they will have is a fundamental right,” said Lale Say, WHO’s unit head for integration in health systems.
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