• Unprecedented aid cuts are putting global progress to end maternal deaths at risk, three UN agencies warned in a new report that calls for greater investment in midwives and other health workers.

• ‘The Trends in Maternal Mortality’ report was published by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA, in observance of World Health Day on April 7.

Key points of the report:

• The report shows that maternal deaths declined by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023, largely due to improved access to essential health services.

• With maternal mortality declining by around 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023, sub-Saharan Africa achieved significant gains. It was also among just three UN regions to see significant drops after 2015, with the others being Australia and New Zealand, and Central and Southern Asia.

• However, the pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2016, and an estimated 260,000 women died in 2023 due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth, or roughly one death every two minutes.

• Sub-Saharan Africa still accounted for approximately 70 per cent of the global burden of maternal deaths in 2023 due to high rates of poverty and multiple conflicts.

• Five regions saw progress stagnate after 2015: Northern Africa and Western Asia, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

• The report comes as humanitarian funding cuts are having severe impacts on essential health care in many parts of the world, forcing countries to roll back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health. 

• These cuts have led to facility closures and loss of health workers, while also disrupting supply chains for lifesaving supplies and medicines such as treatments for haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and malaria – all leading causes of maternal deaths.

• The UN agencies appeal for urgent action to prevent maternal deaths, particularly in humanitarian settings where numbers are already alarmingly high.

• While this report shows glimmers of hope, the data also highlights how dangerous pregnancy still is in much of the world today, despite the fact that solutions exist to prevent and treat the complications that cause the vast majority of maternal deaths.

• The report also provides the first global account of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on maternal survival.

• An estimated 40,000 more women died due to pregnancy or childbirth in 2021, rising to 282,000 in 2022, and to 322,000 the following year.

• This increase was linked not only to direct complications caused by COVID-19 but also widespread interruptions to maternity services, highlighting the importance of ensuring that this care is available during pandemics and other emergencies.

• With global funding cuts putting more mothers-to-be at risk, especially in the most fragile settings, the world must urgently invest in midwives, nurses, and community health workers to ensure every mother and baby has a chance to survive and thrive.

• The report also highlighted the plight of pregnant women living in humanitarian emergencies, who face some of the highest risks globally.  

• Nearly two-thirds of global maternal deaths now occur in countries affected by fragility or conflict.

• Beyond ensuring critical services during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, the report notes the importance of efforts to enhance women’s overall health by improving access to family planning services, as well as preventing underlying health conditions like anaemia, malaria and non-communicable diseases that increase risks. 

• It will also be critical to ensure girls stay in school and that women and girls have the knowledge and resources to protect their health.

• Urgent investment is needed to prevent maternal deaths. The world is currently off-track to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal target for maternal survival.

• The SDG target for maternal deaths is for a global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. 

• Globally, the maternal mortality ratio would need to fall by around 15 per cent each year to meet the 2030 target, significantly increasing from current annual rates of decline of around 1.5 per cent.

• Rapid action is needed to safeguard maternal health and end the tragedy of preventable maternal mortality.

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