Top 100 Countries by Maternal Mortality Ratio (2026 Snapshot)
Maternal Mortality in 2023: Countries with the Highest Estimated Ratios
Nigeria has the highest estimated maternal mortality ratio in the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) 2023 dataset: 993 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Chad follows with 748; South Sudan and the Central African Republic both round to 692. Higher MMR indicates a worse maternal-health outcome, not better performance.
This is a 2026 snapshot based on the latest available 2023 estimates, published in the 2025 WHO/UN MMEIG statistical release and retrieved October 11, 2026. The table covers 100 of 195 country and territory entries, all for the same target year. Values are official inter-agency modeled estimates, not recorded counts or 2026 forecasts. Row statuses: 100 official_value (officially published modeled point estimates); 0 calculated_value; 0 forecasts or projections. Unit: maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Direction: descending (highest risk first).
One joint MMEIG statistical release supplies all numeric values; the five participating UN/international organizations are not counted as five independent numeric sources. The table uses WHO Annex 4 whole-number estimates and their published 80% uncertainty intervals. Ranks are based on the two-decimal MMEIG estimates available through UNICEF-distributed data; the displayed whole-number values and 80% uncertainty intervals are transcribed separately from WHO Annex 4, rather than recalculated by rounding the two-decimal ranking inputs. Mexico (42.11) is ranked above Kyrgyzstan (41.90) and Seychelles (41.89); the two-decimal Top 100 was also cross-checked in full against Statbase (100/100 matches), while WHO remains the sole original estimate publisher.
Nigeria, rank 1; 2023 WHO/UN MMEIG point estimate; 80% UI 718–1,540.
Mexico, rank 100. Underlying published estimate 42.11; 80% UI 32–50.
Ranked country/territory entries / total eligible entries in WHO Annex 4.
StatRanker median of 100 original two-decimal MMEIG point estimates for 2023, per 100,000 live births.
Overview: What Maternal Mortality Ratio Actually Measures
The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) estimates deaths related to or aggravated by pregnancy, childbirth or their management, excluding accidental or incidental causes, during pregnancy or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy, per 100,000 live births. It is a ratio, not a percentage and not the annual number of maternal deaths.
The UN MMEIG harmonizes information from civil registration, surveys and other inputs and uses statistical modeling where necessary. It publishes point estimates and 80% uncertainty intervals because maternal deaths can be underreported or misclassified. A country in first place has the highest point estimate within this comparison, not a demonstrated exact rank after uncertainty is accounted for.
For context, WHO estimates the global 2023 MMR at 197, based on a worldwide aggregation. This is not the average of countries in this table. The Sustainable Development Goal target is a global ratio below 70 by 2030; it is not a 2026 observation and must not be read as the cutoff for this ranking.
Top 10 Countries with the Highest Maternal Mortality Ratio
Nigeria and Chad head the 2023 MMEIG estimates, followed by South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Both of the latter round to 692 in the WHO report; the underlying estimates distinguish them slightly. The 80% uncertainty intervals in each row show why close rankings should not be treated as precise risk differences.
Top 10 · 2023 modeled MMR · deaths per 100,000 live births
| Rank | Country | MMR | Region / source / uncertainty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 993 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 718–1540 · Annex 4. |
| 2 | Chad | 748 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 493–1248 · Annex 4. |
| 3 | South Sudan | 692 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 400–1254 · Annex 4. |
| 4 | Central African Republic | 692 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 333–1299 · Annex 4. |
| 5 | Liberia | 628 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 436–913 · Annex 4. |
| 6 | Somalia | 563 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 244–1089 · Annex 4. |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 521 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 339–942 · Annex 4. |
| 8 | Benin | 518 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 393–740 · Annex 4. |
| 9 | Guinea-Bissau | 505 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 313–851 · Annex 4. |
| 10 | Guinea | 494 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 337–764 · Annex 4. |
Point estimates and uncertainty intervals: WHO/UN MMEIG 2025, Annex 4. Displayed point estimates reproduce the whole numbers printed in WHO Annex 4; they are not calculated by re-rounding the two-decimal rank inputs.
Chart: Highest 20 Maternal Mortality Ratio Estimates
Bars are proportional to the original two-decimal MMEIG point estimates used for ranking (Nigeria = 992.83 as the 100% reference). The labels reproduce the WHO Annex 4 printed whole-number point estimates, independently of the two-decimal inputs. No country values are projected to 2026.
Methodology: Source, Ranking Rules and Uncertainty
Metric, unit and direction
Maternal mortality ratio = (estimated maternal deaths during the specified period ÷ live births in that period) × 100,000. The source estimates the indicator; StatRanker does not re-estimate deaths, births or MMR. Larger MMR values rank higher and indicate worse estimated outcomes.
Year, coverage and status
Target year: 2023 for every included row. Publication: 2025 WHO/UN MMEIG report. Retrieval: October 11, 2026. Rank 100 of 195 WHO Annex 4 country/territory entries. All 100 row values are official_value: officially published modeled estimates, not nationally observed counts. No rows are StatRanker-calculated or forecasts.
Numeric source and hierarchy
The sole original numeric series is the 2025 UN MMEIG release for target year 2023. WHO Annex 4 publishes whole-number point estimates and 80% uncertainty intervals used for the visible MMR and UI entries. The two-decimal values used to distinguish ranks and compute descriptive statistics belong to the same MMEIG series; source download routes are supplied through the WHO estimates archive, UNICEF Excel and UNICEF SDMX indicator MNCH_MMR. WHO indicator metadata defines MMR. UNICEF, WHO and their MMEIG partner organizations must not be counted as independent country-estimate publishers. Secondary tables serve only as checks, not replacement numeric sources.
Independent redistribution check
Each of the 100 two-decimal ranking inputs was checked against Statbase's separately maintained 2023 maternal mortality table: 100 of 100 matched exactly at the displayed two-decimal precision. Nations Inquiry was used as a second secondary check of the upper ranks and the #98–#102 boundary. The published WHO Annex 4 supplies the separate whole-number labels and 80% uncertainty intervals. These comparisons validate the reported numbers across publications, but two redistributors of the same MMEIG release are not independent primary datasets; this cross-check is not presented as a direct row-by-row extraction from the WHO ZIP or UNICEF XLSX downloads.
Inclusion, geography and exclusion
Use 2023 MMEIG point estimates for named countries/territories with a published 80% uncertainty interval; exclude global and regional aggregates, older estimation releases, other years and missing rows. Rank the 195 country/territory estimates descending by two-decimal value and retain 100. Top 10 and Top 20 are subsets of those 100. The broad Africa / Americas / Asia / Oceania categories used in filters and regional counts are continent groups for this page, not WHO's six health regions; they do not measure population or birth shares.
Rounding, rank and the cutoff
Order the 2023 MMEIG two-decimal values from highest to lowest. Do not derive the table's whole-number display values by rounding those two-decimal values. Instead reproduce the whole-number point estimates as printed in WHO Annex 4, and use the two-decimal figures solely for rank order and calculations. The distinctions matter at .50: Afghanistan is 520.50 in the two-decimal series but 521 in the WHO report; Indonesia is 140.50 but 140; Libya is 59.50 but 59. These examples cannot all be reconstructed by one rounding rule applied to the displayed two-decimal inputs, so the separately published WHO Annex 4 integers must be treated as the display source. At the cutoff, Mexico 42.11 (#100) exceeds Kyrgyzstan 41.90 (#101) and Seychelles 41.89 (#102), although WHO prints all three as 42. South Sudan (691.82) exceeds the Central African Republic (691.74), although both display as 692. These point-estimate differences are not evidence of statistically distinct underlying risk.
80% uncertainty intervals
Every row lists the WHO 80% uncertainty interval (UI): the lower and upper estimates. Wide or overlapping intervals limit confidence in fine-grained comparisons; they are not errors or independent forecasts. Point-estimate ranks do not account for interval overlap. Small-country values can be especially uncertain.
StatRanker calculations from 100 source values
Using the 100 original 2023 MMEIG ratios (two-decimal inputs), the arithmetic sum is 21,392.28 ratio units; the unweighted mean = 21,392.28 ÷ 100 = 213.9228, shown as 213.92. The median = (rank 50 Marshall Islands 154.79 + rank 51 Bolivia 146.37) ÷ 2 = 150.58. Mean minus median = 213.9228 − 150.58 = 63.34 after display rounding. Nigeria minus Chad = 992.83 − 747.54 = 245.29. Africa count = 50 ÷ 100 = 50%; Africa among Top 20 = 19 ÷ 20 = 95%. Country values are estimates published by MMEIG; these descriptive summaries are StatRanker calculations, not MMEIG country estimates, global ratios or forecasts.
Data conflicts, updates and limitations
Use one MMEIG release throughout. Conflicting earlier revisions or country records are not averaged into these figures; a newer MMEIG round would need a full re-extraction and fresh rank verification. No 2023 entries are stale relative to the stated comparison year, and no 2024–2026 estimates are substituted. Country estimates remain uncertain because of incomplete registration and misclassification. MMR is not a count of maternal deaths, a percentage of live births, an individual woman's lifetime risk, or a directly measured quality-of-care score.
Main Ranking: Top 100 Countries by Maternal Mortality Ratio
Use the filters to find countries or regions, view source status, sort existing rows and switch between the first 10, first 20 or all 100 positions. The MMR column is a ratio per 100,000 live births. Every row includes its target year, official publication status, numeric publisher and 80% uncertainty interval.
Rank · Country · 2023 maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births · Region / status / WHO 80% UI
| Rank | Country | MMR | Region / source / uncertainty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 993 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 718–1540 · Annex 4. |
| 2 | Chad | 748 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 493–1248 · Annex 4. |
| 3 | South Sudan | 692 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 400–1254 · Annex 4. |
| 4 | Central African Republic | 692 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 333–1299 · Annex 4. |
| 5 | Liberia | 628 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 436–913 · Annex 4. |
| 6 | Somalia | 563 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 244–1089 · Annex 4. |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 521 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 339–942 · Annex 4. |
| 8 | Benin | 518 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 393–740 · Annex 4. |
| 9 | Guinea-Bissau | 505 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 313–851 · Annex 4. |
| 10 | Guinea | 494 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 337–764 · Annex 4. |
| 11 | Lesotho | 478 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 298–725 · Annex 4. |
| 12 | Madagascar | 445 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 326–652 · Annex 4. |
| 13 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 427 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 283–775 · Annex 4. |
| 14 | Burundi | 392 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 251–611 · Annex 4. |
| 15 | Mauritania | 381 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 263–561 · Annex 4. |
| 16 | Kenya | 379 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 267–547 · Annex 4. |
| 17 | Mali | 367 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 268–498 · Annex 4. |
| 18 | Cote d'Ivoire | 359 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 237–568 · Annex 4. |
| 19 | Zimbabwe | 358 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 236–484 · Annex 4. |
| 20 | Gambia | 354 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 245–504 · Annex 4. |
| 21 | Sierra Leone | 354 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 249–537 · Annex 4. |
| 22 | Niger | 350 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 227–563 · Annex 4. |
| 23 | Togo | 349 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 219–526 · Annex 4. |
| 24 | Haiti | 328 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 218–569 · Annex 4. |
| 25 | Eritrea | 291 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 176–483 · Annex 4. |
| 26 | United Republic of Tanzania | 276 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 192–429 · Annex 4. |
| 27 | Nauru | 273 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 119–639 · Annex 4. |
| 28 | Cameroon | 258 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 196–359 · Annex 4. |
| 29 | Sudan | 256 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 159–415 · Annex 4. |
| 30 | Burkina Faso | 242 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 155–367 · Annex 4. |
| 31 | Congo | 241 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 144–453 · Annex 4. |
| 32 | Senegal | 237 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 173–365 · Annex 4. |
| 33 | Ghana | 234 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 155–344 · Annex 4. |
| 34 | Gabon | 233 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 134–424 · Annex 4. |
| 35 | Rwanda | 229 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 158–373 · Annex 4. |
| 36 | Venezuela | 227 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 148–371 · Annex 4. |
| 37 | Malawi | 225 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 153–352 · Annex 4. |
| 38 | Ethiopia | 195 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 128–332 · Annex 4. |
| 39 | Timor-Leste | 192 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 125–288 · Annex 4. |
| 40 | Papua New Guinea | 189 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 119–307 · Annex 4. |
| 41 | Myanmar | 185 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 124–311 · Annex 4. |
| 42 | Angola | 183 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 117–286 · Annex 4. |
| 43 | Comoros | 179 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 103–308 · Annex 4. |
| 44 | Equatorial Guinea | 174 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 103–309 · Annex 4. |
| 45 | Uganda | 170 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 116–298 · Annex 4. |
| 46 | Tuvalu | 170 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 75–409 · Annex 4. |
| 47 | Djibouti | 162 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 80–337 · Annex 4. |
| 48 | Botswana | 155 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 96–268 · Annex 4. |
| 49 | Pakistan | 155 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 107–241 · Annex 4. |
| 50 | Marshall Islands | 155 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 72–348 · Annex 4. |
| 51 | Bolivia | 146 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 98–243 · Annex 4. |
| 52 | Nepal | 142 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 99–234 · Annex 4. |
| 53 | Indonesia | 140 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 93–235 · Annex 4. |
| 54 | Namibia | 139 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 91–223 · Annex 4. |
| 55 | Cambodia | 137 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 96–239 · Annex 4. |
| 56 | Jamaica | 130 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 96–175 · Annex 4. |
| 57 | Micronesia (Federated States of) | 129 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 56–302 · Annex 4. |
| 58 | Dominican Republic | 124 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 86–185 · Annex 4. |
| 59 | Solomon Islands | 123 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 65–231 · Annex 4. |
| 60 | Yemen | 118 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 71–212 · Annex 4. |
| 61 | Eswatini | 118 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 72–209 · Annex 4. |
| 62 | South Africa | 118 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 92–137 · Annex 4. |
| 63 | Bangladesh | 115 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 82–167 · Annex 4. |
| 64 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 112 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 75–182 · Annex 4. |
| 65 | Samoa | 101 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 46–233 · Annex 4. |
| 66 | Vanuatu | 100 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 38–265 · Annex 4. |
| 67 | Guatemala | 94 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 82–106 · Annex 4. |
| 68 | Palau | 89 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 38–209 · Annex 4. |
| 69 | Zambia | 85 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 61–126 · Annex 4. |
| 70 | Philippines | 84 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 64–119 · Annex 4. |
| 71 | Suriname | 84 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 54–121 · Annex 4. |
| 72 | Mozambique | 82 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 60–113 · Annex 4. |
| 73 | India | 80 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 73–87 · Annex 4. |
| 74 | Kiribati | 80 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 34–152 · Annex 4. |
| 75 | Bahamas | 76 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 50–130 · Annex 4. |
| 76 | Sao Tome and Principe | 75 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 42–138 · Annex 4. |
| 77 | Guyana | 75 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 59–103 · Annex 4. |
| 78 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 74 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 36–118 · Annex 4. |
| 79 | Morocco | 70 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 51–94 · Annex 4. |
| 80 | Brazil | 67 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 52–88 · Annex 4. |
| 81 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 67 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 38–114 · Annex 4. |
| 82 | Belize | 67 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 39–111 · Annex 4. |
| 83 | Tonga | 67 | Oceania · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 30–156 · Annex 4. |
| 84 | Iraq | 66 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 41–116 · Annex 4. |
| 85 | Mauritius | 66 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 44–105 · Annex 4. |
| 86 | Algeria | 62 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 46–87 · Annex 4. |
| 87 | Nicaragua | 60 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 45–77 · Annex 4. |
| 88 | Libya | 59 | Africa · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 23–154 · Annex 4. |
| 89 | Colombia | 59 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 45–76 · Annex 4. |
| 90 | Paraguay | 58 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 42–81 · Annex 4. |
| 91 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 56 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 32–87 · Annex 4. |
| 92 | Ecuador | 55 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 48–66 · Annex 4. |
| 93 | Trinidad and Tobago | 54 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 40–69 · Annex 4. |
| 94 | Peru | 51 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 40–62 · Annex 4. |
| 95 | Grenada | 48 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 29–95 · Annex 4. |
| 96 | Viet Nam | 48 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 31–69 · Annex 4. |
| 97 | Honduras | 47 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 37–62 · Annex 4. |
| 98 | Bhutan | 47 | Asia · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 30–69 · Annex 4. |
| 99 | Saint Lucia | 44 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 26–77 · Annex 4. |
| 100 | Mexico | 42 | Americas · official_value · UN MMEIG 2023 estimate (2025 release; UNICEF SDMX decimals / WHO Annex 4 rounded) · 80% UI 32–50 · Annex 4. Exact underlying MMEIG value: 42.11; it exceeds the rounded-tie values for Kyrgyzstan (41.90) and Seychelles (41.89). |
Ranks 1–100 are derived by sorting the original two-decimal MMEIG point estimates; WHO report-rounding can produce identical displayed whole numbers. All per-row 80% intervals are from WHO Annex 4. Decimal ranking inputs come from the 2023 UNICEF SDMX series. No country was assigned a 2026 figure. 100 of 100 rows shown.
Four Findings from the 2023 Top 100 Dataset
Key Insight
Nigeria's source estimate of 992.83 exceeds Chad's 747.54 by 245.29 per 100,000 live births (992.83 − 747.54). WHO displays these as 993 and 748, respectively. Yet their WHO 80% intervals, 718–1,540 and 493–1,248, overlap. The gap is between point estimates, not a certainty interval for their difference.
Notable Pattern
The Top 100 unweighted mean is 213.92, versus a median of 150.58. The difference, 63.34, reflects an upper tail of very high ratios in the selected group. Neither statistic equals the global WHO estimate of 197, which is calculated using live-birth-weighted country inputs.
Regional / Source Concentration
50 of 100 entries are in Africa, including 19 of the Top 20 (95%). The rest of the Top 100: 23 Americas, 16 Asia and 11 Oceania. These are geographic counts of countries, not shares of births or maternal deaths; all values come from one MMEIG series.
Outlier and Uncertainty
Nauru ranks 27th at 273 (80% UI 119–639), next to Cameroon at rank 28 with 258 (UI 196–359). Their interval widths are 520 and 163, respectively. Similar point estimates can have very different uncertainty.
What the Ranking Means — and What It Does Not
The ranking compares modeled risk per live birth, not the number of deaths. As a concrete contrast, Annex 4 reports about 75,000 maternal deaths in Nigeria and about one in Nauru, although both appear in the Top 100 ratio table. Rankings should not be used to estimate national case counts by multiplying them by total population.
Close places may be indistinguishable once uncertainty is considered. The 80% UI matters more than small differences in rounded ranks. When comparing countries over time, use the same UN MMEIG estimation round because revisions can alter past years. The 2026 label describes the retrieval snapshot only; the year of measurement throughout this page is 2023.
WHO and UNICEF identify quality and access to maternal care, as well as conflict and health-system fragility, as important context for global disparities. This descriptive table alone cannot establish why a particular country has its observed estimate. It cannot diagnose the quality of individual hospitals, predict outcomes for an individual pregnancy, or substitute for local maternal-health statistics.
FAQ: Maternal Mortality Ratio by Country
Which country has the highest maternal mortality ratio?
Nigeria is first in the 2023 UN MMEIG estimates, with a WHO report-rounded point estimate of 993 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and an 80% UI of 718–1,540. The second-highest is Chad at 748.
Are these 2026 maternal mortality figures?
No. These are estimates for 2023, published by WHO/UN MMEIG in 2025 and presented as a 2026 snapshot based on the latest available data. The table does not extrapolate 2023 values to 2026.
What does an MMR of 993 mean?
It is the WHO report-rounded estimate of 993 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Nigeria in 2023. Maternal deaths are those caused or aggravated by pregnancy or its management during pregnancy or within 42 days after its end, excluding accidental or incidental causes. The estimate is a ratio, not a count of 993 deaths or an individual pregnancy probability.
Are these official national mortality statistics?
They are officially published UN inter-agency modeled estimates. Countries may report different directly registered national figures. WHO harmonizes data for comparison and publishes uncertainty intervals. In the dataset's status system these are official_value, not unadjusted observations.
Why are South Sudan and the Central African Republic both shown at 692?
WHO Annex 4 rounds both 2023 point estimates to 692. The more precise underlying estimates distinguish South Sudan (691.82) and the Central African Republic (691.74), but their intervals overlap considerably, so a precise risk ranking should not be inferred.
Why is Mexico 100th when other countries also round to 42?
The original UN MMEIG decimal values place Mexico at 42.11, ahead of Kyrgyzstan at 41.90 and Seychelles at 41.89. WHO displays all three rounded to 42. Exactly 100 entries are retained by comparing the original two-decimal MMEIG values distributed via UNICEF SDMX.
Does the 80% uncertainty interval change the rankings?
No. This ranking sorts published point estimates; the interval is supplied to show uncertainty. Overlapping intervals mean a difference between point-estimate ranks is not proof of a corresponding difference in true mortality risk.
Is the global WHO MMR of 197 the average of these 100 entries?
No. The global WHO estimate of 197 in 2023 uses global births and maternal deaths. This page's 213.92 unweighted mean is calculated only across its selected 100 countries' original two-decimal MMEIG ratios.
Are any values forecasts or StatRanker projections?
No. All 100 country values are estimates published by MMEIG for the 2023 target year. StatRanker calculates only descriptive summaries such as the mean, median, rank gaps and regional counts; it does not forecast country MMRs.
Sources and Evidence Roles
All country estimates belong to one official UN MMEIG statistical series. Pages from participating agencies and downstream visualizations are not independent numeric publishers, and contextual WHO material is not a substitute for the published estimates.
WHO / UN MMEIG — Trends in Maternal Mortality 2000–2023
2025 official joint report, Annex 4: published whole-number 2023 MMR point estimates, 80% uncertainty intervals and study scope; the official WHO complete data archive below provides the published input dataset and estimates. The report PDF hosted by UNICEF is linked separately for direct inspection of Annex 4.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240108462
Official report (PDF; see Annex 4 for the 2023 published point estimates and uncertainty intervals):
https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Trends-in-maternal-mortality-2020-2023.pdf
Official WHO complete input dataset and estimates (ZIP; linked directly from the report publication page):
UNICEF SDMX Data Warehouse — MMEIG 2025 MNCH_MMR
UNICEF-distributed 2025 MMEIG 2023 series, indicator MNCH_MMR. The official Excel workbook and 2023 SDMX query below provide routes to the source-series records; secondary two-decimal checks are documented separately, not represented as a completed extraction of these downloads. These represent the same joint MMEIG release as the WHO report, not a second independent publisher. UNICEF labels its downloadable dataset CC BY 3.0 IGO; attribution to MMEIG is required.
Official UNICEF 2000–2023 MMEIG estimate workbook (XLSX; linked from the UNICEF data resource page):
UNICEF data resource page and SDMX API documentation:
https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/maternal-mortality-data-2000-2020/
WHO Indicator Metadata — Maternal Mortality Ratio
Definition of MMR, denominator, estimation hierarchy, causes of underreporting and international comparability.
Nations Inquiry — Maternal Mortality Ratio 2023
Secondary cross-check of high-ranking countries and the rank 98–102 cutoff. This website republishes UNICEF/UN MMEIG estimates and is not an independent original numeric source.
Statbase — Maternal Mortality Ratio by Country
Separately maintained table attributed to the MMEIG/WHO series. All 100 two-decimal country estimates in this ranking were compared in descending order to this publication, with 100 exact matches. Ranks 101 and 102 were also checked for the Top 100 cutoff. The table provides a cross-publication verification, not a separate estimate produced by Statbase.
https://statbase.org/datasets/healthcare/maternal-mortality-ratio/
WHO — Maternal Mortality Fact Sheet
Interpretation of maternal mortality, preventable causes, care access and global inequities; not a replacement for the country values in Annex 4.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
