Despite the technological advancements, the maternal mortality ratio in African nations remain high
The advancement in the healthcare facilities has fortunately reduced the global maternal mortality rate. Major factors include the increasing health consciousness among both men and women, importance of hygiene, proper medication, and proper family planning.
According to a World Bank data of 2015, the maternal mortality ratio around the world stood at 216 per 100,000 live births. This was a refreshing climbdown from 1990 when the figure stood at 385 per 100,000 live births. However, there were stark contradictions around the world. While the European Union witnessed a maternal mortality ratio of just 8 per 100,000 in 2015, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the figure stood at an astounding 547 per 100,000 live births.
There was a wide disparity among regions as well. The African nation of Sierra Leone witnessed a maternal mortality ratio of a whopping 1,360 per 100,000 live births in 2105, earning it the unenviable number one spot. In comparison, Cape Verde, located off the northwest coast of Africa witnessed a maternal mortality ratio of 42 per 100,000 live births, making it the lowest among the African nations. The startling fact was that most maternal mortality per 100,000 live births was in African nations.
In South Asia, the maternal mortality ratio in 2015 stood at 182 per 100,000 live births. Nepal stood at the higher end with a ratio of 258 to 100,000, while Sri Lanka witnessed a ratio of just 30 per 100,000 live births. The United States saw a maternal mortality ratio of 14 per 100,000 live births while in Canada it was just 7.
| Country | Maternal Mortality Ratio (2015) |
| Sierra Leone | 1,360 |
| Central African Republic | 882 |
| Chad | 856 |
| Nigeria | 814 |
| South Sudan | 789 |
| Somalia | 732 |
| Liberia | 725 |
| Burundi | 712 |
| Gambia, The | 706 |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | 693 |
| Guinea | 679 |
| Cote d’Ivoire | 645 |
| Malawi | 634 |
| Mauritania | 602 |
| Cameroon | 596 |
| Mali | 587 |
| Niger | 553 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 549 |
| Kenya | 510 |
| Eritrea | 501 |
| Mozambique | 489 |
| Lesotho | 487 |
| Angola | 477 |
| Zimbabwe | 443 |
| Congo, Rep. | 442 |
| Benin | 405 |
| Tanzania | 398 |
| Afghanistan | 396 |
| Swaziland | 389 |
| Yemen, Rep. | 385 |
| Burkina Faso | 371 |
| Togo | 368 |
| Haiti | 359 |
| Ethiopia | 353 |
| Madagascar | 353 |
| Uganda | 343 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 342 |
| Comoros | 335 |
| Ghana | 319 |
| Senegal | 315 |
| Sudan | 311 |
| Gabon | 291 |
| Rwanda | 290 |
| Namibia | 265 |
| Nepal | 258 |
| Djibouti | 229 |
| Guyana | 229 |
| Zambia | 224 |
| Papua New Guinea | 215 |
| Timor-Leste | 215 |
| Bolivia | 206 |
| Lao PDR | 197 |
| Myanmar | 178 |
| Pakistan | 178 |
| Bangladesh | 176 |
| India | 174 |
| Cambodia | 161 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 156 |
| Suriname | 155 |
| Nicaragua | 150 |
| Bhutan | 148 |
| Algeria | 140 |
| South Africa | 138 |
| Paraguay | 132 |
| Botswana | 129 |
| Honduras | 129 |
| Indonesia | 126 |
| Tonga | 124 |
| Morocco | 121 |
| Philippines | 114 |
| Solomon Islands | 114 |
| Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 100 |
| Caribbean small states | 99 |
| Venezuela, RB | 95 |
| Panama | 94 |
| Dominican Republic | 92 |
| Kiribati | 90 |
| Jamaica | 89 |
| Guatemala | 88 |
| Korea, Dem. People’s Rep. | 82 |
| Bahamas, The | 80 |
| Vanuatu | 78 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 76 |
| Maldives | 68 |
| Peru | 68 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 68 |
| Colombia | 64 |
| Ecuador | 64 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 63 |
| Tunisia | 62 |
| Jordan | 58 |
| El Salvador | 54 |
| Vietnam | 54 |
| Mauritius | 53 |
| Argentina | 52 |
| Samoa | 51 |
| Iraq | 50 |
| St. Lucia | 48 |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 45 |
| West Bank and Gaza | 45 |
| Brazil | 44 |
| Mongolia | 44 |
| Cabo Verde | 42 |
| Turkmenistan | 42 |
| Malaysia | 40 |
| Cuba | 39 |
| Mexico | 38 |
| Georgia | 36 |
| Uzbekistan | 36 |
| Egypt, Arab Rep. | 33 |
| Tajikistan | 32 |
| Romania | 31 |
| Fiji | 30 |
| Sri Lanka | 30 |
| Albania | 29 |
| Belize | 28 |
| Barbados | 27 |
| China | 27 |
| Grenada | 27 |
| Armenia | 25 |
| Azerbaijan | 25 |
| Costa Rica | 25 |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | 25 |
| Russian Federation | 25 |
| Ukraine | 24 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 23 |
| Moldova | 23 |
| Chile | 22 |
| Thailand | 20 |
| Latvia | 18 |
| Hungary | 17 |
| Oman | 17 |
| Serbia | 17 |
| Turkey | 16 |
| Bahrain | 15 |
| Lebanon | 15 |
| Uruguay | 15 |
| Puerto Rico | 14 |
| United States | 14 |
| North America | 13 |
| Qatar | 13 |
| Kazakhstan | 12 |
| Saudi Arabia | 12 |
| Bulgaria | 11 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11 |
| Korea, Rep. | 11 |
| New Zealand | 11 |
| Lithuania | 10 |
| Luxembourg | 10 |
| Portugal | 10 |
| Singapore | 10 |
| Estonia | 9 |
| United Kingdom | 9 |
| Libya | 9 |
| Malta | 9 |
| Slovenia | 9 |
| France | 8 |
| Croatia | 8 |
| Ireland | 8 |
| Macedonia, FYR | 8 |
| Belgium | 7 |
| Canada | 7 |
| Cyprus | 7 |
| Montenegro | 7 |
| Netherlands | 7 |
| United Arab Emirates | 6 |
| Australia | 6 |
| Germany | 6 |
| Denmark | 6 |
| Slovak Republic | 6 |
| Switzerland | 5 |
| Spain | 5 |
| Israel | 5 |
| Japan | 5 |
| Norway | 5 |
| Austria | 4 |
| Belarus | 4 |
| Czech Republic | 4 |
| Italy | 4 |
| Kuwait | 4 |
| Sweden | 4 |
| Finland | 3 |
| Greece | 3 |
| Iceland | 3 |
| Poland | 3 |
(Data sourced from World Bank)
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