Maternal Mortality Ratio, Modeled Estimate in South Africa
South Africa: Maternal Mortality Ratio, Modeled Estimate was 118 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Maternal Mortality Ratio, Modeled Estimate in South Africa, 1985–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 118 for maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is down 8.5% on the previous year and down 34.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate in South Africa peaked at 283 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 118, in 2020.
That places South Africa 60th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Maternal Mortality Ratio, Modeled Estimate in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 208 | — |
| 1986 | 200 | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 192 | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 184 | -4.2% |
| 1989 | 177 | -3.8% |
| 1990 | 170 | -4.0% |
| 1991 | 162 | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 152 | -6.2% |
| 1993 | 145 | -4.6% |
| 1994 | 133 | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 125 | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 150 | +20.0% |
| 1997 | 152 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 152 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 151 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 175 | +15.9% |
| 2001 | 192 | +9.7% |
| 2002 | 225 | +17.2% |
| 2003 | 245 | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 259 | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 279 | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 283 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 272 | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 272 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 241 | -11.4% |
| 2010 | 226 | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 202 | -10.6% |
| 2012 | 194 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 180 | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 162 | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 150 | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 141 | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 134 | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 128 | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 119 | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 118 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 191 | +61.9% |
| 2022 | 129 | -32.5% |
| 2023 | 118 | -8.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 118 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 43, 2.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 118 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 257, 46% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Maternal Mortality Ratio, Modeled Estimate in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +61.9% | 118 | 191 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 192.2 | 177 | 208 | 5 |
| 1990s | 149.2 | 125 | 170 | 10 |
| 2000s | 244.3 | 175 | 283 | 10 |
| 2010s | 163.6 | 119 | 226 | 10 |
| 2020s | 139 | 118 | 191 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 57 Micronesia (country) 129 compare
- 58 Dominican Republic 124 compare
- 59 Solomon Islands 123 compare
- 60 Eswatini 118 compare
- 60 Yemen 118 compare
- 63 Bangladesh 115 compare
More gender data for South Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,151 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6591 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 51,011 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 51,011 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate in South Africa?
- Maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate in South Africa was 118 in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 283 in 2006.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 118 in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate?
- South Africa ranks 60th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is maternal mortality ratio, modeled estimate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Maternal Mortality Ratio, Modeled Estimate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.