Despite decades of progress in medical science and expanded access to healthcare, the year 2023 marked a somber milestone in global maternal health. According to a new United Nations report released on World Health Day 2025, an estimated 260,000 women lost their lives due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth last year. This translates to one maternal death every two minutes an alarming statistic that underscores persistent inequalities and systemic gaps in healthcare across the globe.
The report, titled Trends in Maternal Mortality, paints a stark picture of how fragile progress in maternal healthcare truly is. While advancements in medical technology and training have saved countless lives, these benefits have not been equitably distributed. Women in fragile states, conflict zones, and impoverished regions remain disproportionately at risk. In places like Chad, the Central African Republic, and Somalia, where healthcare systems are chronically underfunded and destabilised by ongoing conflict, the risks associated with pregnancy are significantly higher. Sub-Saharan Africa, despite making strides, still accounts for about 70 percent of global maternal deaths.
Among the most pressing concerns highlighted in the report are the effects of widespread humanitarian funding cuts. These reductions have led to the closure of essential health facilities, a shortage of trained medical personnel, and interruptions in the supply of life-saving medicines. Without access to drugs that treat common but deadly complications such as haemorrhage, eclampsia, and malaria, pregnant women in vulnerable regions face heightened risks that should be preventable.
The COVID-19 pandemic also had a lingering impact on maternal mortality. In 2021 alone, an estimated 40,000 additional maternal deaths were linked to both direct complications from the virus and the strain it placed on already overburdened healthcare systems. These disruptions often resulted in the suspension of routine maternity services, leaving women without the support they needed during pregnancy and childbirth. The crisis served as a grim reminder of how quickly progress can be derailed when health systems lack resilience.
World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised the importance of focusing on maternal care and reproductive rights, stating that pregnancy remains a dangerous period in many parts of the world despite the existence of known solutions. His call to action was echoed by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, who stressed the critical need for consistent funding and support for maternal health services, particularly in conflict-affected regions.
The report calls for urgent and comprehensive action. This includes not only investing in maternal healthcare infrastructure but also improving women’s general health and well-being. Ensuring access to family planning, treating non-communicable diseases, and keeping girls in school are all linked to better maternal outcomes. These efforts, combined with robust healthcare systems and trained professionals, are essential to saving lives.
Perhaps most concerning is the finding that the world is currently off-track to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. Achieving this would require an annual reduction rate of about 15 percent ten times the current pace. Without decisive leadership and increased investment, the tragic loss of mothers will continue at an unacceptable rate, threatening not only individual lives but also the well-being of families and communities worldwide.
