Aid cuts threaten fragile progress in the end of maternal deaths, warn the United Nations agencies

Today, women are more likely than ever to survive pregnancy and childbirth according to a new major report published today, but the United Nations (UN) agencies highlight the threat of major decline as unprecedented assistance reductions take effect worldwide.

Released World Health Day, the United Nations report, maternal mortality trends, show a global drop of 40% in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 – largely due to improving access to essential health services. However, the report reveals that the rate of improvement has slowed considerably since 2016 and that 260,000 women died in 2023 due to complications in pregnancy or delivery – almost equivalent to maternal death every two minutes.

The report comes while humanitarian financing reductions have serious impacts on essential health care in many regions of the world, forcing countries to restore vital services for maternal, newborn and child health. These cuts led to installation closures and the loss of health workers, while disturbing supply chains for rescue supplies and drugs such as treatments for hemorrhage, pre -eclampsia and malaria – all the main causes of maternal death.

Without urgent action, agencies warn that pregnant women in several countries will face serious repercussions – in particular those in a humanitarian environment where maternal deaths are already alarming.

“Although this report shows glows of hope, the data also highlights how dangerous pregnancy is in a large part of the world today despite the fact that there are solutions to prevent and treat complications that cause the vast majority of maternal deaths,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “In addition to ensuring access to quality maternity care, it will be essential to strengthen the underlying health and reproductive rights of women and girls-factors that underlie their prospects for healthy results during pregnancy and beyond.”

The report also provides the first global account of the impact of the COVVI-19 pandemic on maternal survival. In 2021, around 40,000 more women died due to pregnancy or childbirth – going to 322,000 against 282,000 the previous year. This resurgence was linked not only to the direct complications caused by COVID-19, but also to the interruptions spread to maternity services. This highlights the importance of guaranteeing such care during pandemics and other emergencies, noting that pregnant women need reliable access to routine services and checks as well as urgent care 24 hours a day.

“When a mother dies during pregnancy or childbirth, her baby’s life is also in danger. Too often, the two are lost for causes that we know how to prevent, “said UNICEF director Catherine Russell. “The global reductions in the financing of health services put more pregnant women in danger, especially in the most fragile contexts, by limiting their access to essential care during pregnancy and the support they need when they give birth. The world must urgently invest in midwives, nurses and community health workers to ensure that each mother and baby has a chance to survive and prosper. “

The report highlights persistent inequalities between regions and countries, as well as unequal progress. With maternal mortality down around 40% between 2000 and 2023, sub -Saharan Africa carried out significant gains – and was one of the three regions of the UN alongside Australia and New Zealand, and South Asia, to see significant declines after 2015. However, confronted with high levels of poverty and multiple conflicts, the region of sub -Saharan Africa counted Another 70% of maternal death.

Indicating a slowdown in progress, maternal mortality stagnated in five regions after 2015: North Africa and Western Asia, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), North Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Access to quality maternal health services is a right, not a privilege, and we all share urgent responsibility for building well-resourced health systems that protect the life of each pregnant and newborn woman,” said Dr Natalia Kanem, executive director of UNFPA. “By increasing the supply chains, the midwifery workforce and the disintegrated data necessary to identify the most at risk, we can and must put an end to the tragedy of avoidable maternal deaths and their enormous toll on families and societies.”

Pregnant women living in humanitarian emergencies face some of the highest risks in the world, according to the report. Two -thirds of global maternal deaths are now occurring in countries affected by fragility or conflicts. For women in these contexts, the risks are astounding: a 15 -year -old girl faces a risk out of 51 on a maternal cause at some point during her life, against 1 in 593 in more stable countries. The highest risks are found in Chad and in the Central African Republic (1 of 24), followed by Nigeria (1 in 25), Somalia (1 in 30) and Afghanistan (1 in 40).

Beyond the insurance of critical services during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, the report notes the importance of efforts aimed at improving the overall health of women by improving access to family planning services, as well as preventing underlying health conditions such as anmes, malaria and non-transmitted diseases that increase risks. It will also be essential to ensure that girls stay in school and that women and girls have knowledge and resources to protect their health.

An urgent investment is necessary to prevent maternal deaths. The world is currently off -piste to achieve the objective of the UN sustainable development objective for maternal survival. Globally, the maternal mortality ratio should drop by around 15% each year to reach the target of 2030 – increasing considerably compared to the current annual rates of decrease by approximately 1.5%.

Note to publishers

On the Inter-Agence group of the United Nations maternal mortality
The report was produced by WHO in the name of the United Nations for the estimation of maternal mortality, an inter-agencies including WHO, UNICEF, FNUE, the World Bank Group and the Division of the Population of the United Nations Ministry of Economic and Social Affairs. It uses national data to estimate the levels and trends in maternal mortality from 2000 to 2023. The data of this new publication covers 195 countries and territories. It replaces all the previous estimates published by the WHO and the Inter-Agences of the United Nations maternal mortality.

About data
The SDG objective for maternal deaths concerns a global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 living births by 2030. The world mmr in 2023 was estimated at 197 maternal deaths per 100,000 living births, against 211 in 2020 and from 328 in 2000.

The report includes the disaggregated data by the following regions, used for ODD reports: Central Asia and South Asia; Sub -Saharan Africa; North America and Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; Western Asia and North Africa; Australia and New Zealand; East Asia and Southeast Asia, and Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand.

A maternal death is a death due to complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, occurring when a woman is pregnant or within six weeks of the end of pregnancy.

About World Health Day
World Health Day is marked in the world on April 7. Each year, it draws attention to a specific health subject concerning for people around the world. The 2025 global health day campaign focuses on improving the health and survival of kindergartens and newborns with the theme of “healthy beginnings, future hope”. The campaign urges governments and the health community to accelerate efforts to end maternal deaths and avoidable newborns, and to prioritize health and well-term well-term women.