240,000 Women Died From Maternal Causes in 2023 — What The Lancet’s New Study Means For You
Published today in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health — a landmark study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington has released the most up-to-date global data on maternal mortality. The numbers are striking. And the implications for women’s health reach far beyond pregnancy.
Quick Summary: What This Study Found
In 2023, 240,000 women died from maternal causes worldwide — accounting for 5.5% of all deaths among women and girls aged 10–54. Progress has slowed dramatically since 2015. More than 100 countries still fall short of the UN Sustainable Development Goal target. The leading causes — hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders — remain largely preventable.
What The Study Actually Found
The Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, published today in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, estimates that 240,000 women died from maternal causes in 2023. That figure represents 5.5% of all deaths among women and girls between the ages of 10 and 54 worldwide.
The good news is that this number has dropped significantly since 1990, when the global maternal mortality ratio was much higher. The concerning news is that the pace of progress slowed between 2015 and 2023 compared to the previous 15 years — and 104 out of 204 countries and territories have not yet met the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
The hardest-hit regions remain sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and parts of the Caribbean. Nigeria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Pakistan recorded the highest numbers of maternal deaths globally in 2023.
The Causes — And Why They Still Matter
The leading causes of maternal death vary by location, but two consistently dominate the data: maternal hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia. Both are well understood by medicine. Both remain largely preventable with adequate access to antenatal care, safe delivery services, emergency obstetric care, and postpartum follow-up.
The pandemic years added another layer of complexity. Health system disruptions and increased infection risks during pregnancy caused setbacks in many regions. Most areas with data available through 2023 show a return toward pre-pandemic trends — but levels remain far above global targets in much of the world. With fewer than five years left to meet SDG 3.1, researchers say renewed global investment will be critical.
What Is the SDG 3.1 Target?
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 calls for a global maternal mortality ratio of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. In 2023, the global ratio was approximately 190.5 — nearly three times higher than the target. With just five years remaining, the gap is still significant.
Why This Study Matters for Every Woman
This might feel like a distant statistic. But maternal mortality data is one of the most powerful indicators of how health systems treat women overall — not just during pregnancy, but across their entire lives. Countries that underinvest in maternal care typically underinvest in women’s health at every stage.
There’s also a direct personal dimension. If you are pregnant or planning to be, knowing the warning signs of preeclampsia — sudden swelling, severe headaches, vision changes, upper abdominal pain — can be lifesaving. If you’ve already had children, understanding how hormonal shifts after birth affect long-term health is part of the same conversation.
And if you’ve ever felt that your health concerns were minimized or dismissed by a provider, this study is a reminder that you’re not alone — and that the systemic undervaluation of women’s health is a documented, global reality, not a personal failing.
TEOHL Point of View
240,000 preventable deaths in a single year. These are not statistics — they are mothers, daughters, sisters. The fact that hemorrhage and high blood pressure remain the top killers, despite being entirely manageable with proper care, tells us everything we need to know about how the world continues to deprioritize women’s health. Awareness is the first step. Demanding better — from our healthcare systems, our providers, and our policymakers — is the next one.
What This Means For You
Know the warning signs of preeclampsia: sudden swelling, severe headaches, vision changes. If you’re postpartum, don’t ignore symptoms — postpartum hemorrhage can occur up to 12 weeks after delivery. And if your concerns are being dismissed, advocate for yourself. A second opinion is always your right.
