Every pregnancy and every birth carries a certain risk for mother and child. But far too many pregnant women are still dying worldwide, the WHO criticizes. Access to healthcare and contraceptives could save many women’s lives.
According to a United Nations report, every two minutes a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth. According to a published report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN organizations, there were an estimated 287,000 deaths worldwide in 2020.
While the death rate fell between 2000 and 2015, it has practically stagnated since then or has even increased regionally. The data in the report goes up to 2020. The effects of the corona pandemic, when many clinics had to take care of people infected with corona, are not yet shown in it.
The situation in poorer regions and countries with conflicts is particularly dramatic, it said. According to this report, 70 percent of the deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. “No mother should fear for her life when giving birth, especially when the knowledge and resources to treat common complications are available,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Complications include heavy bleeding, high blood pressure, consequences of unsafe abortions or diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, which can be exacerbated by pregnancy.
Good health care close by would save many women, the report said. They also need access to contraceptives to plan their pregnancies and thereby better protect their health.
One of the development goals of the United Nations is to reduce maternal mortality by 2030, from 339 per 100,000 live births in 2000 to under 70. In 2020 the number was 223. In Germany, according to the Federal Institute for Population Research, the number was under four in 2020 deceased mothers per 100,000 live births.