Midwives on the frontlines of fighting maternal death in Somalia

05 May 2016

Two midwives place an intravenous drip for a patient at the maternity ward of Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu. © UN Photo/Tobin Jones

News

A new mobile app brings the digital revolution to adolescent maternal care in Uganda

08 April 2016

Team GetIN members (left to right) Hope Kirabo, Busingye Joshua, Gift Mbabazi and Donald Rukanga during a field visit to Kanungu district. © UNFPA Uganda

News

Pulled: Tapping into the power of midwives to reduce maternal mortality in Guatemala

23 March 2016

Expectant mother Paola gets a prenatal check-up from midwife Natividad Coc. © Copa Airlines/Carlos Eduardo Gómez

News

Five of the greatest sexual health advances since the birth of the UN

23 October 2015

Over the last 70 years, there has been remarkable progress in sexual and reproductive health. Women learn about family planning at a clinic in Tunisia in 1987. © UN Photo/John Isaac

News

Changing the dialogue: Speaking out against female genital mutilation in Indonesia

03 February 2016

In Indonesia, 51% per cent of women under the age of 19 have been subjected to FGM. © UNFPA Indonesia

News

Acceptance of family planning grows in Afghanistan, but myths linger

23 November 2015

Nargis, a midwife, provides family planning counselling in Herat, Afghanistan. © UNFPA Afghanistan/Ahmadullah Amarkhil

News

Majority of maternal deaths take place in crises and fragile conditions

13 November 2015

Rose Yangu, a refugee from South Sudan, after safely giving birth in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in Uganda. UNFPA supports safe deliveries in emergency situations. © UNFPA/Eveyln Kiapi

Publications

Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015

Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division

Number of pages: 98

Publication date: 12 November 2015

Author: WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division

The global maternal death ratio fell by 44 per cent between 1990 and 2015. The total number of maternal deaths around the world dropped from about 532,000 in 1990 to an estimated 303,000 in 2015. This equates to an estimated global maternal death ratio of 216 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 385 in 1990.

Press release

Maternal death ratio has fallen 44 per cent since 1990 – UN

12 November 2015

News

Health experts call for renewed focus on maternal, child deaths

27 October 2015

Preventable maternal and newborn deaths continue to plague much of the world. Women and their newborns wait for care at a UNFPA-supported health centre in Haiti. © Jared Chambers

Subscribe to Midwifery