News

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
1
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
1
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
1
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
1
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
1

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
1
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
1
News

Grim but essential, autopsies are saving lives in Bangladesh

20 October 2015
Asta Banu and her sister-in-law, Mos Dilifa Begum, work with Gulam Mostafa on a verbal autopsy. Learning the cause of Ms. Banu's son's death could help spare others the same fate. © Nicolas Axelrod/Ruom for UNFPA
1
News

Before it’s too late: Doctors take on one of the deadliest places for women

16 October 2015
In Kelo, Chad, Dr. Youssifou Savadogo shows a class of nurses and midwives how to identify and address labour complications. © UNFPA/Ollivier Girard
1