UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan is ranked among four countries — together with Nigeria, India and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) — that accounted for nearly half of the estimated 260,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2023, according to UN data released Monday that has prompted stark warnings about the impact of cuts to aid funding by the U.S. and the U.K.
Maternal deaths include those related to complications during childbirth or pregnancy, three UN agencies said in a joint report.
The Trends in maternal mortality report was published by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA, in observance of World Health Day on 7 April.
The report showed that Nigeria had the highest number of maternal deaths and accounted for more than a quarter (28.7 percent) of all estimated global maternal deaths in 2023, with approximately 75,000 deaths.
Only three other countries had more than 10,000 maternal deaths in 2023—India and DRC tied at 19,000, with Pakistan totaling 11,000. India and DRC accounted for 7.2 percent each, while Pakistan accounted for 4.1 percent of global maternal deaths.
Together, these four countries accounted for almost half (47 percent) of all maternal deaths globally in 2023, according to the report.
The report warned that unprecedented aid cuts are putting global progress to end maternal deaths at risk, and called for greater investment in midwives and other health workers.
It shows that maternal deaths declined by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023, largely due to improved access to essential health services.
As aid funding cuts force countries to roll back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health, the UN agencies appeal for urgent action to prevent maternal deaths, particularly in humanitarian settings where numbers are already alarmingly high.
“While this report shows glimmers of hope, the data also highlights how dangerous pregnancy still is in much of the world today – despite the fact that solutions exist to prevent and treat the complications that cause the vast majority of maternal deaths,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
“In addition to ensuring access to quality maternity care, it will be critical to strengthen the underlying health and reproductive rights of women and girls – factors that underpin their prospects of healthy outcomes during pregnancy and beyond.”
The report also provides the first global account of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on maternal survival.
An estimated 40,000 more women died due to pregnancy or childbirth in 2021, rising to 282,000 in 2022, and to 322,000 the following year.
