One woman dies every 2 minutes in pregnancy, childbirth: UN

The International Desk

Published: February 23, 2023, 10:52 AM

One woman dies every 2 minutes in pregnancy, childbirth: UN

According to the most recent statistics given by United Nations on Thursday, in every 2 minutes, 1 women dies during their pregnancy or delivery time.

The overall maternal mortality rate dropped by 34.3 percent over a 20-year period from 339 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 223 maternal deaths in 2020, reports UN agencies.

Nearly 800 women died per day in 2020 or around one every two minutes.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "While pregnancy should be a time of immense hope and a positive experience for all women, it is tragically still a shockingly dangerous experience for millions around the world".

The statistics are a reveal and should be a matter of concern. It is very urgent to ensure every woman and girl to have the access to clinical health services.

Maternal deaths remain largely concentrated in the world‍‍`s poorest regions and in conflict-affected countries.

Around 70 percent of those deaths recorded in 2020 were in sub-Saharan Africa, where the rate is "136 times bigger" than in Australia and New Zealand, Cresswell said.

The WHO said it was "critical" that women had control over their reproductive health particularly about if and when to have children, so that they can plan and space childbearing to protect their health.

Natalia Kanem, head of the UN Population Fund, said the rate of women "needlessly" dying was "unconscionable".

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