Country
Brazil
Brazil presents a mixed picture of maternal and newborn health amid significant regional inequalities. With a maternal mortality ratio of approximately 72.1 deaths per 100,000 live births and a neonatal mortality rate of approximately 8.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, national indicators mask stark disparities between wealthy southern regions and poorer northern areas. The country has achieved near-universal coverage of prenatal care through its unified health system (SUS), with over 98% of births occurring in health facilities. However, Brazil struggles with an extremely high cesarean section rate (56%), one of the world's highest, particularly in the private sector where rates can exceed 80%. Indigenous communities and Afro-Brazilian populations face persistent barriers to quality care, reflecting broader social inequities. Recent economic challenges have strained the public health system, though community-based initiatives continue to improve outcomes in underserved areas.
Country-level data can provide a micro look at global issues.
The country-level data below is just a small portion of the data available in our database. Find the latest global, country, and regional estimates related to newborn survival in the Chart Builder, as well as data on maternal, adolescent, and child health, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, and other contextual indicators that impact newborns worldwide.
215.8M
Total Population (2023)
1.6
Total Fertility Rate (2023)
8.6
Newborn Mortality Rate per 1k births (2022)
86/163
Rank - Newborn Mortality (2022)
72
Maternal Mortality per 100k births (2020)
43.1
Adolescent Birth Rate per 1k girls aged 15-19
65%
women using modern contraception age 15-49
99.1%
Facility deliveries (2016-2021)
Newborn survival is a global priority
Whether a newborn survives still greatly depends on where they are born. Over 90 percent of newborn deaths occur in Africa and Asia combined, while the risk for babies born in low-income countries is 11 times higher than babies born in high-income countries. Globally, survival rates are improving, but most countries are still falling short of the Sustainable Development Goal of less than 12 newborn deaths for every 1,000 live births.
HNN features data, resources, and knowledge from every country, as every country can be doing more to ensure newborn and maternal survival. Visit our Data page and search our database for more country-specific data.