Understanding illness and death in newborns and mothers

Thousands of newborns and women die each year because of pregnancy and childbirth. In 2022, the latest year with data, over 3.7 million babies died before their first birthday; 2.3 million (75%) of these died in their first 28 days of life. There are nearly 2 million stillbirths, or the death of a baby after 28 weeks of pregnancy but before or during birth, each year. Almost 800 women and girls die of pregnancy-related causes every day, or nearly 287,000 deaths a year.

Most maternal and newborn deaths are preventable. Intrapartum stillbirths, or those that occur during delivery, account for 40 percent of all stillbirths. Almost 75% of newborn deaths occur in the first 28 days of life. Women who die while pregnant, during childbirth, or in the first 42 days following the end of pregnancy, are considered a maternal death. Ensuring high-quality care during pregnancy and delivery, and in the first month after birth, can prevent many maternal and newborn deaths. Learn more about how to prevent morbidity and mortality here.

Complications arising from prematurity and childbirth, severe infections, and birth defects are the top three causes of newborn death. Excessive blood loss, or hemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, obstructed labor, and unsafe abortion are the major causes of maternal death globally.

The majority of these can be averted through intervention by a skilled health professional in a clinical or otherwise supportive setting. Because of this, facility-based births, antenatal care (ANC), and postnatal care (PNC) are highly recommended for all who are pregnant and give birth. Learn more about ANC and PNC.

Even with high-quality care, there can be complications from pregnancy and childbirth that lead to long-term disability or decreased quality of life. Thousands of newborns are born premature, small and sick, with congenital defects or life-long disability each year. Similarly, women can suffer from obstetric fistula or other long-term disability due to pregnancy. Adolescent girls who become pregnant are at higher risk for mortality and complications, and the impacts on having a child young can be life-altering. Unsafe abortion can cause disability or death, regardless of the woman’s age.

While all girls, women, and newborns are at risk of complications due to pregnancy, not all receive equal care. This is one of the contributors to inequities in maternal and newborn mortality rates globally. Newborns and pregnant women who live in humanitarian contexts, whether they are due to climate change, natural disasters, or conflict, are less likely to receive care and more likely to die as a result. Low- and  middle-income contexts also have a higher risk of mortality and morbidity – nearly all maternal deaths (95%) occur in these countries. Even within countries, there are inequities due to systemic social issues, including income inequities, educational access, and race and ethnicity.

Read more about inequities in morbidity here.

Newborn Mortality Rates in 2022

The map above is a global heatmap showing newborn mortality rates for every country. For the full dataset, visit the Data page.