Maternal mortality ratio in Canada
Canada: Maternal mortality ratio was 12 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Maternal mortality ratio in Canada, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
Analysis
In 2023, maternal mortality ratio in Canada stood at 12.
That represents a change of down 20.0% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Canada peaked at 17 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7, in 1985.
That places Canada 142nd out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.2 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| 1990s | 8.2 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.6 | 9 | 12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.6 | 11 | 13 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.5 | 12 | 17 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More health data for Canada
- Age population, age 14, male, interpolated 217,399 (2025)
- Age population, age 16, male, interpolated 222,925 (2025)
- Age population, age 16, female, interpolated 215,145 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total 26.97 million (2025)
- Age population, age 15, male, interpolated 220,012 (2025)
- Age population, age 15, female, interpolated 211,687 (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above 20.3% (2025)
- Age population, age 13, male, interpolated 216,465 (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total 8.44 million (2025)
- Age population, age 17, female, interpolated 217,801 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in Canada?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Canada was 12 in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 17 in 2020.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 in 1985.
- How does Canada rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Canada ranks 142nd out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination per 100,000 live births. The data are estimated with a regression model using information on the proportion of maternal deaths among non-AIDS deaths in women ages 15-49, fertility, birth attendants, and GDP measured using purchasing power parities (PPPs).