Maternal mortality ratio in Lesotho
Lesotho: Maternal mortality ratio was 478 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Maternal mortality ratio in Lesotho, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 478 for maternal mortality ratio in 2023.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 44.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Lesotho peaked at 1,387 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 312, in 1997.
That places Lesotho 11th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 687.4 | 680 | 711 | 5 |
| 1990s | 456.3 | 312 | 665 | 10 |
| 2000s | 709.7 | 413 | 1,387 | 10 |
| 2010s | 762.1 | 467 | 1,311 | 10 |
| 2020s | 515.25 | 477 | 577 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 8 Benin 518 compare
- 9 Guinea-Bissau 505 compare
- 10 Guinea 494 compare
- 12 Madagascar 445 compare
- 13 Democratic Republic of Congo 427 compare
- 14 Burundi 392 compare
More health data for Lesotho
- Age population, age 08, male, interpolated 27,969 (2025)
- Population, male 48.8% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 751,340 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total 805,943 (2025)
- Age population, age 06, female, interpolated 26,809 (2025)
- Age population, age 06, male, interpolated 27,201 (2025)
- Age population, age 07, female, interpolated 27,293 (2025)
- Age population, age 07, male, interpolated 27,660 (2025)
- Age population, age 08, female, interpolated 27,631 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, male, interpolated 27,651 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is maternal mortality ratio in Lesotho?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Lesotho was 478 in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1,387 in 2009.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 312 in 1997.
- How does Lesotho rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Lesotho ranks 11th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho 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).