Number of maternal deaths in Zambia
Zambia: Number of maternal deaths was 590 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Number of maternal deaths in Zambia, 1985–2023
Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
Analysis
Zambia recorded 590 for number of maternal deaths in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 54.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Zambia peaked at 2,300 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 590, in 2023.
Zambia ranks 50th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2,100 | 1,900 | 2,300 | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,970 | 1,700 | 2,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,580 | 1,200 | 2,300 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,174 | 670 | 1,900 | 10 |
| 2020s | 692.5 | 590 | 930 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 47 Mauritania 660 compare
- 47 Vietnam 660 compare
- 49 United States 610 compare
- 51 Algeria 570 compare
- 52 Cambodia 500 compare
- 53 Papua New Guinea 480 compare
More health data for Zambia
- Age population, age 08, male, interpolated 290,979 (2025)
- Population, male 49.5% (2025)
- Age population, age 06, female, interpolated 302,089 (2025)
- Age population, age 06, male, interpolated 301,939 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 6.31 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total 8.98 million (2025)
- Age population, age 07, female, interpolated 296,231 (2025)
- Age population, age 07, male, interpolated 296,034 (2025)
- Age population, age 08, female, interpolated 291,211 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, male, interpolated 279,125 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of maternal deaths in Zambia?
- Number of maternal deaths in Zambia was 590 in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2,300 in 1989.
- What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 590 in 2023.
- How does Zambia rank for number of maternal deaths?
- Zambia ranks 50th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Number of maternal deaths. 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
A maternal death refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.