South Africa - Maternal Mortality Ratio 2025
138.60
+20.60 from 2024
South Africa's maternal mortality ratio was 138.60 in 2025. This was the 53rd highest globally.
Global Ranking - 2025▾
| Rank | Country | Value | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nigeria | 944.20 | -4.9% |
| 2nd | South Sudan | 671.40 | -3.0% |
| 3rd | Chad | 636.60 | -14.9% |
| 4th | Liberia | 595.60 | -5.2% |
| 5th | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 556.80 | -1.1% |
| 6th | Benin | 504.20 | -2.7% |
| 7th | Afghanistan | 496.20 | -4.8% |
| 8th | Lesotho | 493.60 | 3.3% |
| 9th | Guinea-Bissau | 472.40 | -6.5% |
| 10th | Guinea | 466.20 | -5.6% |
| 11th | Madagascar | 435.20 | -2.2% |
| 12th | Congo, Democratic Republic of | 408.40 | -4.4% |
| 13th | Burundi | 371.00 | -5.4% |
| 14th | Mauritania | 360.00 | -5.5% |
| 15th | Zimbabwe | 359.20 | 0.3% |
| 16th | Côte d'Ivoire | 349.40 | -2.7% |
| 17th | Mali | 348.00 | -5.2% |
| 18th | Niger | 324.60 | -7.3% |
| 19th | Gambia, The | 323.80 | -8.5% |
| 20th | Haiti | 323.80 | -1.3% |
| 21st | Togo | 316.40 | -9.3% |
| 22nd | Nauru | 294.40 | 7.8% |
| 23rd | Sierra Leone | 293.80 | -17.0% |
| 24th | Burkina Faso | 271.20 | 12.1% |
| 25th | Gabon | 266.20 | 14.2% |
| 26th | Sudan | 263.00 | 2.7% |
| 27th | Eritrea | 261.80 | -10.0% |
| 28th | Congo, Republic of | 249.40 | 3.5% |
| 29th | Cameroon | 227.20 | -11.9% |
| 30th | Ghana | 223.60 | -4.4% |
| 31st | Malawi | 218.40 | -2.9% |
| 32nd | Rwanda | 213.20 | -6.9% |
| 33rd | Senegal | 204.40 | -13.8% |
| 34th | Tuvalu | 199.20 | 17.2% |
| 35th | Tanzania | 192.40 | -30.3% |
| 36th | Timor-Leste | 192.00 | 0.0% |
| 37th | Myanmar | 190.40 | 2.9% |
| 38th | Papua New Guinea | 188.80 | -0.1% |
| 39th | Botswana | 180.40 | 16.4% |
| 40th | Angola | 176.00 | -3.8% |
| 41st | Central African Republic | 172.80 | -75.0% |
| 42nd | Comoros | 172.80 | -3.5% |
| 43rd | Equatorial Guinea | 166.20 | -4.5% |
| 44th | Marshall Islands | 164.20 | 5.9% |
| 45th | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 161.20 | 10.4% |
| 46th | Djibouti | 155.80 | -3.8% |
| 47th | Jamaica | 152.80 | 17.5% |
| 48th | Eswatini | 151.00 | 28.0% |
| 49th | Uganda | 150.40 | -11.5% |
| 50th | Pakistan | 150.20 | -3.1% |
| 51st | Cambodia | 148.00 | 8.0% |
| 52nd | Indonesia | 140.60 | 0.4% |
| 53rd | South Africa | 138.60 | 17.5% |
| 54th | Kenya | 136.20 | -8.6% |
| 55th | Dominican Republic | 134.00 | 8.1% |
| 56th | Namibia | 132.40 | -4.7% |
| 57th | Nepal | 127.40 | -10.3% |
| 58th | Micronesia, Federated States of | 124.00 | -3.9% |
| 59th | Solomon Islands | 122.00 | -0.8% |
| 60th | Yemen, Republic of | 118.60 | 0.5% |
| 61st | Belize | 110.20 | 64.5% |
| 62nd | Palau | 109.60 | 23.1% |
| 63rd | Bangladesh | 107.80 | -6.3% |
| 64th | Vanuatu | 103.40 | 3.4% |
| 65th | Lao PDR | 103.20 | -7.9% |
| 66th | Samoa | 100.60 | -0.4% |
| 67th | Brazil | 99.00 | 47.8% |
| 68th | Philippines | 97.00 | 15.5% |
| 69th | St. Kitts and Nevis | 95.20 | 28.6% |
| 70th | Guatemala | 93.20 | -0.9% |
| 71st | Bahamas, The | 92.80 | 22.1% |
| 72nd | Mozambique | 92.40 | -6.7% |
| 73rd | Suriname | 88.60 | 5.5% |
| 74th | Kiribati | 84.80 | 6.0% |
| 75th | Zambia | 84.80 | -0.2% |
| 76th | India | 84.20 | 5.3% |
| 77th | Paraguay | 84.20 | 45.2% |
| 78th | Thailand | 81.20 | 138.8% |
| 79th | Peru | 76.80 | 50.6% |
| 80th | Guyana | 76.60 | 2.1% |
| 81st | Colombia | 74.40 | 26.1% |
| 82nd | Seychelles | 71.20 | 69.5% |
| 83rd | Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of | 68.80 | 2.7% |
| 84th | São Tomé and Principe | 68.40 | -8.8% |
| 85th | Morocco | 67.40 | -3.7% |
| 86th | Brunei Darussalam | 67.00 | 86.1% |
| 87th | Mauritius | 66.80 | 1.2% |
| 88th | Tonga | 66.80 | -0.3% |
| 89th | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 64.40 | 15.0% |
| 90th | Nicaragua | 62.60 | 4.3% |
| 91st | Cuba | 62.00 | 77.1% |
| 92nd | Libya | 61.40 | 4.1% |
| 93rd | Iraq | 59.80 | -9.4% |
| 94th | Ecuador | 59.60 | 8.4% |
| 95th | St. Lucia | 57.20 | 30.0% |
| 96th | Algeria | 53.00 | -14.5% |
| 97th | Mexico | 51.80 | 23.3% |
| 98th | Honduras | 51.40 | 9.4% |
| 99th | Dominica | 50.40 | 40.0% |
| 100th | Grenada | 49.40 | 2.9% |
| 101st | Viet Nam | 46.40 | -3.3% |
| 102nd | Bhutan | 45.00 | -4.3% |
| 103rd | Puerto Rico (US) | 44.00 | 300.0% |
| 104th | Trinidad and Tobago | 44.00 | -18.5% |
| 105th | Kyrgyz Republic | 43.20 | 2.9% |
| 106th | Argentina | 42.00 | 27.3% |
| 107th | Mongolia | 41.80 | 2.0% |
| 108th | Tunisia | 41.60 | 15.6% |
| 109th | Cabo Verde | 40.60 | 1.5% |
| 110th | El Salvador | 40.40 | 3.6% |
| 111th | Cyprus | 40.20 | 187.1% |
| 112th | Jordan | 38.60 | 24.5% |
| 113th | Antigua and Barbuda | 36.80 | 5.1% |
| 114th | Malaysia | 36.60 | 40.8% |
| 115th | Barbados | 36.00 | 2.9% |
| 116th | Fiji | 35.60 | 18.7% |
| 117th | Panama | 33.40 | -9.7% |
| 118th | Azerbaijan | 31.40 | 74.4% |
| 119th | Maldives | 31.40 | -1.9% |
| 120th | Latvia | 27.40 | 44.2% |
| 121st | Costa Rica | 26.60 | 10.8% |
| 122nd | Georgia | 26.00 | 30.0% |
| 123rd | Uzbekistan | 24.60 | -5.4% |
| 124th | Armenia | 24.20 | 27.4% |
| 125th | Singapore | 23.60 | 293.3% |
| 126th | Uruguay | 23.20 | 54.7% |
| 127th | Egypt, Arab Republic of | 22.20 | 30.6% |
| 128th | Sri Lanka | 21.40 | 18.9% |
| 129th | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 21.20 | 32.5% |
| 130th | Oman | 20.80 | 60.0% |
| 131st | Lebanon | 20.40 | 36.0% |
| 132nd | United States | 20.00 | 17.6% |
| 133rd | Syrian Arab Republic | 19.60 | -2.0% |
| 134th | Türkiye | 17.60 | 17.3% |
| 135th | West Bank and Gaza | 17.20 | 7.5% |
| 136th | Kuwait | 17.00 | 112.5% |
| 137th | Moldova | 16.80 | -11.6% |
| 138th | Portugal | 16.60 | 10.7% |
| 139th | Ukraine | 16.60 | 10.7% |
| 140th | New Zealand | 16.00 | 128.6% |
| 141st | Hungary | 15.00 | 25.0% |
| 142nd | San Marino | 14.80 | 85.0% |
| 143rd | China | 14.40 | -10.0% |
| 144th | Serbia | 14.20 | 29.1% |
| 145th | Canada | 13.20 | 10.0% |
| 146th | Kazakhstan | 12.80 | 28.0% |
| 147th | Tajikistan | 12.80 | -8.6% |
| 148th | Romania | 12.20 | 1.7% |
| 149th | United Kingdom | 11.40 | 42.5% |
| 150th | Chile | 11.00 | 10.0% |
| 151st | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10.80 | 80.0% |
| 152nd | Bahrain | 10.40 | -38.8% |
| 153rd | Montenegro | 10.20 | 70.0% |
| 154th | Russian Federation | 10.00 | 11.1% |
| 155th | Malta | 9.20 | 15.0% |
| 156th | Albania | 9.00 | 28.6% |
| 157th | Belgium | 8.80 | 120.0% |
| 158th | Slovenia | 8.80 | 193.3% |
| 159th | Andorra | 8.60 | -21.8% |
| 160th | Bulgaria | 8.40 | 40.0% |
| 161st | Greece | 8.40 | 68.0% |
| 162nd | Lithuania | 8.20 | 2.5% |
| 163rd | Finland | 7.80 | -2.5% |
| 164th | Saudi Arabia | 7.80 | 11.4% |
| 165th | France | 7.60 | 8.6% |
| 166th | Italy | 7.60 | 26.7% |
| 167th | Luxembourg | 7.40 | -32.7% |
| 168th | Austria | 6.00 | 0.0% |
| 169th | Denmark | 6.00 | 50.0% |
| 170th | Estonia | 6.00 | 20.0% |
| 171st | Qatar | 6.00 | 50.0% |
| 172nd | European Union | 5.80 | 16.0% |
| 173rd | Ireland | 5.80 | 45.0% |
| 174th | Croatia | 5.60 | 86.7% |
| 175th | Slovak Republic | 5.60 | 40.0% |
| 176th | Turkmenistan | 5.20 | 4.0% |
| 177th | Sweden | 4.60 | 15.0% |
| 178th | Germany | 4.00 | 0.0% |
| 179th | North Macedonia | 4.00 | 33.3% |
| 180th | Korea | 3.80 | -5.0% |
| 181st | Switzerland | 3.60 | -28.0% |
| 182nd | Spain | 3.60 | 20.0% |
| 183rd | Netherlands | 3.60 | -10.0% |
| 184th | Czechia | 3.20 | 6.7% |
| 185th | Japan | 3.00 | 0.0% |
| 186th | United Arab Emirates | 2.40 | -20.0% |
| 187th | Iceland | 2.20 | -26.7% |
| 188th | Israel | 2.00 | 0.0% |
| 189th | Poland | 1.80 | -10.0% |
| 190th | Norway | 1.60 | 60.0% |
| 191st | Australia | 1.20 | -40.0% |
| 192nd | Belarus | 1.00 | 0.0% |
| 193rd | Monaco | 0.60 | -88.0% |
FAQ
What was South Africa's maternal mortality ratio in 2025?▾
South Africa's maternal mortality ratio in 2025 was 138.60. This ranked 53rd globally.
How did South Africa's maternal mortality ratio change in 2025?▾
South Africa's maternal mortality ratio increased by 17.5% in 2025 compared to 2024.
Which country had the highest maternal mortality ratio in 2025?▾
Nigeria had the highest maternal mortality ratio in 2025 at 944.20.
What is the maternal mortality ratio of South Africa in 2025?▾
The maternal mortality ratio of South Africa in 2025 was 138.60. This ranked 53rd globally.
Related
All years
Full ranking 2025
Health Expenditure per Capita
Infant Mortality Rate
Physicians
Hospital Beds
Peak: 2006
Lowest: 2020
Maternal Mortality Ratio 1990s
Maternal Mortality Ratio 2000s
Maternal Mortality Ratio 2010s
Maternal Mortality Ratio 2020s
Highest ever
Lowest ever
Average
vs Paraguay
vs Fiji
vs Suriname
vs Guatemala
G20 Maternal Mortality Ratio
BRICS+ Maternal Mortality Ratio
African Union Maternal Mortality Ratio
Global Ranking