GENEVA (AN) — Women's deaths during pregnancy and childbirth fell 40% since the turn of the century, a new report by several U.N. agencies show, but progress slowed after 2016 and could backtrack due to global aid cuts.
For the first time, no country in 2023 had an "extremely high" rate of maternal deaths or more than 1,000 per 100,000 live births, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, U.N. Population Fund, World Bank and U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs reported on Monday.
"Today, somewhere in the world, a woman still dies from complications during pregnancy and childbirth every two minutes – an estimated 260,000 in 2023," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the foreword.
"Numbers can numb us, but it is crucial that we not normalize these events," he said, "when we know that nearly all the women in this report could have survived pregnancy and childbirth, if they had had sufficient access to lifesaving care before, during, and after delivery."
Nine countries – Afghanistan, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan – had a "very high" rate of maternal deaths with more than 500 per 100,000 live births. Most other countries had a "low" (below 100) or "very low" (below 20) rate.
Wealth was a key factor. The poorest countries had 43.9% of all maternal deaths; developing countries without sea access had 19.3%. Countries like Rwanda and Sri Lanka lowered maternal mortality by adding more midwifery services and improving rural health care acess.
'Putting more pregnant women at risk'
After the United States and other countries cut foreign aid spending this year, decades of progress in global health is on the line. The U.S. contributed 42% or about $12.9 billion to $23 billion of global health assistance in 2023.
Most of that ground to a halt in January when U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on U.S. foreign aid, forcing the sudden closure of hospitals, clinics and health programs worldwide.
Women are more likely to survive pregnancy and childbirth today but there could be "major backsliding as unprecedented aid cuts take effect around the world," the agencies said.
"Global funding cuts to health services are putting more pregnant women at risk, especially in the most fragile settings, by limiting their access to essential care during pregnancy and the support they need when giving birth," said Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director.
