A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that a woman dies every two minutes in pregnancy, labour or post-birth. The data, which was captured in 2023, shows that there were 260,000 maternal deaths around the world, which equates to 712 women a day.

The global target for all UN member states is to reduce maternal deaths (which is defined as any death related to or aggravated by pregnancy, or within six weeks of the end of pregnancy) to 71 per 100,000 by 2030. While maternal deaths have reduced by 40% since 2000, the global maternal mortality rate is currently at 197 deaths per 100,000 live births. This latest data shows that, at the current rate of progress, the 2030 target will be missed by more than twice the amount.

The only region to see its maternal mortality rate worsen since 2000 is North America. However, the vast majority of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where the 2023 rate was 454 deaths per 100,000. This accounts for 70% of all global maternal deaths.

These figures come not long after the recent announcements that international aid will be cut by both the US and UK governments. This will have a huge impact on the countries that depend on that financial aid for maternal health and family planning services.

A spokesperson for the WHO said that because of international aid cuts, it’s already seeing staff being laid off, hiring frozen and health worker spending slowing down in developing countries in Africa and South Asia.

While US aid spending for maternal health and family planning has been slashed by more than £595 million, Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, has cut UK aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% – equivalent to a cut of around £6 billion. This came even after the government’s International Development Committee issued a warning that UK aid cuts have already had a devastating effect on women and girls around the world, with young girls in Sudan more likely to die during pregnancy than finish school.

This new data proves that women are dying unnecessarily and in entirely preventable situations. As Dr Pascale Allotey, director of the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health at the WHO, warned: “Despite advances since 2000, the pace of progress has slowed to a near standstill. In some regions, we are already sliding backwards… When women die because of where they live, what they earn or what rights are denied, it is indefensible, and it is preventable.”

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