By Abdullahi Lukman
A new United Nations (UN) report released on April 7, 2025, has revealed that women are now more likely than ever to survive pregnancy and childbirth, yet it warns of significant risks due to severe cuts in humanitarian aid.
Released on World Health Day, the report, titled Trends in Maternal Mortality, indicates a 40 percent global decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023, attributed largely to improved access to essential health services.
However, the pace of progress has significantly slowed since 2016, with an estimated 260,000 maternal deaths occurring in 2023, equating to one death every two minutes.
The report underscores the detrimental impact of recent humanitarian funding cuts, which have forced many countries to reduce critical maternal and child health services.
This has resulted in facility closures, loss of healthcare workers, and disrupted supply chains for essential treatments. The UN agencies warn that without urgent intervention, pregnant women—especially in humanitarian settings—will face increased risks, where maternal death rates are already alarmingly high.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), noted that while the report shows some positive trends, the danger associated with pregnancy persists.
He emphasized the necessity of ensuring access to quality maternity care and strengthening women’s health and reproductive rights.
The report also assesses the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on maternal health, revealing that an additional 40,000 women died in 2021 due to complications related to pregnancy, largely due to interruptions in maternity services.
This highlights the critical need for reliable access to maternity care during emergencies.
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, pointed out that funding cuts to health services are jeopardizing the safety of pregnant women, particularly in fragile settings.
She called for urgent investments in midwives, nurses, and community health workers to support mothers and their newborns.
Inequalities in maternal health outcomes persist, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for approximately 70 percent of global maternal deaths in 2023. Despite significant progress in some regions, five areas—Northern Africa, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean—have seen stagnation in maternal mortality rates since 2015.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, stressed that access to quality maternal health services is a fundamental right. She urged investment in health systems, supply chains, and data collection to eliminate preventable maternal deaths.
The report highlights that women in humanitarian emergencies face the highest risks, with nearly two-thirds of global maternal deaths occurring in conflict-affected countries.
For instance, a 15-year-old girl in these settings has a lifetime risk of 1 in 51 of dying from maternal causes, compared to 1 in 593 in more stable environments.
To combat this crisis, the report advocates for comprehensive health services, improved access to family planning, and initiatives to keep girls in school.
Urgent investment is crucial, as the world is currently off-track to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal target for maternal survival, requiring a 15 percent annual reduction in the maternal mortality ratio to meet the 2030 target. Current rates of decline stand at approximately 1.5 percent annually.
