Pregnancy statistics that matter
Pregnancy statistics are best read as a mix of global risk, U.S. outcomes, and access-to-care signals.
The numbers below show where maternal health is improving, where it is still strained, and which groups face the highest burden.
Table of contents
- Fast facts
- Global pregnancy and maternal mortality
- U.S. maternal mortality by year and group
- Prenatal care timing in the United States
- States with higher late-or-no prenatal care
- What the trend lines suggest
Fast facts
- WHO estimated about 260,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023 (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet).
- More than 700 women died every day in 2023 from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth worldwide (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet).
- A maternal death occurred almost every 2 minutes in 2023 worldwide (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet).
- About 92% of all maternal deaths in 2023 occurred in low- and lower-middle-income countries (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet).
- In the United States, 649 women died of maternal causes in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- The U.S. maternal mortality rate in 2024 was 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- Women age 40 and older had a 2024 maternal mortality rate of 62.3 deaths per 100,000 live births (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- First-trimester prenatal care in the United States fell from 78.3% in 2021 to 75.5% in 2024 (CDC Data Brief 550).
A single headline number does not describe pregnancy risk well.
The useful picture comes from comparing geography, age, race and ethnicity, mortality rates, and prenatal care timing side by side.
Global pregnancy and maternal mortality
The global picture is still defined by preventable deaths and uneven access to care.
WHO estimated about 260,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023 (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet). That same source says more than 700 women died every day in 2023 from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth worldwide, and that a maternal death occurred almost every 2 minutes.
Those figures are not just a reflection of medical outcomes.
They also point to differences in emergency care, antenatal care, access to contraception, and the safety of childbirth systems. WHO says about 92% of all maternal deaths in 2023 occurred in low- and lower-middle-income countries, with Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia accounting for around 87% of estimated global maternal deaths in 2023, equal to about 225,000 deaths (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet).
Why the regional concentration matters
When deaths are concentrated in a few regions, the issue is usually not one single clinical factor.
It is a chain of gaps that can include delayed care, fewer trained staff, weaker referral systems, and limited access to interventions that should already be routine.
WHO also says the global maternal mortality ratio fell by about 40% between 2000 and 2023, and that deaths from complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period declined by 38% in the last two decades (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet; WHO maternal health page).
That is progress, but the scale of the remaining burden is still large.
Common direct causes
WHO identified excessive blood loss, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion, and obstructed labor as the most common direct causes of maternal injury and death (WHO maternal health page).
That list matters because it shows many maternal deaths are linked to conditions that are recognizable and, in many settings, treatable.
WHO also said around 25% of maternal deaths could be averted if all women wishing to avoid pregnancy could use modern contraception (WHO maternal health page).
U.S. maternal mortality by year and group
The U.S. data show a system that improved from its 2021 peak but still carries sharp disparities.
In 2024, 649 women died of maternal causes in the United States, and the maternal mortality rate was 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
That 2024 rate was not significantly lower than 18.6 in 2023 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
Year-over-year rate changes
| Year | U.S. maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 17.4 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 2019 | 20.1 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 2020 | 23.8 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 2021 | 32.9 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 2022 | 22.3 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 2023 | 18.6 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 2024 | 17.9 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
The 2018 to 2024 sequence shows a steep rise to 2021, then a pullback.
Even with the decline after 2021, the 2024 rate still sits above the 2018 level of 17.4 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
Race and ethnicity differences in 2024
| Group | 2024 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births | 2024 maternal deaths | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black non-Hispanic women | 44.8 | 212 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| White non-Hispanic women | 14.2 | 254 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| Hispanic women | 12.1 | 119 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| Asian non-Hispanic women | 18.1 | not stated in the returned statistics | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
The most striking figure here is the Black non-Hispanic rate of 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
That is far higher than the White non-Hispanic rate of 14.2 and the Hispanic rate of 12.1 in the same year (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
How the U.S. compares across selected groups
The gap is easier to understand when the rates are set side by side:
- Black non-Hispanic women: 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- Asian non-Hispanic women: 18.1 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- White non-Hispanic women: 14.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- Hispanic women: 12.1 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
The rate for Black non-Hispanic women was more than three times the White non-Hispanic rate in 2024.
Age differences in 2024
| Age group | 2024 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Younger than 25 | 13.7 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 25 to 39 | 16.5 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
| 40 and older | 62.3 | CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024 |
Age is one of the clearest differentiators in the U.S. data.
Women age 40 and older had a rate of 62.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
That is dramatically higher than the rates for women younger than 25 and women ages 25 to 39 in the same year.
Changes since 2018
The return data also show how selected groups moved over time:
- Black non-Hispanic maternal deaths rose from 206 in 2018 to 212 in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- White non-Hispanic maternal deaths fell from 291 in 2018 to 254 in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- Hispanic maternal deaths rose from 105 in 2018 to 119 in 2024 (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- The maternal mortality rate for Black non-Hispanic women rose from 37.3 in 2018 to 44.8 in 2024 per 100,000 live births (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- The maternal mortality rate for White non-Hispanic women was 14.9 in 2018 and 14.2 in 2024 per 100,000 live births (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- The maternal mortality rate for Hispanic women was 11.8 in 2018 and 12.1 in 2024 per 100,000 live births (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
Those changes do not move in the same direction for every group.
That is a sign that aggregate national trends can hide subgroup-specific pressures.
Prenatal care timing in the United States
Prenatal care timing is another useful pregnancy statistic because it helps show when care is starting, not just whether it exists.
From 2021 to 2024, first-trimester prenatal care in the United States fell from 78.3% to 75.5% (CDC Data Brief 550).
At the same time, second-trimester prenatal care rose from 15.4% to 17.3%, and late or no prenatal care rose from 6.3% to 7.3% (CDC Data Brief 550).
A compact look at the trend
| Measure | 2021 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-trimester prenatal care | 78.3% | 75.5% | Down 2.8 points |
| Second-trimester prenatal care | 15.4% | 17.3% | Up 1.9 points |
| Late or no prenatal care | 6.3% | 7.3% | Up 1.0 point |
From 2016 to 2024, first-trimester prenatal care moved from 77.1% to 75.5%, second-trimester prenatal care moved from 16.7% to 17.3%, and late or no prenatal care moved from 6.2% to 7.3% (CDC Data Brief 550).
These are not massive changes in any single year, but they matter because prenatal care is most useful when it starts early enough to monitor risks and plan follow-up.
Age groups and prenatal timing
The same general decline in first-trimester care appears across maternal age groups:
- Among mothers younger than 20, first-trimester prenatal care dropped from 61.6% in 2021 to 56.7% in 2024 (CDC Data Brief 550).
- Among mothers age 20 to 29, it dropped from 76.1% to 73.0% (CDC Data Brief 550).
- Among mothers age 30 to 39, it dropped from 82.0% to 79.3% (CDC Data Brief 550).
- Among mothers age 40 and older, it dropped from 78.0% to 75.3% (CDC Data Brief 550).
The youngest mothers had the lowest first-trimester care share in both years, while the 30 to 39 group remained the highest among the four groups listed.
Race and ethnicity and prenatal timing
The returned statistics also show declines across major race and ethnicity groups:
- Among Hispanic mothers, first-trimester prenatal care fell from 72.5% in 2021 to 67.8% in 2024 (CDC Data Brief 550).
- Among Black mothers, first-trimester prenatal care fell from 69.7% in 2021 to 65.1% in 2024 (CDC Data Brief 550).
- Among Asian non-Hispanic mothers, first-trimester prenatal care fell from 83.5% in 2021 to 80.8% in 2024 (CDC Data Brief 550).
- Among White non-Hispanic mothers, first-trimester prenatal care fell from 83.2% in 2021 to 82.1% in 2024 (CDC Data Brief 550).
The lowest first-trimester share in 2024 among the listed groups was for Black mothers at 65.1% (CDC Data Brief 550).
States with higher late-or-no prenatal care
Geography matters as well.
In 2024, late or no prenatal care exceeded 10% in five states and the District of Columbia: Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, and D.C. (CDC Data Brief 550).
That single fact is useful because it flags where access, timing, or continuity of prenatal care may be under more strain.
Why this state pattern matters
A state-level threshold above 10% does not tell you the cause by itself.
It does, however, identify where late care is no longer a small edge-case issue.
When late or no care is above 10%, the population-level picture suggests more people are entering pregnancy care after the first trimester or not at all, which can make screening and follow-up harder to schedule.
What the trend lines suggest
A practical reading of these pregnancy statistics is straightforward.
Global maternal mortality has fallen over the long run, but the burden remains extremely concentrated in lower-income settings, especially Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet).
In the United States, the national maternal mortality rate is lower than the 2021 peak, but it is still not back to the 2018 level, and major disparities remain by race, ethnicity, and age (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
Prenatal care timing also softened between 2021 and 2024, with fewer people starting in the first trimester and more people starting in the second trimester or later (CDC Data Brief 550).
The most important interpretation is not that one number explains everything.
It is that the combination of mortality rates, subgroup gaps, and prenatal care timing points to where prevention and access still matter most.
Reading these statistics together
- High maternal mortality rates signal where risk is greatest (CDC Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2024).
- Lower first-trimester prenatal care suggests fewer opportunities to identify issues early (CDC Data Brief 550).
- State-level late-or-no care above 10% marks areas where delayed entry into care is more common (CDC Data Brief 550).
- Global concentration of deaths in lower-income regions shows that access to timely, safe childbirth care remains uneven worldwide (WHO maternal mortality fact sheet).
For anyone trying to understand pregnancy statistics quickly, the clearest takeaway is that the average hides too much.
The real story is in the gaps between countries, regions, age groups, and racial and ethnic groups, and in the difference between starting care early and starting it late.