Maternal mortality – the death of a woman during pregnancy or childbirth, or within 42 days of the termination of pregnancy – is an important indicator of a woman’s health status and to assess health system performance. The Sustainable Development Goals set a target of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 deaths per 100 000 live births by 2030. All OECD countries had mortality ratios below this target, with an average maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 10.3 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2023. Countries including Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Denmark, Switzerland and Italy had 3‑year average MMRs of lower than 3 deaths per 100 000 live births. However, Colombia had a 3‑year average MMR of 59.5 deaths per 100 000 live births – the highest among OECD countries. Mexico also had a significantly high 3‑year average MMR of 44.0 deaths per 100 000 live births. Some OECD accession countries also had high MMRs – notably Peru and Argentina (Figure 3.11).
Between the 3‑year periods 2011-2013 and 2021-2023, MMRs increased in 18 OECD countries, with particularly large increases in Latvia (Figure 3.11). The main causes of maternal deaths in many high-income countries include cardiovascular conditions and suicides, and there are a higher number of maternal deaths among women aged younger than 20 or older than 40, and women with a migrant background (Diguisto et al., 2022[1]).
Infant mortality – deaths in children aged less than 1 year – reflects the impact of economic, social, and environmental conditions on the health of mothers and infants, as well as the effectiveness of health systems. Factors such as the education of the mother, quality of antenatal and childbirth care, pre-term birth and birth weight, immediate newborn care, and infant feeding practices are important determinants of infant mortality.
In the 3‑year period 2021-2023, infant mortality averaged 4.0 deaths per 1 000 live births across OECD countries, down from 4.1 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2011-2013. Japan and Finland had average infant mortality rates of fewer than 2 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2021-2023. However, average infant mortality rates are still relatively high in Colombia (16.8 deaths per 1 000 live births) and Mexico (11.9 deaths per 1 000 live births), signalling the correlation that exists between maternal and infant mortality. Among OECD accession/partner countries, average infant mortality rates are around 12 deaths or higher per 1 000 live births in Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, South Africa, and India – although these countries have reduced average infant mortality rates considerably since 2011-2013, except for Peru with an 0.8 increase (Figure 3.12). While 35 OECD countries have seen a reduction in average infant mortality rates since 2011-2013, Iceland, France, and Luxembourg have seen slight increases, ranging from 0.1 (in the Luxembourg) to 1.1 (Iceland). In France, higher infant mortality was observed among mothers with multiple pregnancies, those residing in French overseas departments, and mothers aged 21 or younger, as well as those aged 44 or older (Insee, 2025[2]).
Infant mortality can be reduced through cost-effective and appropriate interventions. These include immediate skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns after delivery, early and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, and kangaroo parent care for babies weighing 2000 g or less. Postnatal care for mothers and newborns within 48 hours of birth, delayed bathing until after 24 hours of childbirth, and dry cord care are important in reducing deaths in the first 28 days.
