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The rate at which women die in childbirth or soon after delivery has fallen by about 40 percent since 1980, with dramatic reductions in the populous nations of India, China, Brazil and Egypt.
Maternal mortality is a key gauge of a population’s health and wealth, as well as of women’s status. The global rate in 2008 was 251 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, according to a research team led by Christopher Murray at the University of Washington. The highest rate was in Afghanistan (1,575) and the lowest in Italy (4). The U.S. rate was 17, Canada 7 and Mexico 52.
