Every two minutes, a mother dies in a developing country. An average of 830 mothers die every day, nearly all of them in developing countries. Maternal mortality is particularly high in such developing countries as Nigeria. In 2015, about 800 women died in Nigeria for every 100 000 births.

The good news is that maternal mortality declined by 45 per cent between 1990 and 2015. Reducing maternal mortality was one of UN’s Millennium Development Goals. In Asia, the reduction was as much as 64 per cent. The reduction is the result of more extensive health services, such as maternity clinics. Likewise, an increasing number of childbirths takes place in the presence of trained healthcare professionals.

Finland has supported the efforts to reduce maternal mortality by funding the International Development Association, which is part of the World Bank, and which helps the poorest countries of the world. Finland also supports the UN organizations, such as UN Women and UNFPA, in their work for better maternal health.

Photo: UNFPA, graphics: Juho Hiilivirta