‘Distressing’ rise in maternal deaths as progress stalls
More women are dying during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth compared to over a decade ago – despite a pledge by the last government to halve maternal mortality rates, new data shows.
The research by MBBRACE-UK suggests the national rate of maternal deaths is now 20% higher than it was in 2009-11.
It found there were 252 maternal deaths between 2022 and 2024, with most women dying due to blood clots and heart disease, while around a third died by suicide.
The investigation, led by Oxford Population Health’s national perinatal epidemiology unit, examined the deaths of women between January 2022 and December 2024 during pregnancy or within six weeks after their pregnancy had ended.
It found the rate of direct maternal deaths, due to conditions occurring as a result of pregnancy, such as blood clots, bleeding and pre-eclampsia, increased by 52%, while indirect deaths caused by pre-existing conditions were largely unchanged.
Inequalities remained, with black women dying at a rate three times higher than those from a white ethnic background.
Donna Ockenden, who is currently leading the Nottingham University Hospitals Foundation Trust maternity review, said: “It is so distressing to read of the issues outlined in the latest MBRRACE report… but unfortunately it is not unexpected.
“We have known about the inequalities within maternity care provision in excess of a decade, yet the same issues still persist despite stated ambitions to reduce harm.
“Nowhere near enough has been done to fix the chronic problems, and sadly, it appears that progress has stalled. Suicide has been known to be a leading cause of death for years. This highlights once again that maternity services are not ‘an island’ and that families deserve better support before, during, and after the birth of their baby.”
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Source: HSJ, 13 January 2026