Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

India Improves Maternal Mortality Ratio to 103, To Achieve SDG of 70 Ahead of 2030

MMR is an important component of the health index of any country. India's MMR in 1990 was 556, which improved to 254 during 2004-06.
March 15, 2022
Maternal Mortality Ratio

The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of the country has improved to 103 in 2017-19, from 113 in 2016-18. However, the situation has worsened in states like West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh.

According to the latest data, the MMR has registered a decline for the third year in a row and it appears that India will exceed the sustainable development goal (SDG) of bringing it to 70 before the year 2030. The maternal mortality ratio in the country during 2015-17 was 122.

The densely populated states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar have achieved great success in MMR due to which major improvement is being seen at the national level. These states recorded a decline of 30, 23 and 19 points, respectively, in MMR during the year 2016-17.

Indian States and MMRs

Uttar Pradesh: The state ranks second in terms of maternal mortality. Here, the MMR between 2017-19 was recorded to be 167. In 2016-18, the MMR was 197. In 2015-17, it was 229.

Madhya Pradesh: The MMR was 163 during 2017-2019, 173 in 2016-2018 and 188 in 2015-2017 periods.

Chhattisgarh: The MMR was 160 from 2017 to 2019, 159 in 2016-2018 and 141 in 2015-2017 periods.

Rajasthan: The MMR has been 141 from 2017 to 2019, 164 from 2016 to 2018 and 186 from 2015 to 2017.

Bihar: The rate in Bihar was 130 from 2017 to 2019, 149 from 2016 to 2018 and 165 from 2015 to 2017.

Punjab: The rate in Punjab was 114 from 2017 to 2019, 129 from 2016 to 2018 and 122 from 2015 to 2017.

Uttarakhand: The rate in Uttarakhand was 101 from 2017 to 2019, 99 from 2016 to 2018 and 89 from 2015 to 2017.

Haryana: The MMR in Haryana was 99 from 2017 to 2019, 91 from 2016 to 2018, and 98 from 2015 to 2017.

Many developed countries of the world have succeeded in bringing their MMR down to single digits. In Italy, Norway, Poland and Belarus, only two deaths per thousand pregnant women occur during childbirth. The figure is seven in Germany and the UK, 10 in Canada and 19 in the US. MMR is high in most of India’s neighbouring countries: Nepal has 186, Bangladesh 173 and Pakistan 140, while China and Sri Lanka are in much better state with 18.3 and 36, respectively.