The number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth may rise sharply as international aid cuts threaten to undo more than two decades of global progress, according to a new United Nations report. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies revealed that maternal mortality dropped by 40% between 2000 and 2023 — a hard-won gain now imperiled by slashed health budgets and disrupted services, especially in lower-income and conflict-affected regions.
UN Warns of ‘Pandemic-Like Effects’
Speaking at the report’s launch, Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage, warned that the “acute shock” of funding cuts could have “pandemic-like effects” on global health systems. “Countries have not had time to put in place and plan for what other financing they’re going to use,” he said, pointing to supply chain breakdowns and staff layoffs as early consequences already being felt on the ground.
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US and UK Lead Foreign Aid Reductions
Although the report did not single out specific budget cuts, it comes in the wake of major aid reductions by the United States and United Kingdom. The US alone has slashed more than $770 million in aid for maternal health and family planning, while the UK plans to reduce its international aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of national income by 2027 — a move amounting to a £6 billion cut. These decisions have caused clinics to close, staff to be dismissed, and essential medical supplies, such as treatments for haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia, to be delayed or cut off entirely. Dr Aylward stressed that “the funding cuts risk not only that progress, but we could have a shift backwards.” The effects, he added, could become “structural and deep-seated,” with lasting damage to fragile health systems.
One Woman Dies Every Two Minutes
Despite progress, maternal mortality remains a persistent crisis. In 2023, approximately 260,000 women — or one every two minutes — died due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these deaths were preventable and occurred in low-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of all maternal deaths were recorded last year, one in 36 girls aged 15 faces a lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. This compares starkly with one in 16,000 in Southern Europe. The situation is particularly dire in fragile and conflict-affected nations, which accounted for 61% of all maternal deaths despite only 25% of the world’s live births occurring there. In war-torn areas, the risk of dying from pregnancy-related complications is five times higher.
Uneven Progress
While maternal mortality has decreased globally, the gains are uneven. Just four countries — Nigeria, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pakistan — accounted for over half of all maternal deaths in 2023. Nigeria alone saw around 75,000 deaths. Even in high-income countries, disparities exist. The United States, for instance, is one of only four nations where maternal mortality rates have significantly increased since 2000.
Dr Pascale Allotey, WHO’s Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health, warned that progress has “slowed to a near standstill” since 2016. “Complacency is not just dangerous — it is deadly,” she said. “When women die because of where they live, what they earn, or what rights they are denied, it is indefensible.”
Crisis of Access and Political Will
The end of contracts under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has already left some communities without midwives or prenatal care, stripping women of essential support. Sixty countries, mostly in Africa and South Asia, rely heavily on US-funded maternal care programmes. Julia Bunting of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) emphasized the issue is not about medical limitations. “These lives can be saved,” she said. “We know how to prevent these deaths — with skilled midwives, quality care, and political commitment.”
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To meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of reducing maternal deaths to fewer than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, the world would need to reduce deaths 10 times faster than the current pace. That target appears increasingly unreachable without immediate reinvestment and international cooperation. Unicef’s Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasized the need for renewed funding: “The world must urgently invest in midwives, nurses, and community health workers to ensure every mother and baby has a chance to survive and thrive.”