Fewer Mothers Died During Pregnancy or After Birth in 2024

THURSDAY, March 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Deaths linked to pregnancy and childbirth fell slightly in the United States in 2024, new data show. Early data suggests the decrease may have continued into 2025.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 649 women died during pregnancy or within weeks after giving birth in 2024. That’s lower than the 669 deaths recorded in 2023, and fewer than the totals seen in 2022 and 2021.

Maternal deaths surged in 2021, reaching the highest level in more than 50 years.

Researchers call the newest numbers encouraging, but warn that the data is still new.

“All you could reasonably say is that the provisional 2025 data look promising,” Eugene Declercq, a Boston University researcher who studies federal health data, told The Associated Press in an email.

He noted that provisional numbers can change. Final counts sometimes increase as late death records are added, or decrease if some cases are found to be unrelated.

The CDC defines maternal deaths as those that happen during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days after delivery, when the cause is linked to pregnancy.

Common causes include severe bleeding, blood clots and infections.

The agency’s new report did not break down how many of the 649 deaths in 2024 were linked to each cause.

Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic played a major role in the earlier spike in maternal deaths. The virus posed particular risks for pregnant women.

“The waning of COVID-19 was a major reason for the declines in deaths since 2021,” Declercq said.

Some of the improvement may also reflect efforts to strengthen maternity care.

Even with recent improvements, the U.S. still has one of the highest maternal death rates among wealthy nations.

In 2024, the maternal death rate was about 18 deaths for every 100,000 live births, the CDC said. That number was not significantly lower than the year before.

“The declines are welcome, but they are small and only bring us back to where we were six years ago,” Declercq told The AP.

The new report also highlights some disparities.

The maternal death rate among Black women in 2024 was more than triple that for both White and Hispanic women.

Age also played a role. Women 40 and older had a maternal death rate more than three times higher than younger mothers.

More information

The World Health Organization has more on maternal deaths.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, March 3, 2026