Maternal mortality has risen in both US and UK over the past decade — moving in the wrong direction in developed countries with otherwise good healthcare outcomes. The racial disparities within these numbers are stark and not closing despite repeated investigations and policy attention.
What the data shows
US: 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births (2023), rising. UK: 13.4 per 100,000 (2020-2022), up from 8.8 (2017-2019). Black women in both countries face 3-4x higher mortality than white women. The racial gap is widest among college-educated Black women vs less-educated white women — suggesting healthcare system failure rather than socioeconomic explanation.
What's driving the trend
Increasing maternal age and co-morbidities. Healthcare system failures particularly affecting marginalised groups. Mental health-related deaths rising as proportion of maternal mortality. In US specifically, abortion restrictions correlating with rising mortality in affected states.
The trend is alarming because it's reversible with evidence-based intervention. The fact that the trend persists points to ongoing systemic failures rather than inevitability.