The nation’s maternal mortality rate increased by nearly 40% between 2020 and 2021. The rate of US women who died during or soon after their pregnancies in the US is higher than at any other time since 2000, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [USA Facts]

The rate was higher for certain groups in the population, such as pregnant Black women. The COVID-19 pandemic and the rising age of pregnant women also contributed to the worsening rate.

It's not a new problem in the US. Although the maternal mortality rate dropped in some years over the last two decades, the overall trend has been upwards.

The World Health Organization defines maternal mortality as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy, regardless of how long the pregnancy lasted or any cause related to the pregnancy.[1]

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