About 4 million babies die before, during or after delivery; 2 million are stillborn, but deaths have fallen 30% since 2000
Nearly 300,000 women lose their lives every year because of pregnancy or childbirth, while more than 2 million babies die throughout the first month of life and another 2 million are stillborn (die after 20 weeks of pregnancy in the womb or during childbirth), according to the (World Health Organization).
“This represents approximately a preventable death every seven seconds”highlighted the organization. The figures were released on Monday (7.abr.2025).
Also according to WHO, based on current trends, 4 in 5 countries are far from achieving goals for improving maternal survival by 2030. Already 1 in 3 countries will not be able to achieve the downtown goals of newborns.
CAMPAIGN
WHO has launched a campaign, with an estimated 1 year duration in favor of maternal and neonatal welfare. The theme chosen is “healthy, future hopes.”
“The health of mother and babies affect each of us. Still, millions of women and newborns lose their lives every year for causes that could be prevented through punctual and quality care.”said the entity.
“The campaign stresses that the way we start life plays an important role in determining everything that comes later. When women and newborns not only survive childbirth, but maintain good health, it benefits families and communities and contributes to economic development and stability.”said the director general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Advances
Despite the figures, WHO points out that since 2000, maternal deaths have fallen 40% across the planet, while deaths between newborns have recorded a reduction of just over 30%.
In 2000, 443,000 women lost their lives during or after delivery. In 2015, the number fell to 328 thousand women and, in 2023, to 260,000 women.
According to WHO, in 2023, for the first time in history, there was no single country in the world that qualified as an extremely high maternal mortality rates.
WHO data also reveal that, from 2000 to 2023, prenatal care rates worldwide rose 21%. In the same period, rates of access to qualified assistance during delivery increased 25% and postpartum care access rates, 15%.
With information from.
