A detailed study has raised alarm over the slowing global progress on reducing maternal mortality rate (MMR). Of the 204 countries surveyed for the paper published in the Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health journal, 104 are yet to meet the United Nations and World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 to lower MMRs to less than 70 deaths per lakh live births by 2030. It places India in the higher MMR bracket, alongside Ethiopia, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Though India’s MMR of 88 recorded in 2021-23 is an improvement from the 91 reported in 2019-21, it is still way above the SDG 3.1 target. This is despite various initiatives by the Union government under the National Health Mission—such as Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan and LaQshya—to reduce MMR across the country.
Odisha (153), Chhattisgarh (146), Madhya Pradesh (142) and Uttar Pradesh (141) are the biggest laggards, with rates more than double the target. The states that have already bettered the 2030 goal include Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, which have MMRs of 30 each, along with Tamil Nadu at 35, Telangana at 59 and Karnataka at 68. Puducherry became the first Union Territory to record zero MMR in 2024-25. Clearly, South India has fared far better in safeguarding maternal health.
According to the National Family Health Survey, births at healthcare institutions—one of the most effective ways to lower MMR—accounted for 88.6 percent of the total in 2019-21, a significant increase from 78.9 percent in 2015-16. The main reasons for maternal mortality in India are obstetric haemorrhage, infections, hypertensive disorders, anaemia and nutritional deficiencies, unsafe abortions, delays in accessing care and lack of preparedness. While camps are provisioned to improve health departments’ outreach to pregnant women in remote areas, the sheer magnitude of the challenge of covering the entire population is steep.
To achieve the SDG goal, a joint approach between the Union and states is needed to significantly improve access to pregnancy care. While we aim for having a Viksit Bharat by 2047, we should not forget the old Sanskrit shloka, Janani janmabhoomischa swargadapi gariyasi (Mother and motherland are superior even to heaven).