Öykü Altuntaş / Geneva, Nov 12 () - Maternal mortality has fallen by 44 percent since 1990, United Nations agencies and the World Bank Group announced, on Nov 12.

According to a report by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division, maternal deaths around the world dropped from about 532 thousand in 1990 to around 303 thousand in 2015, within the last report under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 216 maternal deaths per 100 thousand live births, down from 385 in 1990, the report showed.

Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth or within 6 weeks after birth.

“Uneven gains”

“That’s real progress, although it is not enough. We know that we can virtually end these deaths by 2030 and this is what we are committing to work towards” said Dr Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General, Family, Women’s and Children’s Health.

In this regard, achieving that goal will require much more effort, according to Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations’ Population Fund.

“Many countries with high maternal death rates will make little progress, or will even fall behind, over the next 15 years if we don’t improve the current number of available midwives and other health workers with midwifery skills,” he said, marking “uneven gains” over the progress.

Only nine countries achieve UN millennium targets

Despite global improvements, only 9 countries achieved the MDG 5 target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by at least 75 percent between 1990 and 2015.

By the end of this year, about 99 percent of the world’s maternal deaths will have occurred in developing regions, with Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounting for 2 in 3 (66 percent) deaths, according to the report.

The greatest improvement of any region was recorded in Eastern Asia, where the maternal mortality ratio fell from approximately 95 to 27 per 100 000 live births, which shows a reduction by 72 percent.

UN aims to help achieve the ambitious target of reducing maternal deaths to fewer than 70 per 100 000 live births globally, as included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).