Demographic Group Maternal Deaths Live Births Maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births
Overall 754 3,747,540 20.12 maternal deaths per thousand births
White 291 1,915,912
Hispanic 105 886,467
Black 206 548,075
(not computed for other) —— ———
Hoyert DL. Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2019. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2021.DOI: https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:103855.
Maternal mortality rates for other developed nations
Country Maternal Deaths/100,00 births
Germany 3.2
Sweden 4.3
Switzerland 4.6
Austria 4.8
United Kingdon 6.5
Canada 8.6
France 8.7
Source: Roosa Tikkanen et al., Maternal Mortality and Maternity Care in the United States Compared to 10 Other Developed Countries (Commonwealth Fund, Nov. 2020).
1. Comment on the overall maternal mortality in the U.S. and any differences by ethnic group. Search this online. List three reasons that may explain the much higher rates of maternal mortality in Black women.
2. Why does the U.S. have such a higher rate of maternal mortality than other comparator nations? Compare the rates by ethnic group to these other nations. List three factors that may contribute to the differences you note.
