Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2022
by Donna L. Hoyert, Ph.D., Division of Vital Statistics
This report presents maternal mortality rates for 2022 based on data from the National Vital Statistics System. A maternal death is defined by the World Health Organization as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes” (1). Maternal mortality rates—the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births—are shown in this report by age group and race and Hispanic origin.
This report updates a previous one that showed maternal mortality rates for 2018–2021 (2). In 2022, 817 women died of maternal causes in the United States, compared with 1,205 in 2021, 861 in 2020, 754 in 2019, and 658 in 2018 (2). The maternal mortality rate for 2022 decreased to 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with a rate of 32.9 in 2021 (Figure 1 and Table).
In 2022, maternal mortality rates decreased significantly for Black non-Hispanic (subsequently, Black), White non-Hispanic (subsequently, White), and Hispanic women (Figure 2 and Table). The observed decrease for Asian non-Hispanic women (subsequently, Asian) was not statistically significant. In 2022, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births and was significantly higher than rates for White (19.0), Hispanic (16.9), and Asian (13.2) women.
Rates decreased significantly for each age group from 2021 to 2022 (Figure 3 and Table). Rates in 2022 were 14.4 deaths per 100,000 live births for women younger than 25, 21.1 for those ages 25–39, and 87.1 for those age 40 and older. The rate for women age 40 and older was six times higher than the rate for women younger than age 25. Differences in the rates between age groups were statistically significant.
Data source and methods
Data are from the National Vital Statistics System mortality file (3). Consistent with previous reports, the number of maternal deaths does not include all deaths occurring to pregnant or recently pregnant women, but only those deaths with the underlying cause of death assigned to International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes A34, O00–O95, and O98–O99. Maternal mortality rates are per 100,000 live births, based on data from the National Vital Statistics System natality file. Maternal mortality rates fluctuate from year to year because of the relatively small number of these events, and possibly because of issues with the accuracy of reporting of maternal deaths on death certificates (4). Efforts to improve data quality are ongoing, and these data will continue to be evaluated for possible errors. Data are shown for only the four largest race and Hispanic-origin groups for which statistically reliable rates can be calculated, and numbers and rates are suppressed for those groups for which statistically reliable rates cannot be calculated (5). Additional details and data on provisional maternal mortality rates are available (6,7).
References
- World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, 10th revision. 2008 ed. 2009.
- Hoyert DL. Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2021. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:124678.
- Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2022. NCHS Data Brief, no 492. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:135850.
- Hoyert DL, Miniño AM. Maternal mortality in the United States: Changes in coding, publication, and data release, 2018. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 69 no 2. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2020.
- Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2020. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 72 no 10. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:131355.
- National Center for Health Statistics. Maternal mortality. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/maternal-mortality/index.htm.
- National Center for Health Statistics. Provisional maternal mortality rates. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/provisional-maternal-deaths-rates.htm.
Suggested citation
Hoyert DL. Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2022. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2024. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc/152992.
Figures
Figure 1. Maternal mortality rate: United States, 2018–2022
1Statistically significant change from previous year (p < 0.05).
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, mortality data files.
Figure 2. Maternal mortality rate, by race and Hispanic origin: United States, 2021 and 2022
1Statistically significant decrease from previous year (p < 0.05).
2Hispanic people may be of any race.
NOTE: Race groups are single race.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, mortality data files.
Table
Table. Number of live births and maternal deaths, and maternal mortality rates, by race and Hispanic origin and age: United States, 2018–2022
Race and Hispanic origin and age | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||||
Number of live births | Number of deaths | Maternal mortality rate1 | Number of live births | Number of deaths | Maternal mortality rate1 | Number of live births | Number of deaths | Maternal mortality rate1 | Number of live births | Number of deaths | Maternal mortality rate1 | Number of live births | Number of deaths | Maternal mortality rate1 | |
Total2 | 3,791,712 | 658 | 17.4 | 3,747,540 | 754 | 20.1 | 3,613,647 | 861 | 23.8 | 3,664,292 | 1,205 | 32.9 | 3,667,758 | 817 | 22.3 |
Under 25 | 907,782 | 96 | 10.6 | 877,803 | 111 | 12.6 | 825,403 | 114 | 13.8 | 797,334 | 163 | 20.4 | 784,299 | 113 | 14.4 |
25–39 | 2,756,974 | 458 | 16.6 | 2,739,976 | 544 | 19.9 | 2,658,445 | 607 | 22.8 | 2,731,223 | 854 | 31.3 | 2,738,802 | 578 | 21.1 |
40 and over | 126,956 | 104 | 81.9 | 129,761 | 98 | 75.5 | 129,799 | 140 | 107.9 | 135,735 | 188 | 138.5 | 144,657 | 126 | 87.1 |
Asian, Non-Hispanic 3 | 240,798 | 32 | 13.3 | 238,769 | 33 | 13.8 | 219,068 | 27 | 12.3 | 213,813 | 36 | 16.8 | 218,994 | 29 | 13.2 |
Under 25 | 16,338 | * | * | 15,071 | * | * | 12,993 | * | * | 11,149 | * | 41.5 | 11,002 | * | * |
25–39 | 211,331 | 25 | 11.8 | 210,177 | 28 | 13.3 | 193,139 | 20 | 10.4 | 189,405 | 24 | 12.7 | 193,025 | 21 | 10.9 |
40 and over | 13,129 | * | * | 13,521 | * | * | 12,936 | * | * | 13,259 | * | * | 14,967 | * | * |
Non-Hispanic Black3 | 552,029 | 206 | 37.3 | 548,075 | 241 | 44.0 | 529,811 | 293 | 55.3 | 517,889 | 362 | 69.9 | 511,439 | 253 | 49.5 |
Younger than 25 | 176,243 | 27 | 15.3 | 169,853 | 32 | 18.8 | 159,541 | 46 | 28.8 | 149,435 | 62 | 41.5 | 140,498 | 44 | 31.3 |
25–39 | 358,276 | 137 | 38.2 | 360,206 | 179 | 49.7 | 351,648 | 198 | 56.3 | 349,170 | 242 | 69.3 | 349,740 | 172 | 49.2 |
40 and over | 17,510 | 42 | 239.9 | 18,016 | 30 | 166.5 | 18,622 | 49 | 263.1 | 19,284 | 58 | 300.8 | 21,201 | 37 | 174.5 |
Non-Hispanic White3 | 1,956,413 | 291 | 14.9 | 1,915,912 | 343 | 17.9 | 1,843,432 | 352 | 19.1 | 1,887,656 | 503 | 26.6 | 1,840,739 | 350 | 19.0 |
Under 25 | 391,829 | 41 | 10.5 | 374,129 | 49 | 13.1 | 348,666 | 40 | 11.5 | 336,792 | 57 | 16.9 | 324,604 | 35 | 10.8 |
25–39 | 1,504,888 | 207 | 13.8 | 1,480,595 | 248 | 16.8 | 1,433,839 | 253 | 17.6 | 1,486,249 | 364 | 24.5 | 1,449,365 | 259 | 17.9 |
40 and over | 59,696 | 43 | 72.0 | 61,188 | 46 | 75.2 | 60,927 | 59 | 96.8 | 64,615 | 82 | 126.9 | 66,770 | 56 | 83.9 |
Hispanic | 886,210 | 105 | 11.8 | 886,467 | 112 | 12.6 | 866,713 | 158 | 18.2 | 885,916 | 248 | 28.0 | 937,421 | 158 | 16.9 |
Under 25 | 275,553 | 21 | 7.6 | 270,948 | 23 | 8.5 | 258,635 | 20 | 7.7 | 255,806 | 36 | 14.1 | 264,310 | 25 | 9.5 |
25–39 | 579,553 | 72 | 12.4 | 584,109 | 71 | 12.2 | 576,690 | 111 | 19.2 | 597,703 | 184 | 30.8 | 637,735 | 108 | 16.9 |
40 and over | 31,104 | 12 | * | 31,410 | 18 | * | 31,388 | 27 | 86.0 | 32,407 | 28 | 86.4 | 35,376 | 25 | 70.7 |
*Estimate does not meet National Center for Health Statistics standards of reliability.
1Deaths per 100,000 live births.
2Total includes deaths for race and Hispanic-origin groups not shown separately, including women of multiple races and origin not stated.
3Race groups are single race.
4Hispanic people may be of any race.
NOTES: Maternal causes are those assigned to codes A34, O00–O95, and O98–O99 of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, 1992. Maternal deaths occur while pregnant or within 42 days of being pregnant.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, mortality and natality data files.