India lead Global Maternal Death Rate

India leads with a maximum of 19 percent of the global maternal death rate – a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested.

While India tops the maternal death rate with 19 per cent Nigeria maintains the second position at 14 per cent of the global maternal death rate.

The report provide that approximately 287,000 women died in pregnancy and childbirth in 2010 across the world including the maximum of 56,000 in India followed by 40,000 in Nigeria.

Maternal deaths dropped by nearly half in the past two decades due to improvement in health systems and increased female education which is a decline of 47 per cent from levels in 1990.

The global Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in 2010 was 210 maternal deaths per one lakh live births, down from 400 maternal deaths per one lakh live births in 1990 – 2010 released by UN Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization , UN Children`s Fund and the World Bank.

As per the report a woman dies of pregnancy-related complications like severe bleeding after childbirth, infections, high blood pressure every two minutes during pregnancy and unsafe abortion.

Of the 180 countries and territories that were covered in this UN study, 154 countries experienced total MMR percentage declines while 26 countries had an increase.