Countries in Asia Ranked by Maternal mortality ratio (2023)
Maternal mortality ratio: each country's latest value (2018–2023), ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).
Summary
Afghanistan ranks #1 with 521 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is 2.7 times Timor-Leste in second place (192 deaths per 100,000 live births). The top five are Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, Myanmar, Pakistan and Nepal. The median across all 47 is 26 deaths per 100,000 live births; Israel is last at 2 deaths per 100,000 live births. Afghanistan's figure has fallen 61% since 1999 (1,346 deaths per 100,000 live births to 521 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023).
- #1
- Afghanistan · 521 deaths per 100,000 live births
- Median
- 26 deaths per 100,000 live births
- Coverage
- 47 countries in Asia
- Data year
- 2023
- Last updated
- 2026-11-14
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | Maternal mortality ratio (deaths per 100,000 live births) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afghanistan | 521 |
| 2 | Timor-Leste | 192 |
| 3 | Myanmar | 185 |
| 4 | Pakistan | 155 |
| 5 | Nepal | 142 |
| 6 | Indonesia | 140 |
| 7 | Cambodia | 137 |
| 8 | Yemen, Rep. | 118 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 115 |
| 10 | Lao PDR | 112 |
| 11 | Philippines | 84 |
| 12 | India | 80 |
| 13 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 67 |
| 14 | Iraq | 66 |
| 15 | Viet Nam | 48 |
| 16 | Bhutan | 47 |
| 17 | Kyrgyz Republic | 42 |
| 18 | Mongolia | 41 |
| 19 | Brunei Darussalam | 36 |
| 20 | Thailand | 34 |
| 21 | Maldives | 32 |
| 22 | Jordan | 31 |
| 23 | Malaysia | 26 |
| 24 | Uzbekistan | 26 |
| 25 | Georgia | 20 |
| 26 | Syrian Arab Republic | 20 |
| 27 | Armenia | 19 |
| 28 | Azerbaijan | 18 |
| 29 | Sri Lanka | 18 |
| 30 | Bahrain | 17 |
| 31 | China | 16 |
| 32 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 16 |
| 33 | West Bank and Gaza | 16 |
| 34 | Lebanon | 15 |
| 35 | Türkiye | 15 |
| 36 | Tajikistan | 14 |
| 37 | Oman | 13 |
| 38 | Kazakhstan | 10 |
| 39 | Kuwait | 8 |
| 40 | Saudi Arabia | 7 |
| 41 | Singapore | 6 |
| 42 | Turkmenistan | 5 |
| 43 | Korea, Rep. | 4 |
| 44 | Qatar | 4 |
| 45 | United Arab Emirates | 3 |
| 46 | Japan | 3 |
| 47 | Israel | 2 |
About the top 10
#1 Afghanistan
Afghanistan ranks #1 on this list with 521 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Kabul
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 43.84 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$17.78 billion (2024)
- GDP per person
- US$416.9 (2024)
- Life expectancy
- 66.3 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 25.9% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Kabul.
Also ranks #1 in refugee population by origin · #4 in health expenditure share of gdp · #6 in agriculture value added share of gdp.
#2 Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste ranks #2 on this list with 192 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Dili
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Lower middle income
- Population
- 1.42 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$1.9 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$1,341 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 67.9 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 28.8% of population (2025)
Also ranks #1 in smoking prevalence · #3 in government revenue share of gdp · #4 in prevalence of stunting (under-5).
#3 Myanmar
Myanmar ranks #3 on this list with 185 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Naypyidaw
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Lower middle income
- Population
- 54.85 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$81.67 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$1,489 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 67.1 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 30.6% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Yangon, Mandalay, Naypyidaw.
Also ranks #3 in smoking prevalence · #6 in refugee population by origin · #8 in manufacturing value added share of gdp.
#4 Pakistan
Pakistan ranks #4 on this list with 155 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Islamabad
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Lower middle income
- Population
- 255.22 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$407.31 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$1,596 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 67.8 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 39.5% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad.
Also ranks #1 in diabetes prevalence · #2 in children out of school (primary) · #3 in rural population.
#5 Nepal
Nepal ranks #5 on this list with 142 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Kathmandu
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Lower middle income
- Population
- 29.62 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$45.49 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$1,536 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 70.6 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 67% of population (2025)
Also ranks #6 in school enrolment (primary) · #6 in low-birthweight babies share · #7 in gross savings rate.
#6 Indonesia
Indonesia ranks #6 on this list with 140 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Jakarta
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Upper middle income
- Population
- 285.72 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$1.45 trillion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$5,060 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 71.3 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 59.4% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung.
Also ranks #2 in fish production · #4 in population · #4 in labour force size.
#7 Cambodia
Cambodia ranks #7 on this list with 137 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Phnom Penh
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Lower middle income
- Population
- 17.85 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$51.27 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$2,872 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 70.8 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 41.1% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Phnom Penh.
Also ranks #3 in time to start a business (days) · #5 in manufacturing value added share of gdp · #6 in labour force participation rate.
#8 Yemen, Rep.
Yemen, Rep. ranks #8 on this list with 118 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Sanaa, Aden
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Low income
- Population
- 41.77 million people (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 69.4 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 37% of population (2025)
- International tourist arrivals
- 398,000 arrivals (2015)
- CO2 emissions per person
- 0.261 t CO2e per person (2024)
Also ranks #2 in prevalence of stunting (under-5) · #2 in prevalence of wasting (under-5) · #12 in unemployment rate.
#9 Bangladesh
Bangladesh ranks #9 on this list with 115 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Dhaka
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Lower middle income
- Population
- 175.69 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$456.32 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$2,597 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 74.9 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 33.2% of population (2025)
Largest cities: Dhaka, Chittagong, Gazipur.
Also ranks #1 in arable land share · #2 in irrigated land share · #2 in low-birthweight babies share.
#10 Lao PDR
Lao PDR ranks #10 on this list with 112 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Capital
- Vientiane
- Continent
- Asia
- Income group
- Lower middle income
- Population
- 7.87 million people (2025)
- GDP
- US$18.3 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$2,325 (2025)
- Life expectancy
- 69.2 years (2024)
- Urban population
- 40.3% of population (2025)
Also ranks #2 in time to start a business (days) · #4 in official exchange rate · #7 in livestock production index.
Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.
Source and method
Maternal mortality ratio: each country's latest value (2018–2023), ranked from highest to lowest.
Source: The World Bank, indicator SH.STA.MMRT. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.
The World Bank: Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births): Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO) (via World Development Indicators)
Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO); UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), note: Trends in Maternal Mortality; UN Population Fund (UNFPA), note: Trends in Maternal Mortality.
Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.