More American women died around the time of childbirth last year than in 2023, according to provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wednesday.
The maternal mortality rate rose to 19 deaths per 100,000 in December 2024, an increase from 18.6 the year before.
Maternal deaths spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, bumping the nation’s maternal mortality rate up to 33.8 deaths per 100,000 live first in June of 2022, according to the data.
The CDC referenced the World Health Organization’s definition of a maternal death on its website. According to the WHO, a maternal death is a death of a woman that occurs while she is pregnant or within 42 days of a pregnancy’s end.
A quarter of maternal deaths in 2020 and 2021 were linked to COVID-19, according to a report on maternal mortality conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Pregnant and post-partum people have a higher risk of developing serious illness after contracting the COVID-19 virus compared to those who are not pregnant or who have not recently given birth, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations. Death rates among pregnant and postpartum women vary greatly in the U.S. by race and ethnicity, with research showing that Black women have a much higher chance of dying during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum than white women.
The maternal mortality rate for Black women in December 2024 was 47.5 per 100,000 live births, according to the provisional data, while the mortality rate for pregnant and postpartum white women was 15.2 per 100,000.
Asian American women had the second-highest maternal mortality rate that month at 17.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, while Hispanic women had the lowest rate of 13.1.
