A viral discussion on X comparing maternal deaths in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Norway has reignited concerns over the country’s maternal healthcare crisis. While some posts claimed Nigeria recorded 90,000 maternal deaths in 2023, the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division paint a slightly different, but equally alarming, picture.
According to the UN agencies’ Trends in Maternal Mortality 2000–2023 report released in April 2025, Nigeria recorded an estimated 75,000 maternal deaths in 2023, accounting for nearly 29% of all maternal deaths globally. The country also had the world’s highest maternal mortality ratio at 993 deaths per 100,000 live births, far above the global average of 197 per 100,000.
By comparison, the United Kingdom records fewer than 100 maternal deaths annually, while Norway continues to maintain one of the lowest maternal mortality rates globally, with maternal deaths remaining extremely rare due to universal healthcare, skilled birth attendance and strong emergency obstetric services.
Health experts attribute Nigeria’s high death toll to poor access to quality maternal healthcare, shortages of skilled health workers, weak emergency referral systems, poverty, and delays in seeking medical care.
Although Nigeria recently reported a nearly 50% reduction in maternal deaths recorded within health facilities between 2024 and 2025, experts caution that facility-based data captures only a fraction of deaths nationwide, as many births still occur outside hospitals.
The UN agencies say most maternal deaths are preventable through timely antenatal care, skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric services and improved health financing. For Nigeria, reducing maternal mortality remains one of the country’s biggest public health challenges as it works toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
