In the year 2000, more than 513 thousand women died due to
pregnancy-related causes. The map shows that most of these
maternal deaths were in Southern Asian and African territories.
The fewest maternal deaths were in Western Europe and Japan. The
highest rate of maternal deaths was in Sierra Leone, where 2
mothers die per 100 births. At the other extreme, Malta and
Iceland reported no maternal deaths in 2000. The world average
is 386 maternal deaths for every 100,000 births.