The rate of women dying during or shortly after pregnancy in the UK has risen by 20% over the past 14 years, according to figures from MBRRACE-UK, a research project led by the University of Oxford. This increase comes despite a Conservative government pledge to halve maternal deaths by 2025, made by then health secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2015 and brought forward to 2025 in 2017.
The data, covering 2009-11 to 2022-24, shows the maternal mortality rate increased rather than decreased during the Conservatives' time in office. Direct deaths linked to pregnancy, including from bleeding, blood clots and pre-eclampsia, rose by 52%, while indirect deaths caused by pre-existing conditions exacerbated by pregnancy were largely unchanged, up 3%. Blood clots were the leading cause of death during pregnancy or up to six weeks afterwards.
Experts described the rise as shocking and an 'absolute tragedy'. Professor Marian Knight, MBRRACE-UK programme lead, said the increase was 'very concerning, especially as pressures on maternity services have not eased'. Dr Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, said it was clear that 'something has gone badly wrong in maternity care', noting that many deaths from treatable conditions could have been prevented.
The audit also revealed stark inequalities. Black women had a maternal death rate nearly three times higher than white women, while Asian women also faced a higher risk. Women in the most deprived areas had a death rate nearly double that of those in the least deprived, and women aged 35 or over were nearly twice as likely to die as those aged 25 to 29.
Clare Livingstone, head of professional policy and practice at the Royal College of Midwives, said maternity services were under 'extreme pressure' and that a lack of investment over many years had failed women. She added that the 'unacceptable inequalities' had been known about for years but meaningful action had been 'far too slow'.
