Geneva, 7 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Complications from pregnancy or childbirth led to the death of a woman roughly every two minutes in 2023, as stated in a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN bodies.

The report, published on Monday, said that this corresponds to an estimated 260,000 women globally.

Maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 had declined 40% globally, largely due to improved access to essential health services, the WHO added.

However, it warned the pace of improvement had slowed significantly since 2016.

Humanitarian funding cuts were having severe impacts on health care in many parts of the world, forcing countries to roll back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health, the report said.

WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in addition to ensuring access to quality maternity care, strengthening health and reproductive rights of women and girls was critical.

"While this report shows glimmers of hope, the data also highlights how dangerous pregnancy still is in much of the world today despite the fact that solutions exist to prevent and treat the complications that cause the vast majority of maternal deaths," he added.

One of the UN's sustainable development goals is to reduce maternal mortality from 328 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to less than 70 by 2030.

Achieving this presented "an unprecedented challenge," the report said.

"Rapid action is needed to safeguard maternal health and end the tragedy of maternal mortality. Women have the right to not only survive pregnancy but thrive in good health."

MIA file photo