FOI REF: FOI/2023/4731
You asked
I would like to request the maternal death rate figures for all the years between and including 1980 to 2020, in England and Wales, or if not possible, then in the UK.
We said
Thank you for your query regarding maternal deaths data.
A maternal death is defined internationally as the death of a woman during or up to six weeks (42 days) after the end of pregnancy (whether the pregnancy ended by termination, miscarriage or a birth, or was an ectopic pregnancy) through causes associated with, or exacerbated by, pregnancy (World Health Organisation 2010). The information we hold unfortunately does not equate directly to this definition.
We hold deaths in England and Wales registered to women where a pregnancy-related cause is listed on the death certificate and is then coded as the underlying cause (the O codes in the International Classification of Diseases) which can be found in our explorable dataset, NOMIS for 2013 to 2021:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?mode=construct&version=0&dataset=161
The figures and mortality rates are available by area of usual residence of the deceased by region, local authority and middle super output area.
We can calculate maternal death mortality rates dating back to 1980 as a bespoke request. Special extracts and tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales are available to order (subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs, where appropriate). Such enquiries can be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.
You may be able to get further information from the national Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (CEMD), which is the main source of information on maternal deaths within the United Kingdom. They can be contacted at: mbrrace-uk@npeu.ox.ac.uk.