On Feb. 23, 2023, the United Nations reported that every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the latest estimates released in a report by UN agencies. This report, Trends in maternal mortality, revealed alarming setbacks for womenﾒs health over recent years, as maternal deaths either increased or stagnated in nearly all regions of the world.

The report, which tracks maternal deaths nationally, regionally and globally from 2000 to 2020, shows there were an estimated 287 000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2020.