Every minute, in some part of the world, a woman dies from pregnancy and childbirth complications, with more than 99 per cent of those deaths in low and middle-income countries, according to statistics from the World Health Organisation reprinted in the latest UN population report.
The maternal mortality ratio in Ireland is six per 100,000 live births, compared with 1,000 in Eritrea and 1,100 in the Central African Republic.
Life expectancy for women in Ireland is 79.2 years (73.6 for men) compared with 46.6 in Mozambique (43.9 for men) and 40.6 in Zambia (39.5 for men). Infant mortality in Ireland is seven per 1,000 compared with 152 in Afghanistan, and 103 in Cambodia. The UN report notes that, with a life expectancy of 74 years, Sri Lankan women "enjoy the best health status of women in any country in south Asia".
