New figures have revealed a deeply troubling increase in the number of women dying during or shortly after pregnancy in the UK, directly contradicting a high-profile government pledge to drastically improve safety.
A Broken Promise on Maternity Safety
In 2015, the then Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, made a solemn vow to reduce maternal deaths by 50% by 2030, aiming to make the NHS "one of the safest places in the world to have a baby". This target was later brought forward to 2025. However, the latest audit from the MBRRACE-UK research project, led by the University of Oxford, shows the rate has moved in the opposite direction.
The data indicates that over the 14 years of Conservative government, the maternal mortality rate has actually increased by 20%. This stark statistic covers the period from 2009-11 to 2022-24, a timeframe used to assess progress towards the government's own ambition. Health leaders have described the findings as shocking evidence that something has gone badly wrong within maternity care.
Alarming Trends and Stark Inequalities
Digging deeper into the numbers reveals even more concerning details. While deaths from indirect causes, such as pre-existing conditions worsened by pregnancy, remained largely stable, there was a dramatic 52% surge in direct maternal deaths. These are deaths from complications directly linked to pregnancy, including severe bleeding, blood clots, and pre-eclampsia.
The audit also exposes profound and persistent inequalities. It found that:
- Black women face a maternal death rate nearly three times higher than white women.
- Asian women also experience a significantly higher risk of death compared to white women.
- Women living in the most deprived areas of the UK have a mortality rate almost double that of those in the least deprived areas.
- Women aged 35 and over are nearly twice as likely to die as those aged 25 to 29.
A System Under 'Relentless Pressure'
Reacting to the report, experts and professional bodies laid the blame on a chronically under-resourced and overstretched maternity system. Professor Marian Knight, who leads the MBRRACE-UK programme, stated the rise was "very concerning, especially as pressures on maternity services have not eased".
Clare Livingstone of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) called the situation an "absolute tragedy", highlighting that many deaths were avoidable. She pointed to maternity services being "stretched to capacity" with midwives working under "relentless pressure", which directly impacts safety and care outcomes.
Dr Kim Thomas, CEO of the Birth Trauma Association, echoed these concerns, noting that the leading causes of death are often treatable if identified early. She expressed extreme concern that in a medically advanced nation like the UK, these preventable deaths are increasing. The consensus is clear: without urgent investment and action to address workforce shortages and systemic inequalities, women will continue to suffer preventable harm.
