A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that maternal mortality rates have more than doubled for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States from 1999 to 2019. According to the new study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington and Mass General Brigham, Black and American Indian and Alaska Native women have a higher risk of maternal death – a trend that did not improve from over the 20-year period. This is the first state-by-state analysis covering two decades of maternal mortality data by racial and ethnic groups, and illustrates an urgent need to combat long-standing disparities in maternal deaths through increased health care accessibility and support for pregnant women before, during, and after their pregnancies.

Here is a link to the study on JAMA’s website, and the data set for all 50 states (click the download button).

Source: Fleszar LG, Bryant AS, Johnson CO, et al. Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States. JAMA. 2023;330(1):52–61. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.9043

U.S. maternal mortality more than doubled since 1999, most deaths among Black women, study says

U.S. maternal deaths more than doubled over 20 years. Here’s who fared the worst