Global maternal mortality has fallen by 44% since 1990, say United Nations agencies and the World Bank Group in a report. Maternal deaths around the world dropped from 532,000 in 1990 to 303 000 this year, said the report, the last in a series that has looked at progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This equates an estimated global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 216 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births, down from 385 in 1990, the WHO website reported. Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth or within 6 weeks after delivery.
