United Nations Millennium Development Goals
GOAL 5:
IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
Target 5.A:
Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio
- Maternal mortality has nearly halved since 1990. An estimated 287,000 maternal deaths occurred in 2010 worldwide, a decline of 47 per cent from 1990, but levels are far removed from the 2015 target.
- The maternal mortality ratio in developing regions is still 15 times higher than in the developed regions.
- The rural-urban gap in skilled care during childbirth has narrowed.
Target 5.B:
Achieve universal access to reproductive health
- More women are receiving antenatal care.
- More pregnant women are receiving care with the recommended frequency, but gaps still exist in regions most in need.
- Fewer teens are having children in most developing regions, but progress has slowed.
- The large increase in contraceptive use in the 1990s was not matched in the 2000s.
- The unmet need for family planning remains persistently high in regions with low levels of contraceptive use.
- Official Development Assistance for reproductive health care and family planning remains low.
Featured story
Eritrea is one of the four African countries said to be on track to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5 on Maternal Health, which calls for countries to reduce their maternal mortality rate by three quarters by 2015. For Eritrea, this will mean attaining a rate of less than 350 deaths per 100,000 births.
This drastic positive change has come about through the concerted programmes and persistent efforts of the Government of the State of Eritrea, in partnership with UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA and UNDP. Read more from the UNDP blog:
MDG 5 Infographic
