Data source: National Maternal Mortality Data Collection

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National Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Clinical Expert Group Data timeliness Data availability Western Australia data provision Reclassification of psychosocial maternal deaths Definitions used in reporting maternal deaths

The National Maternal Mortality Data Collection (NMMDC) collates data on the deaths of women reported to have died while pregnant or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy. Data are provided by the states and territories.

Detailed information on completeness, accuracy and other aspects of data quality for the NMMDC is in the data quality statement. 

National Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Clinical Expert Group

The National Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Clinical Expert Group (NMPMCEG) provides expert clinical advice regarding all components of the National Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Data Collections.

Data timeliness

NMMDC data are collected annually. Most states and territories need at least 12–18 months lead time to undertake post-mortem investigations, classification, data entry and validation as required after the end of a data collection period. Deaths subject to coronial inquiry may take longer to finalise.

Timelines for the reporting of 2023 maternal deaths data are outlined in Figure 1. These data were finalised and reported 23 months after the end of the collection period.

Figure 1: Months since the end of the 2023 calendar period and public reporting of data from the National Maternal Mortality Data Collection

NMMDC data were finalised and reported 23 months after the end of the 2023 collection period.

Data availability

Detailed information on completeness for all data items in the NMMDC is available, at the national level, in the interactive data visualisation below (Figure 2) for 2014 to 2023.

The following definitions are used to quantify completeness:

Supplied: supplied an appropriate value for a proportion of records for the data item during specified collection year/s

Not supplied or not stated: proportion of values supplied as not stated or missing, where a jurisdiction has either supplied appropriate values for a portion of records or did not supply any value for all records for the data item during the specified collection year/s.

Figure 2: Availability of data in the National Maternal Mortality Data Collection

The data visualisation shows a bar chart of the availability of data items in the National Maternal Mortality Data Collection for the period 2014 to 2023

The data visualisation shows a bar chart of the availability of data items in the National Maternal Mortality Data Collection for the period 2014 to 2023

Western Australia data provision

Due to its health and privacy legislation, only limited summary data on maternal deaths from 2006–2023 were supplied by Western Australia. As these data provided are already aggregated, rather than provided by case, they cannot be included in Figure 2, above. However, they are included in analyses where possible.

Reclassification of psychosocial maternal deaths

In 2025, the National Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Clinical Excellence Group (NMPMCEG) reconfirmed an earlier agreement to standardise the classification of maternal deaths due to psychosocial causes. AIHW reviewed the NMMDC and identified historical maternal deaths with a psychosocial cause of death that had been classified as coincidental. As per the NMPMCEG standard, these deaths were reclassified from coincidental to indirect. As a result, there are minor differences in maternal death rates (for indirect and total) in this report compared with previous AIHW reporting.

Definitions used in reporting maternal deaths

Table 1: Definitions of maternal death
Type of deathDefinition
Direct maternal deaths(a)Those resulting from obstetric complications of the pregnant state (pregnancy, labour and puerperium), from interventions, omissions, incorrect treatment or from a chain of events resulting from any of the above
Indirect maternal deaths(a)Those resulting from previous existing diseases or diseases that developed during pregnancy, and which were not due to a direct obstetric cause, but were aggravated by the physiologic effects of pregnancy
Maternal death, not further classifiedDeaths considered to be related to the pregnancy or its management, but could not be further classified as either ‘direct’ or ‘indirect’. These deaths are included in the maternal deaths total
Coincidental maternal deathsDeaths from unrelated causes that happen to occur in pregnancy or the puerperium
Unclassified deathMaternal death from unspecified or undetermined cause occurring during pregnancy, labour and delivery, or the puerperium

(a) Definitions are from the International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, 10th revision, volume 2, section 5.8.1.

For more definitions of terms used in this report, see the glossary.

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