3 out of 1,000 Indonesian Mothers Die During Childbirth

Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Indonesia remains high. The 2012 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) reported an MMR of 359 per 100,000 live births. This translates to an average of 3 maternal deaths per 1,000 births in Indonesia. The deaths reported here include those occurring during pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, and up to two months after the end of pregnancy. This 2012 MMR represents a 57 percent increase from the previous survey in 2007, which recorded a maternal mortality rate of 228 per 100,000 live births.

Several factors contribute to these deaths, including hemorrhage (39 percent), pregnancy-induced hypertension (20 percent), infection (7 percent), and other causes (33 percent). These conditions are exacerbated by the social conditions of a population still largely living in poverty. Furthermore, the uneven distribution of healthcare facilities and personnel throughout Indonesia also contributes to compromised maternal health during pregnancy, ultimately leading to death.

Within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, the government aimed to reduce the MMR to 102 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015. The next MMR figures for Indonesia will be available in the subsequent IDHS, conducted in 2017.