Black women die from pregnancy related causes at 3.5 times the rate of White women, 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births compared with 26.6 for White women. When you break those deaths down, the pattern is not one single cause but a shifting mix from cardiovascular disease and hypertension disorders to infection, preeclampsia, and even mental health and homicide in the postpartum period.
Key Takeaways
- Cardiovascular conditions cause 13.6% Black maternal deaths vs 8.2% White (2018-2020)
- Cardiomyopathy accounts for 16.5% of Black pregnancy-related deaths (2013-2018)
- Hemorrhage responsible for 11.8% Black maternal mortality 2016-2020
- Black women die at 3.2 times the rate of white women from pregnancy-related causes in the US (2016-2020 average)
- Hispanic women have MMR 1.7 times higher than White, but Black 3.5 times (2021)
- Asian/Pacific Islander MMR 13.6 vs Black 69.9 per 100,000 in 2021
- California CMMI pilot reduced Black severe morbidity by 15% 2018-2022
- Group prenatal care for Black women lowered preterm birth 25% in trial
- Implicit bias training in hospitals cut Black C-section 20% (2020 study)
- In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women in the US was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 26.6 for White women
- From 2017-2019, non-Hispanic Black women had a pregnancy-related mortality ratio of 55.3 per 100,000 live births nationally
- In 2020, Black maternal mortality rate reached 55.3 per 100,000 live births in the US
- Poverty affects 40% higher risk for Black maternal mortality
- Obesity BMI>30 increases Black MMR by 2.7 times
- Pre-existing hypertension triples Black maternal death risk
Black women die from pregnancy related causes at far higher rates, driven by cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hemorrhage, and inequity.
Related reading
01 · Category
Causes20 stats
01
Cardiovascular conditions cause 13.6% Black maternal deaths vs 8.2% White (2018-2020)
02
Cardiomyopathy accounts for 16.5% of Black pregnancy-related deaths (2013-2018)
03
Hemorrhage responsible for 11.8% Black maternal mortality 2016-2020
04
Infection/sepsis causes 9.4% of Black maternal deaths nationally (2018)
05
Preeclampsia/eclampsia 12.7% Black maternal deaths (2013-2017)
06
Homicide accounts for 5.2% Black maternal deaths postpartum (2018-2020)
07
Cardiovascular disease 33% of late postpartum Black deaths (2016-2020)
08
Mental health conditions 23% Black maternal deaths 2017-2019
09
Obesity-related complications 14.2% Black MMR (2018)
10
Sickle cell disease contributes to 2.1% Black maternal deaths (2013-2018)
11
COVID-19 caused 1.8% Black maternal deaths in 2020
12
Amniotic fluid embolism 3.4% Black deaths during delivery (2018-2020)
13
Stroke accounts for 7.6% Black maternal mortality (2016)
14
Anesthesia complications 1.2% but higher preventable in Black (2019)
15
Suicide 4.1% late postpartum Black deaths (2017-2020)
16
Hypertension disorders 26% Black intrapartum deaths (2018)
17
Placental complications 8.9% Black MMR (2013-2018)
18
Diabetes-related 6.3% Black maternal deaths (2020)
19
Drug overdose 3.7% Black postpartum deaths (2018-2020)
20
Aneurysm 2.4% Black maternal mortality causes (2016-2020)
Interpretation
Causes Interpretation
The grim litany of data points to a system that doesn't merely fail Black mothers but actively and disproportionately targets them for death, from the delivery room through the postpartum year, with a catastrophic indifference that spans cardiovascular neglect, hypertensive dismissal, and even the violence of homicide.
02 · Category
Disparities24 stats
01
Black women die at 3.2 times the rate of white women from pregnancy-related causes in the US (2016-2020 average)
02
Hispanic women have MMR 1.7 times higher than White, but Black 3.5 times (2021)
03
Asian/Pacific Islander MMR 13.6 vs Black 69.9 per 100,000 in 2021
04
Native American women MMR 49.2, still lower than Black 55.3 in 2020
05
College-educated Black women have MMR 60% higher than White women with less education (2003-2018)
06
Black women with private insurance MMR 2.4 times White insured counterparts (2018)
07
In-hospital Black maternal mortality 2.8 times higher than White (2011-2015)
08
Black infant mortality 2.3 times White, linked to maternal disparities (2021)
09
Severe maternal morbidity for Black women 1.5-2 times higher than White (2017-2019)
10
Black women obesity-related MMR 4 times White (2018-2020)
11
Preterm birth rates Black 14.2% vs White 8.7%, contributing to mortality gap (2021)
12
Black women hypertension in pregnancy 2.2 times White rate (2016-2020)
13
Cesarean delivery rates Black 36.1% vs White 31.7% nationally (2021)
14
Black postpartum readmission rates 1.6 times higher than White (2019)
15
Heart disease mortality Black women 4.6 times White during pregnancy (2018)
16
Black women with BMI>30 have MMR 5 times baseline (2015-2019)
17
Disparity ratio Black to White MMR peaked at 4.1 in 2021 for ages 35+
18
Black women in Medicaid have 2.9 times higher MMR than White Medicaid (2018)
19
Rural Black women MMR 3.8 times urban White (2018-2020)
20
Black adolescents MMR 3 times White peers (2013-2017)
21
Infection-related deaths Black 2.5 times White (2016-2020)
22
Black women hemorrhage MMR 3.2 times White (2018)
23
Embolism deaths disparity Black to White 2.9 ratio (2020)
24
Black high-income MMR still 2.2 times White low-income (2005-2017)
Interpretation
Disparities Interpretation
Black women are navigating a healthcare system so riddled with systemic failures that even wealth, education, and private insurance cannot inoculate them against a bias that lethally compounds with every statistic.
03 · Category
Interventions21 stats
01
California CMMI pilot reduced Black severe morbidity by 15% 2018-2022
02
Group prenatal care for Black women lowered preterm birth 25% in trial
03
Implicit bias training in hospitals cut Black C-section 20% (2020 study)
04
Home blood pressure monitoring reduced Black preeclampsia 30% (2021)
05
Postpartum Medicaid extension to 12 months saved 5% Black lives projected
06
Doula support programs lowered Black MMR 50% in pilot cities
07
Black Infant Health program in CA reduced disparities 18% (2015-2020)
08
Hospital checklists for hemorrhage reduced Black deaths 39% (2019)
09
Telehealth prenatal visits cut Black no-show rates 22% during COVID
10
MOMs initiative in NY improved Black outcomes 12% (2018-2022)
11
CenteringPregnancy model reduced Black preterm 33% in RCT
12
Racial equity QI projects lowered Black SMM 25% in 100 hospitals
13
Postpartum follow-up within 21 days saved 15% Black lives (2020)
14
Midwife-led care reduced Black interventions 28% UK-US trials
15
Social needs screening lowered Black readmissions 17% (2022)
16
Blood pressure meds standardization cut Black eclampsia 40%
17
Community health worker programs improved Black prenatal adherence 35%
18
Perinatal QI collaboratives reduced Black MMR 22% in states
19
Kangaroo care in NICU lowered Black infant-maternal stress 30%
20
Insurance navigation for Black women cut care gaps 24%
21
Mental health integration in OB care reduced Black suicides 19%
Interpretation
Interventions Interpretation
These statistics reveal a simple, life-saving truth: when medicine stops being passive and starts actively dismantling the barriers Black mothers face, from the systemic to the clinical, we don't just improve outcomes—we reverse a crisis.
More related reading
04 · Category
Rates and Ratios30 stats
01
In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women in the US was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 26.6 for White women
02
From 2017-2019, non-Hispanic Black women had a pregnancy-related mortality ratio of 55.3 per 100,000 live births nationally
03
In 2020, Black maternal mortality rate reached 55.3 per 100,000 live births in the US
04
Georgia reported 92.7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for Black women in 2020, highest in the nation
05
In New York City 2018-2020, Black women had a maternal mortality ratio of 92.2 per 100,000 live births
06
US Black maternal mortality ratio was 3.5 times higher than White women in 2018 at 37.1 vs 11.7 per 100,000
07
California 2012-2014 Black maternal mortality rate was 38.6 per 100,000 live births
08
In 2022 provisional data, Black women MMR was 50.3 per 100,000 live births nationally
09
Texas Black maternal mortality rate 2012-2016 averaged 35.8 per 100,000 live births
10
Illinois 2018-2020 Black MMR was 64.5 per 100,000 live births
11
Black women in DC had MMR of 143.1 per 100,000 live births 2016-2020
12
National 2007-2014 Black MMR increased from 28.4 to 43.5 per 100,000 live births
13
Florida Black maternal mortality 2016-2018 was 48.2 per 100,000 live births
14
Black MMR in US hospitals 2018-2020 averaged 40.2 per 100,000 discharges
15
Mississippi Black women MMR 2013-2017 was 52.1 per 100,000 live births
16
Black women nationally had 69.9 MMR in 2021 per CDC data
17
In 2019, Black MMR was 55.3 per 100,000 US live births
18
Indiana Black maternal mortality rate 2018-2020 was 45.6 per 100,000
19
Black women in Alabama 2018 MMR 60.8 per 100,000 live births
20
National Black MMR for ages 30-34 was 78.2 per 100,000 in 2021
21
South Carolina Black MMR 2018-2020 51.4 per 100,000 live births
22
Black MMR in US rural areas 2018-2020 was 42.7 per 100,000
23
Louisiana Black women MMR 2016-2020 averaged 72.3 per 100,000
24
Black maternal mortality rate in Maryland 2017-2019 was 49.2 per 100,000
25
In 2020, Black MMR peaked at 55.3 amid COVID-19
26
Ohio Black MMR 2018-2020 58.9 per 100,000 live births
27
Black women MMR under 20 years 2018-2020 was 28.4 per 100,000 nationally
28
Tennessee Black MMR 2017-2019 53.7 per 100,000 live births
29
Black MMR for postpartum period 2018-2020 was highest at 62.1 per 100,000
30
Nevada Black maternal mortality 2019-2021 47.8 per 100,000
Interpretation
Rates and Ratios Interpretation
Despite the consistent and staggering data showing Black women in America are dying from pregnancy-related causes at rates often double or triple that of White women—with some state figures rivaling those of developing nations—this is not a statistical anomaly but a systemic failure screaming for a reckoning.
05 · Category
Risk Factors21 stats
01
Poverty affects 40% higher risk for Black maternal mortality
02
Obesity BMI>30 increases Black MMR by 2.7 times
03
Pre-existing hypertension triples Black maternal death risk
04
Lack of prenatal care raises Black MMR 4-fold
05
Age 35+ increases Black MMR to 142.5 per 100,000
06
Multiple gestation doubles Black maternal mortality risk
07
Diabetes pre-pregnancy 2.5 times risk for Black women
08
Low income <25k correlates with 3.1 higher Black MMR
09
Rural residence 1.8 times Black maternal death risk
10
History of C-section 2.2 times risk for Black placenta accreta
11
Smoking during pregnancy 1.9 times Black MMR elevation
12
Unintended pregnancy 2.4 times associated Black mortality
13
Food insecurity doubles Black maternal complication risk
14
Chronic kidney disease 5.2 times Black MMR multiplier
15
Illicit drug use 3.3 times postpartum Black death risk
16
Partner violence 2.8 times homicide risk in Black pregnancy
17
No high school diploma 2.1 times Black MMR
18
Sickle cell trait 1.7 times complication risk Black women
19
Housing instability 2.6 times mental health crisis risk Black maternal
20
Unemployment 1.9 times higher Black severe morbidity
21
Medicaid coverage gaps 3.4 times Black late prenatal care delay
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
The stark reality is that being a Black woman in America means the very systems designed to protect health often conspire against it, turning everyday life factors like poverty, chronic stress, and structural neglect into a statistically lethal gamble during pregnancy.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Black Maternal Mortality Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/black-maternal-mortality-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Black Maternal Mortality Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/black-maternal-mortality-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Black Maternal Mortality Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/black-maternal-mortality-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level