Change on a year earlierMay 2021Maternal and child
India: maternal deaths reported rose to 2,886 in May 2021, against 1,573 a year earlier (+83%).
What happened
- May 2021
- 2,886
- May 2020
- 1,573
- Change
- +1,313
- Change, per cent
- +83%
Why it matters
Comparing a week or month with the same week or month a year earlier removes ordinary seasonality: monsoon-season fever, the March reporting rush. What remains is change the calendar does not explain.
For maternal deaths reported, neither a rise nor a fall is better in itself, so the observatory marks this movement as unusual rather than good or bad.
Historical context
Compared with the same month of 2020, which removes ordinary seasonality. This comparison involves the COVID-19 disruption period (March 2020 – June 2021), when service use and reporting fell sharply.
The underlying data
| Period | Value | Release | Where in the document |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | 2,886 | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, May 2021 (FY 2021-22, provisional) | 2021-2022(Data is Provisional)/A.MonthWise/B-May.xlsx: '16.5.1' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Bleeding + '16.5.2' Number of Maternal Deaths due to High fever + '16.5.3' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Abortion + '16.5.4' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Obstructed/prolonged labour + '16.5.5' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Severe hypertension/fits + '16.5.6' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Other Causes (including causes not known); column "All India", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
| May 2020 | 1,573 | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, May 2020 (FY 2020-21, provisional) | 2020-2021(Data is Provisional)/A.MonthWise/B-May.xlsx: '16.5.1' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Bleeding + '16.5.2' Number of Maternal Deaths due to High fever + '16.5.3' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Abortion + '16.5.4' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Obstructed/prolonged labour + '16.5.5' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Severe hypertension/fits + '16.5.6' Number of Maternal Deaths due to Other Causes (including causes not known); column "All India", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
Source and method
More signals for maternal deaths reported in India
Cite this
According to the India Health Observatory, India: maternal deaths reported rose to 2,886 in May 2021, against 1,573 a year earlier (+83%). Source: Health Management Information System, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, May 2021 (FY 2021-22, provisional). https://indiahealthobservatory.com/signals/maternal-deaths-reported--india--2021-05--yoy_change
See also India and 2,886 in context.