US maternal deaths rose in 2020, with Black mothers at far higher risk

Report shows rate of maternal deaths among Black people is almost triple the figure for white people

Pregnancy-related deaths among US mothers climbed higher in the pandemic's first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report released on Wednesday.

Overall in 2020, there were almost 24 deaths per 100,000 births, or 861 deaths total, numbers that reflect mothers dying during pregnancy, childbirth or the year after. The rate was 20 per 100,000 in 2019.