U.S. maternal mortality climbs dramatically during pandemic, study finds

The rate of Americans dying while giving birth — or in the weeks afterward — increased by more than one-third in 2021 compared with a year earlier, with the burden of death disproportionately borne by communities of color, according to a report released Thursday by U.S. health officials.

The number of maternal deaths jumped to 1,205 in 2021, up from 861 the previous year, according to the report from the National Center for Health Statistics. This means the rate at which all people died of medical conditions caused or aggravated by pregnancy increased from 23.8 to 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.