Black women in the United States continue to face the highest maternal mortality rates, with the latest federal data showing little progress in closing racial disparities despite an overall decline in maternal deaths. 

In Washington, D.C., the crisis is even more severe, with Black birthing people making up 90% of all birth-related deaths in recent years, according to a city-supported review committee.

A newly released report from the National Center for Health Statistics, published on Feb. 5, found that 669 women died from maternal causes in 2023, down from 817 in 2022. The overall maternal mortality rate dropped from 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 18.6 in 2023. However, for Black women, the rate remained disproportionately high at 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births — more than three times higher than the rates for white (14.5), Hispanic (12.4), and Asian (10.7) women.

Age remains a major factor in maternal mortality nationwide. Women aged 40 and older face the highest risk, with a maternal mortality rate of 59.8 deaths per 100,000 live births — nearly five times higher than the rate for women under 25, which was 12.5. 

Among Black women, this risk is even greater. In 2023, Black women aged 40 and older had a maternal mortality rate of 132.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, more than twice the rate for white women in the same age group (56.6). 

Black women between the ages of 25 and 39 also experienced a significantly higher mortality rate at 53.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 13.8 for white women.

D.C.’s Maternal Mortality Crisis

In Washington, D.C., Black birthing people face an even deadlier maternal health landscape. Despite making up about half of all births in the city, Black birthing people accounted for 90% of all birth-related deaths, according to a study conducted by the D.C. Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC). 

The MMRC, which was formed in 2018 and reviewed all pregnancy-associated deaths in D.C. between 2014 and 2018, found that the city’s maternal mortality rate far exceeded the national average.

In 2018, D.C.’s maternal mortality rate stood at 36 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to the national rate of 20.7. The disparity widened even further for Black residents. While the national maternal mortality rate for Black women was 47.2 per 100,000 live births, the rate for Black birthing people in D.C. was 70.9 — one of the highest rates in the country.

The study also examined pregnancy-related mortality, which includes deaths occurring within one year of pregnancy due to complications from pregnancy, a chain of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an unrelated condition by pregnancy’s physiological effects. D.C.’s pregnancy-related mortality rate was 44 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to the national rate of 28 during the same period. While Black residents accounted for 90% of all pregnancy-related deaths in D.C., white residents — who made up 30% of all births — reported no pregnancy-related deaths during the study period.

The age disparities in D.C. mirror national trends, with older Black women facing significantly higher maternal mortality rates. Wards 7 and 8, which have the city’s highest concentration of Black residents, accounted for 70% of all pregnancy-associated deaths. 

In contrast, residents of Wards 2 and 3 — among the city’s wealthiest and predominantly white areas — reported no pregnancy-associated deaths.

A Broader Pattern of Racial Disparities

The findings in D.C. reflect wider racial disparities in health outcomes, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. By May 2020, Black Washingtonians accounted for 80% of coronavirus deaths despite making up less than half of the city’s population. In early 2022, during the omicron wave, Black D.C. residents represented 84% of all COVID-related deaths.

“The disparities and the statistics are very real and very concerning, and they are very much along racial lines — racial lines that are underlined by these social and structural causes,” said Dr. Christina Marea, a co-founder of the MMRC at the time of the study. “There’s nothing about Black birthing people that makes them more likely to die; it’s the environments to which they’re exposed in our social, environmental, and health systems.”

While the overall maternal mortality rate declined nationally in 2023, the persistent racial gap raises concerns about whether existing policy efforts are effectively addressing the crisis. Based on data from the National Vital Statistics System, the federal report reinforces calls for systemic reforms, including expanding access to high-quality prenatal and postpartum care, increasing funding for maternal health programs, and implementing stronger measures to combat medical bias.

The 2023 maternal mortality statistics represent the most recent data available for researchers.