A new study published in The Lancet Global Health has found that integrating family planning with maternity services has been a major driver behind the 41% decline in global maternal mortality between 2000 and 2023.
The research paper, titled “Effect of maternity care improvement, fertility decline, and contraceptive use on global maternal mortality reduction between 2000–2023,” analyzed data from 195 countries and territories to assess how improved maternity care and wider access to family planning have contributed to saving mothers’ lives.
According to the findings, 61.2% of the decline in maternal deaths is attributed to better maternity care, while 38.8% results from fertility reduction. Significantly, increased contraceptive use alone helped avert an estimated 77,400 maternal deaths in 2023, underscoring the crucial role of family planning as a life-saving intervention.
The study also highlighted that access to contraception not only empowers women and protects their reproductive rights but also prevents life-threatening complications from pregnancies that occur too early, too late, or too closely spaced. It further reduces the risk of unsafe abortions, a major cause of maternal mortality globally.
Researchers emphasized that continued progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1—reducing global maternal mortality to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030—will require stronger integration of family planning and maternity care services, particularly in low-income countries where contraceptive access remains limited.