US maternal mortality hits highest rates since 1965

Maternal deaths in the US have surged to the highest rate in nearly six decades, a new report has revealed.

The number of mothers who died during or shortly after pregnancy rose to 1,205 in 2021 for a maternal mortality rate of 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, the National Center for Health Statistics said Thursday.

The new numbers marked a 40% increase from 861 maternal deaths in 2020 and 754 in 2019.

The troubling statistics are the country’s highest since 1965, according to the Wall Street Journal.