By Matik Kueth
South Sudan continues to struggle with a high maternal mortality ratio, which has decreased from 1,687 per 100,000 live births in 2000 to an estimated 1,223 in 2025, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The health agency’s latest report indicates that South Sudan grapples with a staggering infant mortality rate, with 40 out of every 1,000 babies dying within their first 42 days.
With a birth rate of 26 per 1,000, the country ranks among the highest in maternal mortality worldwide.
Dr. Humphrey Karamagi, WHO representative for South Sudan, pointed out several barriers to the crisis, including limited access to skilled healthcare, low rates of facility-based deliveries, inadequate emergency obstetric services, and insufficient use of reproductive health interventions.
Despite certain targeted efforts, the rate of expert attendance at delivery remains dangerously low, with only 19 percent deliveries made by trained healthcare workers.
Karamagi noted that only 3 percent of health facilities are equipped to provide comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care, covering just 1 percent expected births needed to effectively manage complications and avert maternal and neonatal fatalities.
“Just 3 percent of facilities are equipped to provide comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care. This accounts for only 1 percent of total expected births, which is far below the hold needed to manage complications and prevent maternal and neonatal deaths,” he stated.
Data from the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) for 2024 also reveals that while over 60 percent of pregnant women attended at least one antenatal care visit, less than half completed the recommended four visits, and merely 15 percent reached the WHO’s advised eight contacts.
Meanwhile, fewer than half of individuals seeking prenatal care received it in a health facility. Astonishingly, only one in every four moms and newborns receives postpartum care within two days following birth.
However, it is notable that women who give birth in healthcare facilities are considerably more likely to receive timely postnatal care, thereby demonstrating the protective benefits of institutional births.
prenatal care attendance is strongly connected to timely newborn interventions, with 96.6 percent of babies delivered to women who received prenatal care receiving the BCG vaccine.
According to alarming data, a maternal mortality occurs every two minutes worldwide, with approximately 800 women dying every day from avoidable pregnancy-related causes.
Although there are calls for action and growing public awareness, these deaths—defined as those resulting from problems during pregnancy or childbirth happening up to six weeks postpartum—represent a serious global health crisis.
The Wilson Center has identified a concerning reality: the majority of maternal fatalities are avoidable and result from severe health disparities that occur within and between nations globally.