Latest NVSS & MMRC Maternal Mortality Data from the CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated maternal mortality data from two major national systems: provisional estimates from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)  and the most recent Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) dataset. Together, these releases provide an opportunity not only to assess where maternal mortality stands today, but also to better understand how information is presented by different data systems.

These datasets are fundamentally different in both design and purpose. 

NVSS data are derived from death certificates and use standardized ICD coding to assign a single underlying cause of death and are limited to deaths occurring during pregnancy or within 42 days postpartum. NVSS datasets do not capture mental health-related deaths.

MMRC data are considered the gold standard for maternal mortality as this data provides the most comprehensive view of maternal death and determines “pregnancy-relatedness” of deaths. The data are generated through detailed reviews of medical records, interviews, where possible, to understand the person’s circumstances, and multidisciplinary clinical judgment. These reviews incorporate the full year postpartum. This data includes suicide and overdose. 

Highlights From the New NVSS Data 

The provisional 2025 NVSS data suggest a modest decline in maternal mortality compared to the finalized 2024 rate of 17.9 per 100,000 live births, with recent rolling estimates falling in the 16–17 range. However, this change is small and should be interpreted cautiously, given the provisional nature of the data and the normal year-to-year variability in maternal mortality rates.  The finalized 2024 maternal mortality rate was 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, and the provisional estimates through 2025 remain in roughly the same range. 

Highlights from the New MMRC Data 

The MMRC data for 2022 provide deeper context on pregnancy-related deaths.  Importantly, there is a slight shift in dataset coverage: the 2021 MMRC data included pregnancy-related deaths from 46 states, while the 2022 dataset reflects 45 states, with Idaho no longer included. 

Mental health conditions remained a leading cause of pregnancy-related death, accounting for approximately one-quarter of deaths in both years. 

The overall contribution of mental health–related deaths remained stable, but the composition within this category shifted markedly:

Suicide accounted for a substantially larger share of pregnancy-related deaths, increasing from 7.4% of all pregnancy-related deaths in 2021 to 13.2% in 2022.

Changes in the distribution of underlying mental health conditions also shifted with depression rising from 18.4% to 32.9%.

Table 1:  Comparison of Pregnancy-Related Mental Health Deaths 2021-2022

The timing of deaths also shows no significant shift between years, with the majority occurring after the early postpartum period and extending through the first year following pregnancy. This reinforces that maternal mortality risk does not end at delivery, but persists well beyond the traditional six-week postpartum window.

Patterns by race and age are largely stable across both years. Racial disparities persist, with Black women continuing to be disproportionately represented among pregnancy-related deaths, while White and Hispanic women account for substantial but comparatively lower shares relative to their population size. The age distribution also shows little change, with the largest share of deaths occurring among women ages 25–39 and elevated risk among women aged 40 and older. These patterns reinforce that disparities in maternal mortality are not shifting year to year but remain deeply embedded within the system. 

The Policy Center will continue to track maternal mortality, including maternal suicide rates, and will continue to lead maternal suicide prevention efforts.